Smoothest Cit

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 19 Mar 2005, 02:25

Saw this on Citroen Car Club forum so thought I'd pinch it[:D]
What are the smoothest Citroens to ride in? Also, in your opinions what are the best and worst vehicles Citroen has produced?

406 V6 · Post by **406 V6** » 19 Mar 2005, 02:28

A DS is always a DS.
That's the smoothest i ever rode

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 19 Mar 2005, 02:35

One of the most beautiful cars ever created too, can't believe its now 50 years since their launch......want one desperatly, the BX is a substitute DS!! lol.

Post by **Thunderbird** » 19 Mar 2005, 02:41

Xantia Activa is smooth when driving straight.
C5 is smooth.
Xantia and XM are very smooth.
CX, SM, CX, GS, are super smooth.
DS is the smoother car in the world.
Now, for body-roll invert the rating.

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 19 Mar 2005, 03:07

Only 'Hydro-Cit's' I've been in are; Xantia, XM and BX. Ages since Xantia and Xm so memorys kind of faded. Like the BX ride, very comfy but not quite the 'Magic carpet' I'd been lead to believe. Still, enjoy the novelty of the car pumping up once started, height ajustment and owning and driving car with 'that' suspension.

FDV · Post by **FDV** » 19 Mar 2005, 03:50

Hard for me to say really. In my opinion an Activa isn't very smooth, its very fidgity. One downpoint against the awesome road holding! In fact I don't rate Xantia's ride at all. BX is much better, even the 16v is impressive on the motorway.
Probably either a 1983 BX 16TRS my dad had or his XM. I've not really owned any of the really smooth ones, although the BX 19RD estate isn't bad at all.
Tom Sheppard's CX shut me up for a bit too!

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 19 Mar 2005, 04:14

Xm Series 2 with hydractive 2 is the smoothest car i have ever owned or been in, way better than the bx tzd or the Xantia that i have also owned

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 19 Mar 2005, 04:36

Hi Guys,
DS .... it is the smoothest hands down, no comparison. Especially the early ones.
SM .... Next best ... Unfortunatly I've never driven one.
GS .... Next smoothest, quite incredible little car.
CX series I --Quite good, but no DS
CX series II --Firmer again, but still vastly better than cars with crappy struts.
Xantia Hydractive --Dumb as it sounds, I rate this as a better ride than my BX19tri.
Next is the BX ... kinda average ride comfort, not a patch on the eearly cars. Much better than it's competition at the time.
Xantia non hydractive ... Why did they bother with the hydraulics, ride quite lumpy, so firmly tied down it feels like the hydractive model stuck in hard mode. Is it smoother than it's competition ??
We have the XM and C5 of course, but i can't comment on what I haven't driven. I don't have high hopes for them.
seeya,
Shane L.

Stinkwheel · Post by **Stinkwheel** » 19 Mar 2005, 04:51

Never driven or been in a DS so dont know..............
for me series 1 CX is best, series 2 next then GS and GSA lastly a good BX.
The xantia i had (mk1) was average, good roadholding, poor ride, similar too a mondeo or vectra, i guess it was supposed to be. not for me thanks.

FDV · Post by **FDV** » 19 Mar 2005, 05:15

Thats a point, have to say I was impressed with the C5's ride actually. It was a 2.2HDi.

czenda · Post by **czenda** » 19 Mar 2005, 06:14

Actually, this text is not only about the quality of ride, but about the Cit legende - it may be justified by the fact that they may be entwined to some extent:
DS is certainly softest (I remember Louis de Funes movies, not sure whether these are so well-known in Anglo-Saxon context too, but I was always impressed that the DS went down by 20 - 30 cm when he sat into the car - he was 45 kg including his shoes.) However, DS handling while Juve pursuing Fantomas on curving roads of Haute Provance seemed downright dangerous. I never drove one - they are nonexistent where I live.
Then, here comes CX GTI, driven by Horst Schimanski (again, the name may not be known outside CE context - German TV series, something between Steve McQeen in Bullitt and Professionals). Yes, it made the impression, and I remember my classmates dreaming about silver CX. (As soon as I will have a garage to put the beast in, guess what. Drove once, will never forget).
BX - inexpensive workhorse with a bit of hydraulic magic. Can be improved when one is in DIY mood.
XM - fine until it breaks, then nothing short from the worst nightmare! Too hard to DIY, service prices are sky-high! No way again!
Xantia - boring, boring, boring!! Plus quite high prices even for fourth/fifth hand where I live. Will not buy.
I guess the above written is a bit off-topic, but I felt like expressing my Cit opinions... I may seem negative about the later models they made, but... look at the C6! Yes, Yes, Yes, they got it right!

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 19 Mar 2005, 19:18

Smoothest? Not sure. THe CX certainly is more comfortable than the BX and probably handles better than a DS, with less body roll. Big soft seats help, too.
Few people on this board will have driven an SM, so we'll have to guess but I would think that a CX Prestige wins due to its long wheelbase.

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 21 Mar 2005, 06:17

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by tomsheppard</i>

Smoothest? Not sure. THe CX certainly is more comfortable than the BX and probably handles better than a DS, with less body roll. Big soft seats help, too.
Few people on this board will have driven an SM, so we'll have to guess but I would think that a CX Prestige wins due to its long wheelbase.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
DS's are MUCH better than the CX .... really ......
The CX wagon has nearly the same wheelbase as a DS. The DS has a bloody huge wheelbase. 124" from memory. I've heard from a few SM owners that SM's ride better than DS's, but I find this hard to believe given they need to be firmer (especially compared to the 50's DS/ID's I've driven).
seeya,
Shane L.

Post by **Thunderbird** » 21 Mar 2005, 18:59

If the suspension in both cars is in good condition (spheres, lhm, heigh corr., etc.), you cannot compare a DS with a BX!!!
It's like day and night. The DS really floats over the road - an unique and magic sensation. The BX is just a comfortable car.
The DS suspension provides a much better comfort than the SM. The difference relies on the engine - With the Maserati V6 engine you can travel long distances at 120mph with comfort, while the DS is limited by really weak engines, but the suspension is far more comfortable.
More modern Citroens, like the C5 and the C6 are designed for high performance in modern roads. Reduced body-roll and good handling has its price. You can compare them with the BX and the Xantia but not with the DS. Even if conpared with a CX the C5 will lose (except in handling/body-roll).
Other brands are following the same direction. Better dynamics, handling, and less suspension comfort, each time a new model comes out. Altough the suspension confort is falling (and that's ok on modern roads), overall comfort is improving - ergonomy, silence, etc.

gaz238 · Post by **gaz238** » 09 Oct 2005, 20:00

I have recently bought a c5 2.2 hdi estate on 52 plate and am relatively pleased with the vehicle, particularly the space and performance. however, i must say that the so called "magic carpet" ride is exagerated and although the car has a reasonably smooth ride compared to say a mondeo, it is no better than say a vw passat. unless, of course, there is a problem with the hydractive on my vehicle. is there a simple way to determine if there is a problem or do people agree with me regarding the suspension ?. also, i can`t tell the difference in the vehicle when i switch to sport mode - is this normal. i have had the vehicle recently serviced and the suspension came back ok - any comments appreciated

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