Xantia ACTIVA questions... (vs BMW e30 325i)

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deian
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Xantia ACTIVA questions... (vs BMW e30 325i)

Post by deian »

Having previously owned an e30 325i (170bhp 2.5 inline 6pot), I'm wondering whether an Activa would closely match my needs, I miss my old 325, but one of the many reasons of not buying another one is the fuel consumption. SO...

I know the Activa has 150bhp and is probably lighter, so power to weight ratio would be good, how solid is the engine on the activa compared to the BMW engine (for those who know the M20B25 engine in the bmw, which like an opera singer loved to sing it's ass off, without sheding a tear).

What's the fuel consumption like on the 2.0i turbo?... is it MUCH worse than the 2.0i 16v? My main concern is the running costs, my gf will be moving to uni which will be about 300miles away, so will be driving there a few times a month.

And is it worth the Activa suspension? Advantages are better handling etc, Disadvantages are complexity, rarity etc?

Does the fact that it's good on handling justify the lack of rear wheel drive (as the bmw had that and it was amazing).

Or should I just forget it and stick to either a turbo diesel or a 2.0i16v engine?

Thanks
Deian
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Post by PowerLee »

If you can find a good well looked after Activa they are a very nice car.

In the U.K. it has the XU10J2TE engine ( 1998cc 8 valve petrol low pressure turbo ) Its not a bad engine but check the turbo is ok, They seize up very easily if neglected!

The XU10J2TE lump is all cast iron, Very well built, They can & do leak oil as they get older but a new seal or 2 normally fixes that.

Make sure the cambelt is changed before its due & check the bottom pulley or harmonic balancer as PSA call it, These do fail & normally if your lucky you will spot it at cambelt replacement time & prevent any further damage.

Also make sure it has its original Activa alloy wheels on, These are reinforced especially for the Activa model & under NO circumstances must other alloy wheels be fitted unless you have written confirmation from the alloy wheel manufacturer that they are tested, approved & suitable for use with the Xantia Activa!

Xantia electric's can & will play up, Do a search on the Citroen forum & all the problems & how to sort them out are covered.

Check the heater matrix isn't leaking, Not a very nice job to do.

If its possible get the car inspected by a Citroen specialist before buying it.
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Re: Xantia ACTIVA questions... (vs BMW e30 325i)

Post by Homer »

deian wrote: I know the Activa has 150bhp and is probably lighter, so power to weight ratio would be good,
You may be suprised to know that the Xantia Activa saloon is heavier than the 2.0TurboCT (same engine) estate without the Activa bits. The Activa is faster 0 to 60, which I presume is down to gearing.
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Post by deian »

i bet it isn't as heavy as a e30 325i, i'm sure that weighed close to 1600Kg
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Post by jeremy »

In November 1997 What Car quoted the weight of the Xantia Turbo Activa as 1410kg!
jeremy
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Ian Fearn
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Post by Ian Fearn »

My personal experience of the Xantia and XM CT Turbo is that they are SLOW!!

If you're used to something with a bit of power the CT Turbo will probably come as a disappointment. I find the completely flat torque curve totally boring.

I'm currently running a 1998 P2 Xantia V6 exclusive which is absolutely gorgeous and handles well with the hydractive 2 suspension. I've been giving it some stick but more careful driving would easily achieve 30mpg as i'm getting a shade under 28mpg now.

The Activa suspension is unreal but why oh why didnt we get the V6 activa over here :cry:
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

Ian Fearn wrote:My personal experience of the Xantia and XM CT Turbo is that they are SLOW!!

If you're used to something with a bit of power the CT Turbo will probably come as a disappointment. I find the completely flat torque curve totally boring.

I'm currently running a 1998 P2 Xantia V6 exclusive which is absolutely gorgeous and handles well with the hydractive 2 suspension. I've been giving it some stick but more careful driving would easily achieve 30mpg as i'm getting a shade under 28mpg now.

