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Buy Swedish and be happy and safe
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Or just buy the C5, and be happy, safe and comfortable.
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Which gives a clue what it will be worth in three years.
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Ah, residuals, I know... Tough subject, but that car is just so, so comfy. Almost like its bigger bro, the C6.
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Citroen has been making hydro-pneumatic suspension for about 50 years - they should have got the hang of it by now.
Our Xantia is now over 8 years old and has done 100k - it has hydra-active 2. So far it has had a new electro-valve (affected by corrosion probably from road salt?) which cost £85 and an hour's labour. Still even on its original spheres - not too unreliable.
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I owned a GSpecial 1130 many moons ago, fantastic ride comfort. The brakes were amazing.... :-)
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Which model Xantia had the light-pressure turbo motor and the active suspension, where the car actually leaned into the corners to counteract body roll?
I remember Car magazine raved about it, and said something along the lines of "if it had 50BHP more it would be THE driver's choice of sports saloon"
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The Activa. It didn't lean into the corner, the "active" bit reacted to body roll and jacked the car back "level".
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Activa, that was it, thanks
Wonder if it improved digestive transit too?
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>>Wonder if it improved digestive transit too?<<
Having read some of the Activa posts on the frenchcarforum about their cornering abilities, I can well believe it does!
An Activa is sort of growing in my wish list of things to "play with".
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The active rams are expensive and there's 10 spheres, not to mentioned the famed electronics and it's thirst for fuel.
Brilliant car though.
Steve.
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I've got an Activa!
It's actually the second time I've owned this actual car (don't ask). It is indeed great fun around the twisties ... until you hit a bump, when the suspension travel is greatly reduced! I had great fun a few years back around the bends clinging onto the tail of a Lancia Delta Integrale who couldn't work out how this 'Xantia' was keeping up with him (outright speed wasn't an issue on the road in question).
I keep meaning to get it onto a nice smooth track, and will do, once I sort out what keeps draining the battery ...
In Europe it was avaialble with 3.0 V6 petrol and 2.0 HDI power, we just had the 2.0 light pressure turbo. Car did indeed rate it better than an Audi A4 1.8 turbo and BMW320 (I still have the copy).
Edited by boxsterboy on 13/11/2008 at 14:15
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Warning! Thread hi-jack!
Xantia - much, much under-rated car! Our Xant Exclusive 2.0HDi is great. Rolls a bit more than an Activa but not much. Superb engine, superb ride, great economy, all the goodies (loads of electrics - climate, electric/heated seats, sun-roof, etc etc - and, touch wood, none have gone wrong so far in 8 years).
I've driven a load of cars recently and very few beat the combination of comfort, performance etc of the old Xant.
Thing is, I can appreciate the desire to own a performance car with sports suspension, very very low profile tyres etc but in normal everyday driving on British roads you can hardly ever use the performance and the rock hard suspension can be very uncomfortable - I loved the exhaust note, accelleration, precise steering and the feeling of great road-holding of a Boxster I drove recently, - but my back was killing me after a long drive!
These comments do not, of course, take into account the pride that people have in owning a high quality, high performance car - they are objects of desire for many reasons other than those I have mentioned above and I can understand why people buy them!
By the way Boxsterboy, have you checked that the boot -light isn't staying on and draining the battery?
Phil
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PhilW,
I could almost have written your post! Mine's a 2l petrol, economy is good for what it is. For Boxter substitute MX5 and adjust the outright performance downwards. Keep the backache!
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Thing is though, Xantia looks like a pretty simple machinery when compared to the new C5. No advanced shock absorbers and so on, just few spheres and some pipes with liquid inside.
Edited by Vincent de Marco on 14/11/2008 at 12:39
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"advanced shock absorbers"
Can you expand/explain that to me VdM? Hydraulic Cits don't have "shock absorbers" as such do they - don't the spheres do that job ?? Unless it has all changed since BX/Xantias we have owned.......and as usual I am off the pace!
Ta,
Phil
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Yes, my mistake... There are however, what they call at Citroen, "suspension cylinders" which look just like ordinary shocks. It's complicated, as usual haha...
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"suspension cylinders"
Never heard of those either!! Obviously far too complicated for me -- but at least I haven't had one go wrong or need to be replaced on any of my hydraulic Cits over the past 20 years- must be bloomin' reliable!!
Oh, hang on, are they "suspension struts"? Of which I have replaced one on the front of a BX - not too bad a job even for a non-mechanical type like me!
Regards
Phil
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"Keep the backache! "
I followed your advice! Drove a Z4 3.0 Si (?) this morning - fantastic on really smooth stretches of road but murder on the bumpy roads of Sussex - I bet you could feel a pound coin if you ran over one. Bad for the back even though the seats were very supportive and comfortable!
I think there's an old Howlin' Wolf song about being "built for comfort not for speed" - and I'm afraid that's how I like my cars these days.
Mind you, having said that, I reckon that Audis seem to hit a happy medium (TT, A5 etc), giving the impression of great roadholding while still having enough "give" to make them non-backache inducing. M-Bs also.
Phil
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By the way Boxsterboy have you checked that the boot -light isn't staying on and draining the battery?
No. Will try that, thanks. The alarm was playing up - fixed by removing it's fuse!
Oh, and I too got backache driving a Boxster!
Edited by boxsterboy on 14/11/2008 at 19:25
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Hope disconnecting the alarm hasn't disconnected your insurance policy boxterboy.....backache isn't pleasant but insurance company induced headache is much worse! :-(
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