<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>One day everybody will understand.... <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
I hope not or I'll never be able to afford another greenblooded beauty again <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Niek.
Xantia suspension - is it any good?
Moderator: RichardW
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martyhopkirk
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Chris_L</i>
Also, given the crazy video of the old Cit on the Paris Dakka rally still motoring along at 100mph+ with a wheel missing, it has other benefits too!! Point taken.
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Had a puncture in mine at the weekend, occoured on the M55 and i was trundelling along at about 70 ish. - The car NEVER wobbled once. Worth its weight in airbags. Had a new (cheap-o) tyre on zx several weeks earlier and tyre valve (cheapo garage used old one - I thought tyre had slo puncture, turned out was shonky valve) let go at less than 30 in Blackpool, scared the poop out of me, went all over the place.
Hydro suspension, blooming marvelous when it works.
Also, given the crazy video of the old Cit on the Paris Dakka rally still motoring along at 100mph+ with a wheel missing, it has other benefits too!! Point taken.
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Had a puncture in mine at the weekend, occoured on the M55 and i was trundelling along at about 70 ish. - The car NEVER wobbled once. Worth its weight in airbags. Had a new (cheap-o) tyre on zx several weeks earlier and tyre valve (cheapo garage used old one - I thought tyre had slo puncture, turned out was shonky valve) let go at less than 30 in Blackpool, scared the poop out of me, went all over the place.
Hydro suspension, blooming marvelous when it works.
Just to add to that last post - I had a blowout whilst on the M25, doing 90 (KMH of course) in the outside lane, lots of smoke billowing out the back, but the car was perfectly driveable, and I got it over to the hard shoulder with no problems.
Incidentally, this is not a Xantia, but a BX.
Didn't know it was a tyre gone until I got out of the car - tyre was shredded, and the tyre wall had seperated from the tyre tread (Flat bit) all the way round.
Hate to think what that would have been like in a conventional car.
Dan
Incidentally, this is not a Xantia, but a BX.
Didn't know it was a tyre gone until I got out of the car - tyre was shredded, and the tyre wall had seperated from the tyre tread (Flat bit) all the way round.
Hate to think what that would have been like in a conventional car.
Dan
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madasafish
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I has my first ever ride/drive in a Xantia 2 weeks ago. My prior experience of Citroen was an uncle's DS21 estate (Palls?) in the 1960s.
My view is that the Xantia suspension - over typical country sideroads and not very good main roads was EXCELLENT. Best I have ever driven for comfort. Rolled a bit (I drive a Fiesta 1600 (2001) so am a keen country road driver.)
BUT I think the design basics are like those of much of Citroen in the past. ABOSLUTELY No (or very little) regard for long term maintenace .. who would design a system which if not greased (the rear height adjusters I believe) break and the suspension dies.. ?
Or a clutch cable which is unaccessible to replace?
Answer: engineers who do not care about long term maintenance.
When I look at how Fords are designed: don't sneer.. the Focus and Mondeo are absolutely brilliant designs just available in millions so common as muck.. and how simple and cheap they are to maintain.. and after 100k miles if so maintained there is little complex to do.. and then I read about Xantias (or recent VW Polos where to change a front sidelight bulb requires major body dismantling I believe)... I cringe.
Ford headlamps are a classic example. Held to bodies by 2 lower rubber plugs which just clip on and a spring which engages in a hole in the inner wing. Peugeot use srews! The extra costs in maunfacture plus the pain in replacing bulbs is enormous!
The Xantia could have been a lot better if the design engineers had just been a litle more concerned with simplflification. But then you could argue it was simpler than an XM:-)
I will buy a Xantia: the ride is very good and the prices are very low. Design is semi timeless as well. All spoilt by stoooooopid faults (I can live with sphere replacement but not with central locking faults due to sensor design:-)
My view is that the Xantia suspension - over typical country sideroads and not very good main roads was EXCELLENT. Best I have ever driven for comfort. Rolled a bit (I drive a Fiesta 1600 (2001) so am a keen country road driver.)
BUT I think the design basics are like those of much of Citroen in the past. ABOSLUTELY No (or very little) regard for long term maintenace .. who would design a system which if not greased (the rear height adjusters I believe) break and the suspension dies.. ?
Or a clutch cable which is unaccessible to replace?
Answer: engineers who do not care about long term maintenance.
When I look at how Fords are designed: don't sneer.. the Focus and Mondeo are absolutely brilliant designs just available in millions so common as muck.. and how simple and cheap they are to maintain.. and after 100k miles if so maintained there is little complex to do.. and then I read about Xantias (or recent VW Polos where to change a front sidelight bulb requires major body dismantling I believe)... I cringe.
Ford headlamps are a classic example. Held to bodies by 2 lower rubber plugs which just clip on and a spring which engages in a hole in the inner wing. Peugeot use srews! The extra costs in maunfacture plus the pain in replacing bulbs is enormous!
The Xantia could have been a lot better if the design engineers had just been a litle more concerned with simplflification. But then you could argue it was simpler than an XM:-)
I will buy a Xantia: the ride is very good and the prices are very low. Design is semi timeless as well. All spoilt by stoooooopid faults (I can live with sphere replacement but not with central locking faults due to sensor design:-)
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by madasafish</i>
BUT I think the design basics are like those of much of Citroen in the past. ABOSLUTELY No (or very little) regard for long term maintenace .. who would design a system which if not greased (the rear height adjusters I believe) break and the suspension dies.. ?
Or a clutch cable which is unaccessible to replace?
Answer: engineers who do not care about long term maintenance.
When I look at how Fords are designed: don't sneer.. the Focus and Mondeo are absolutely brilliant designs just available in millions so common as muck.. and how simple and cheap they are to maintain.. and after 100k miles if so maintained there is little complex to do.. and then I read about Xantias (or recent VW Polos where to change a front sidelight bulb requires major body dismantling I believe)... I cringe.
Ford headlamps are a classic example. Held to bodies by 2 lower rubber plugs which just clip on and a spring which engages in a hole in the inner wing. Peugeot use srews! The extra costs in maunfacture plus the pain in replacing bulbs is enormous!
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To be honest the current Mondeo and Focus are no easier to work on than a Xantia, and worse in some respects. I agree the suspension on larger Citroens does add extra complexity, but the rest of the car is no more complicated than a Mondeo, Vectra etc.
The arguement that Fords are easy to work on really went out of the window about 10-15 years ago.
Nick
BUT I think the design basics are like those of much of Citroen in the past. ABOSLUTELY No (or very little) regard for long term maintenace .. who would design a system which if not greased (the rear height adjusters I believe) break and the suspension dies.. ?
Or a clutch cable which is unaccessible to replace?
Answer: engineers who do not care about long term maintenance.
When I look at how Fords are designed: don't sneer.. the Focus and Mondeo are absolutely brilliant designs just available in millions so common as muck.. and how simple and cheap they are to maintain.. and after 100k miles if so maintained there is little complex to do.. and then I read about Xantias (or recent VW Polos where to change a front sidelight bulb requires major body dismantling I believe)... I cringe.
Ford headlamps are a classic example. Held to bodies by 2 lower rubber plugs which just clip on and a spring which engages in a hole in the inner wing. Peugeot use srews! The extra costs in maunfacture plus the pain in replacing bulbs is enormous!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
To be honest the current Mondeo and Focus are no easier to work on than a Xantia, and worse in some respects. I agree the suspension on larger Citroens does add extra complexity, but the rest of the car is no more complicated than a Mondeo, Vectra etc.
The arguement that Fords are easy to work on really went out of the window about 10-15 years ago.
Nick