SOOOO impressed by my new Xantia!!

[deian]

I got my car today, and much to my surprise it's a LOT better than I ever dreamed it would be.

SO comfortable, so solid (even more so than my old e30 325i). It's a 1998 2.1 TD Exclusive in metallic blue, so it's the dogs danglies, and it's quick!! Didn't ever realise I was even wheel spinning it in 1st and 2nd (not on purpose), insane machine!

And economical too, when i got it the fuel light was on, put £22 in it, and that took it to 1/4 tanks, drove half way up wales (cardiff to dolgellau) which took the fuel down to just above the top red line, then added another £10 in it, and that took it back up to 1/4 tank, got back home, right to the top of Anglesey from Dolgellau, and it now stands half way between 1/4 and the top red line. So i'm guessing u can go all the way from the bottom of wales right up to the very top for £20 (maybe £25).

So conclusion is, fast and economical, solid and comfortable, and cheap, drives like new, 186k on the clock! 9/10 from me.

[zzf00l]

Yep and they still look good too.

[Peter.N.]

I have the same engine in my XM estate which is somewhat heavier, although it doesn't go as well as the Xantia, it can still return 50 + mpg, so you cant go wrong with that one.

[deian]

well going from a Pug 106 1.4d to a 2.1td exlusive xantia is a big step, a nice one, especially when the performance increase in a LOT and the fuel costs are the same!

[NeilPye]

I also have a '98 2.1 TD. Everything I've read about this engine is good and I must say, it's a fine motor (although I still prefer my bx TD in some strange way....) I've had the Xantia for 5+ years and apart from regular maintenance, not a dime extra needed. An excellent car...refinement, driveability, economy, quietness and performance...and thats just the engine...Road handling is darn good too. When I first got mine, I tended to wheelspin alot too, good low down grunt and I think a sharper clutch than my BX... Hope you enjoy... BTY, how do you find the ride?

[deian]

the handling is a lot more confident than my dads 2003 mondeo, i don't see much weirdness in the ride, although it's different in some way, can't quite put my finger on it, must admit, hydro pneumatic suspension is WAY more comfortable, you know when you go over ramps (on road works, the road dips down to rough ground, then back up), way better than anything i've been in before.

[Mandrake]

the handling is a lot more confident than my dads 2003 mondeo, i don't see much weirdness in the ride, although it's different in some way, can't quite put my finger on it, must admit, hydro pneumatic suspension is WAY more comfortable, you know when you go over ramps (on road works, the road dips down to rough ground, then back up), way better than anything i've been in before.

Being an Exclusive it will have Hydractive 2, so the "soft" mode which it tries to keep the suspension in most of the time is quite a bit softer than a standard Xantia, (and rides better) while the "hard" mode is a LOT stiffer than a standard Xantia, and stiffer even than most conventionaly sprung "family" cars.

So when you consider that it switches to the hard mode automatically for a short time whenever you corner, brake, or accelerate hard, its no surprise they can handle well.

Apparently body roll is limited to a maximum of about 3 1/2 degrees in the hard mode which is pretty low. Also dive during hard braking is greatly reduced by Hydractive 2.

When the system is working properly the changes are pretty seamless, although if you're familiar with the system you can learn to spot the difference in damping characteristics at the point where it switches...

Have you done a basic rule of thumb check to see if both soft and hard modes are working properly ? Easy to do, open the drivers window, close all the doors and boot and let the engine idle, this puts it in soft mode.

Try bouncing the front and rear of the car at the bumper and note how quickly you can move it and how far it moves... then turn the engine off and wait about 30 seconds and it switches into hard mode to conserve power, now do the bounce at each end again.

You should notice its MUCH stiffer in the hard mode, at least a factor of 2 to 1. (But it should still move, it shouldn't be rigid...)

On my car in soft mode I can bounce the front suspension about 5cm easily, and the rear suspension I can bottom it just leaning on it, its that soft. In the hard mode I can only bounce the front about 2cm, (feels very stiff) while the rear also feels very slow to press down and return even though you can still push it quite far...

Enjoy your new car

Regards,
Simon

[deian]

I knew it had hydractive 2 suspension, one of the reasons i bought it, but the tests will be fun I was hoping to mess around with it today, you know, typical car kinda things like open the bonet, check fluids, check tyres, brakes, find the various bits, go to halfords to buy LHM, filters, etc, i guess i'd have to get the hydraulic filter from citroen? anyway, i'll do the suspension later on, so cool, fantastic car, hope i won't get many problems with it , it look like it'll last a while before I need to do anythign major, I think the clutch will be the first major job of the summer, it's quite high, hope it lasts.

[Mandrake]

Yep,

I know the feeling of going over a new aquisition like that...

You don't replace the hydraulic filter btw, you just remove them and clean them in petrol when the LHM is changed... I'm sure you'll find info on the forum with a search if not just ask and somebody will be able to answer any questions...

Regards,
Simon