The Activa suspension is unreal but why oh why didnt we get the V6 activa over here :cry:
The C. T. idea/engine !

I agree it's performance is disappointing.

If I wanted an engine with a usable spread of "constant torque" then I would have a T.D. or better still H.D.I.

Citroen certainly duplicated what in effect a diesel can do, and made it slower, and less economical.

As for Citroen importing the Activa with only the C.T. engine, when it's available with a variety of engine choices in Europe, big mistake.

I would certainly consider a personal import. The fact that the car would be L.H.D. is O.K. and wouldn't bother me at all. It's more important for me to have the engine of my choice I.E. H.D.I or V6 in an Activa. Great suspension with a proper engine, it's what the U.K. spec Activa should have been. 8) :)
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Post by deian »

i totally agree, the activa should have been maybe an optional extra on meatier engines... i.e 2.1TD 2.0HDI, V6 and possibly the 2.0i 16v, i wonder if it's possible to put the activa suspension on a non activa model xantia, i think it would be a complex job.
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Post by PowerLee »

Wouldnt it be far easier to swop the engine for a different one :wink:
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Post by Paul Mi16 »

^^^^ till you come to insure it, or try and sell it!
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Post by Kowalski »

ActivaV6Uk did just that, he made an Activa V6 in right hand drive.

I think he added the V6 engine to an Activa rather than doing things the other way around. He then got Citroen to do some type registration then re-registered the car as an Activa V6 rather than declaring it as a modified vehicle.

I'd ask you to ask him for more information about it but he appears to have disappeared...
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This may help....

Post by NeilPye »

Check this out:


http://www.citroen.mb.ca/Documents/Car/1.htm

Not sure if it will come up as a link or not...

Hope it helps
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Ian Fearn
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Post by Ian Fearn »

Having now ran the Xantia V6 for a week my average fuel consumption was 27.6mpg and i've been driving it reasonably hard.

I reckon 30mpg is easily achievable as a mixed average.

The V6 Activa is a great idea i know of somebody (who is still around unlike Activav6uk!!) that has done this conversion a few times as he's a specialist.

Depending on your outlook the best thing about the Activa V6 is that the manual box can be used giving you a really quick motor that will outhandle many sportscars.

The V6 engine although being more difficult to work on in the tight engine bay shouldnt be any more complicated than a 4 cylinder 16v engine.

Being a bit of a petrol head i couldnt stand the 1.9Turbo Diesel engine in the xantia. I found it slow and not that economical. I'd love to compare it against an HDI or 2.1TD. I think the HDI would be my choice as the extra refinement over the old XUD and D12 would be welcome.
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

Ian Fearn wrote:Having now ran the Xantia V6 for a week my average fuel consumption was 27.6mpg and i've been driving it reasonably hard.

I reckon 30mpg is easily achievable as a mixed average.

The V6 Activa is a great idea i know of somebody (who is still around unlike Activav6uk!!) that has done this conversion a few times as he's a specialist.

Depending on your outlook the best thing about the Activa V6 is that the manual box can be used giving you a really quick motor that will outhandle many sportscars.

The V6 engine although being more difficult to work on in the tight engine bay shouldnt be any more complicated than a 4 cylinder 16v engine.

Being a bit of a petrol head i couldnt stand the 1.9Turbo Diesel engine in the xantia. I found it slow and not that economical. I'd love to compare it against an HDI or 2.1TD. I think the HDI would be my choice as the extra refinement over the old XUD and D12 would be welcome.


Is this specialist still doing the V6 conversion ?

Also has he done any using the 110 BHP H.D.I. engine
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Post by Ian Fearn »

I'll be seeing him tommorrow so can ask him for you if you want?

He's a true Citroen nut, his whole family are! What seems to set this particular specialist aside from others is their true enthusiasm to work on Citroens.... Maybe they're sadists?? lol!
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