Citroen Xsara HDi Coupe makes diesel sporty
12 April 2000: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan.
Brian: When the Xsara won an Irish Car of the Year accolade in its introductory year, it did so as much for its nice looks as for engineering excellence. I think it still looks as good today, and has crossed over into the 2000s very well. Our review car for this issue was the coupe version, with the latest HDi turbo-diesel, and that might seem a funny combination, but it worked, as we'll talk about later ...
Trish: The looks didn't really set me on fire at first, but they grew on me very much as the time wore on. The car is smart looking in a very non-aggressive kind of way. In fact it was distinctive enough to be easily found in a row of parked cars, which of course may have been helped by the rather bright metallic yellow colour of the review car ...
Brian: Hmmm ... you're right about the non-aggressive shape, and maybe this is why quite a lot are bought by women. The 3-door style helps to make it look good, though the downside is getting people, and stuff, onto the back seat. But the liftback boot area rather made up for that, and we were more encouraged to use it for our computers and other stuff, which from a security point of view is the right way, anyway ...
Trish: One little fault, though, is that the hydraulic struts for that lift back are not supportive enough when opening ... it's quite heavy to lift half way and until you reach that point, the back door will fall down if you let go. However once you get into the boot area there's certainly plenty of space ...
Brian: From the inside, there's something of an old-fashioned look to the dashboard, but it is at the same time well laid out. The instruments are clear, black figures on white, and there's no getting confused between them ... I found the switch controls tidy as well, except for the headlight dipper ... I prefer the straighforward push/high pull/low system ...
Trish: Still on controls, I was very impressed with the satellite radio controls on the steering wheel. It is one of the best safety ideas in cars in recent years, particularly if the actual radio is littered with tiny, fiddly buttons ...
Brian: One further small point in this area - the door openers in the Xsara are very well designed, and I'd like to see them copied by others ... now, to seating, and those in the review car were up-market 'sporty' types, with good back and side support ... though perhaps the seat itself is a little hard ...
Trish: The back seats also look comfortable but if lanky Brian is driving there's no room for anyone with legs behind him! Also the coupe shape limits head room, and I'd be inclined to think this car is more suitable for singles on the early rungs of the management ladder ...
Brian: Lots of little storage spaces, particularly I liked the way the armrests in the doors lifted to reveal nice deep places for maps and books ... and there are map pockets on the backs of both front seats ...
Trish: The engine now ... it impressed me far more than I'd expected, given that it was a diesel. But then it's the very latest diesel technology from Citroën. It shows that the company is back as a leader in diesel engine design and production ...
Brian: It's a 2-litre, direct injection, and very pokey in the lower revs, which gave the relatively small car quite a sporty feel if we put boots down ... not at all a stodgy oil-burner, this one ...
Trish: The gear shift was in the right position for me with my seat moved forward and in general I found it good to use. But there seemed to be a small problem with second which I sometimes found hard to find ... the clutch, unlike many diesel powered cars in the past, was actually as light as any petrol engined car. I liked the long travel before the clutch 'bit' which is much more comfortable when driving in traffic ...
Brian: The surprising sporty nature of the diesel car was matched by solid handling ... in fact, I think the suspension was sports-rated more than the ordinary car ... and it was also well-damped against both noise and impact on rutted roads ...
Trish: I've one more crib, nothing to do with the mechanicals, and that's the reflection of the instrument binnacle off the windscreen when driving in bright sunlight. It's caused by the metallising of that piece of plastic and is extremely annoying. In fact if I owned the car, I'd have to put a matte finish on the top ...
Brian: But anyway, at the price of £16,300, we have a good-looking car, with plenty of zip, strong economy, and feeling very well built. It might take a bit of a conceptual up-step to equate diesel with sporty, though.
OUR RATING: 8/10
Citroen Xsara facts: 2.0-litre turbodiesel; 5-speed manual; coupe; price range £16,300.
