Test drive Citroen Xantia 1993 - 1998 hatchback

All photos of Citroen Xantia 1993 - 1998

Up and go!

French cars of Citroen brand have always been distinguished by the originality of the design and interesting technical solutions. It is enough to recall the pre -war traction Avant, the legendary 2CV and DS19, who received the nickname the goddess (when pronouncing DS, acoustic associations with Deesse arise). Some characteristic features of DS19 have since then become a kind of business card of cars with two chevrons on the emblem. This is primarily a hydropneumatic suspension, which appeared on this model in 1955 and allows you to change the road clearance of the car both automatically and at the request of the driver. Its design is still a topic for discussions among automobile engineers and experts, despite the fact that more than 40 years of experience in successful operation of a unique suspension seemed to have already proved its right to exist.

Citroen Xantia has been produced since 1992. The model liked the adherents of this French brand and very quickly gained numerous fans in European countries. Now there is a turn of Russia, which, by the way, is associated with Citroen's business of the long -past days, engineer Kegress, a Frenchman who worked before the revolution in Russia on semi -jubber cars, later left for France and continued his studies at the young company then.

The body of the body we have chosen for the Citroen Xantia 2.0i 16V test can be designated as a universal sedan or sedan with features of the hatchback exterior of the car has signs of all the types mentioned. The machine stands out among its classmates and models with similar dimensions (the length of our Xantia 4445 mm, width 1755 mm, height 1380 mm) by an unusual ratio of length and wheelbase, the latter here is on average 100 mm larger. Its length is 2740 mm. The indicated feature reminds of the roots of the machine of the DS19 also there were a large base and relatively small front and especially the rear overhang. This favorably affects the stability of the car and smoothness, as well as on comfort for the rear passengers. The body design, which was unlucking over the years, underwent a small restyling last year, expressed in a barely noticeable change in the front line. In addition, as if in the continuation of the chevrons of the Citroen emblem, a comb was launched in the center of the hood. Strict and laconic forms of the body are most important in the appearance of Citroen Xantia.

In a similar style, a salon is also made, access to which, thanks to a wide doorway, is very convenient. Despite the lack of vertical adjustment of the pillow and lumbar support in the back, a person will be located on the driver’s seat with comfort. Good fixation is facilitated by the shape of the seat, and the correctly selected upholstery material.

The steering column can be set in height. A steering wheel with a pillow of safety and a leather upholstery of the rim hidden in a hub lies perfectly in his hands. The sound signal is controlled by a pad that partially covers the steering knitting needles. Torpedo is strict and functional as they say, simply and with taste. The governing bodies are ergonomically arranged. The entire light alarm, the front and rear wipers, as well as the heating of the rear window are under the jurisdiction of the steering wheel switches.

The pedals are located in increasing. Accelerator sits below all, a slightly higher brake and even higher clutch pedal. This composition is completed by a platform for the left leg. Such an installation of pedals also caused a different value of their moves. Short and sensitive, the gas reacts perfectly to the slightest movement of the foot, and, controlling it, you can’t be tired of what happens on some models, when you have to constantly keep your leg in suspense due to fear, for example, to overturn.

The stroke of the brake pedal is unusually short, this can be seen clearly the gap between the floor and the exponent of the pedal is very small. Here the wire goes to the pedal mounted on the site for some sensor. What could it be? Clutch without features, the size of the course and information content within the norm.

The location of the gear lever allows the hand to move in a completely natural way when switching. The moves are small, but moments of turning on and off are well felt, which indicates a good study of the design of the transmission mechanism, which is traditionally made for French cars open, not hidden inside the box. In addition to the usual handbrake, the tunnel has a regulator of the body position in height. The regulator is equipped with a symbolic indication schematically shown a chassis released and cleaned. In front of the front passenger are two departments for small things. They take the place of the missing pillow, which can be ordered separately. The upper box opens in the other direction, so access to it is somewhat complicated, apparently, it is intended for items of nonsense.

Behind, as we expected, you can sit with the same as in front. And even tall passengers. The large base of the car is affected. Planting through the back door will not cause difficulties for anyone, despite the seemingly large slope of the rear rack.

The trunk pleased with its capacity. In addition, there is the possibility of transforming the salon for transporting large objects, it is still not a sedan, but a hatchback with a full-fledged fifth door.

Under the hood, a two -liter sixteen -valve engine installed back and installed across. Sherrovy tanks of the front suspension accumulators, painted green according to a long Sitroen tradition, are striking. From a kinematic point of view, the front suspension is a pure macpherson with a triangular lower lever, only instead of traditional springs and shock absorber, hydropneumatics are used. The rear suspension on the longitudinal levers is hidden under the floor, and at the sight of top it seems that it is not at all the wheels.

You can drive. I start the engine. The launch went unnoticed, but then the strange began to occur. Something worked, turned on, opened and hissed quietly ... The car got up slightly. This came into effect the system of adjustment of the body position (with a non -working body of the body, to facilitate landing, occupies the lower position). Hydraulics quickly get used to the work of noise special effects and vertical movements in relation to the surface of the road.

The usual manipulations of the lever of the box, the adhesion and gas pedals went. The engine works barely audible. We are gaining momentum. The motor readily responded to press the gas pedal, even it seemed that it was in effect. Everything is under control due to the good information of the accelerator. The dynamics of Xantia, weighing two hundred tons, turned out to be a very decent car confidently gaining move. After 3,000 rpm, a noticeable pickup per minute, the car rushes forward even faster, demonstrating a good supply of power. The work of the transmission mechanism does not cause complaints everything happens extremely clearly and quickly, without hesitation. The visibility of the driver's place is excellent, especially in the bends you do not need to bend your neck to look out from behind the front racks. Side mirrors perfectly complement the picture observed in the central rear -view mirror.

At work, we will dwell on the suspension in more detail. From the very beginning, we had a feeling of flight at low altitude. The car rides, as if leaning on the pillar of liquid. Small irregularities report themselves only a slight noise coming from somewhere below. Large transferred to the body through hydraulics softened vertical efforts just as unobtrusively. At the ends of the end, the suspension, especially from the back, attracts attention with a more audible work, but the body practically does not move.

Moving at high speed along a good road, you can feel confident Xantia confidently. The car literally grows to the canvas as if silently rolling on invisible rails. The steering wheel with an amplifier becomes more sharp and tight, which is very important in such cases. The car remains obedient, and this allows you to confidently use at the right time the entire width of the carriageway to make maneuvers, for example, a sharp change in the lane. In steep turns, controllability is also almost no delay in the height of the steering wheel. In addition, there is no reaction from the amplifier to the steering wheel in general, there is nothing here that could help not to fit into the trajectory. It is enough to trust the steering wheel and work out the Xantia gas pedal to cope. In this case, the work of the body is relatively small affects the work of hydraulics.

The braking process proceeds quite normally. The ABS is not installed on this car (this is the option), but the situations did not feel the special need for the situations exclusively standard. With sharp braking at high speed, you have to apply slightly increased force to the brake pedal, but such cases are quite rare. In the course of the case, it turned out to be the purpose of the sensor on the brake pedal, it is needed to drive the hydraulic system the clouching during braking and responds to the intensity of the pressure on the pedal.

The Citroen Xantia suspension, as already noted, allows you to change the height of the road clearance, which on occasion we used. We stop. We rise. Touching. The impressions of driving in this position are completely different. The suspension moves decreased markedly, which is quite clear by the rise due to a change in the end, the compression limiter shifted down and the rigidity became larger. You can’t travel quickly on such a stool. But this position of the suspension is not for speed. The large road clearance will be by the way, for example, in temporary parking lots (allowed not to cling the curbs) or with unhurried movement along moderately crossed terrain.

I would especially like to note an aeroclimatic installation with an automatic climate control that has worked perfectly throughout the test.

Such is it, Xantia 2.0i 16V. Updated. We really liked the car with our discreet elegance, functionality and the ability to cause a lot of positive emotions when driving along Moscow streets, when in various situations the machine must be shown accordingly different (and sometimes contrary to each other) quality. Separate song Salon. In this case, its amazing ergonomics is provided without the use of a large number of cunning adjusting mechanisms, indicates the highest level of developers' skill. I would like to understand how adapted the hydropneumatic suspension for long -term operation in Russian conditions is, by the way, the most interested in car owners with whom we communicated during the test. We can say that at the proper level of the Citroen Xantia service, it has good prospects in Russia. The price of the car in this configuration is about $ 25,000.