Citroen disappointment

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Rob Marshall
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Citroen disappointment

Post by Rob Marshall »

Had a sudden thought the other month: wouldn't it be nice to own a C5? Still very happy with my TD BX estate but thought I would like to take one for a testdrive to see whether I would at least be interested in one.
Went to the dealer & drove a 110 bhp VTR 2.0 HDi C5. I liked the interior, dash etc; no creaks or rattles (and there damn well shouldn't be). The engine was quiet, and the suspension did have the citroen "floaty" characteristic. As I was roadtesting new cars last year it was nice to have a reasonable ride quality. I also liked the way there was some decent engine grunt from low down in the rev range. On the BX there is next to zip below 1750 RPM.
However I was disappointed because:
There is less space in the back than the old BX; seats up or down.
Performace wise the BX is slightly faster to 0-60 but the grunt low down was very good.
Fuel economy thanks to the bigger engine & weight is inferior to the BX.
Very little Citroen individuality; very conventional to drive.
Suspension was not as soft as the BX.
Seats were not as supportive compared to the BX GTi velour.
So I feel a bit miffed. The BX is just about large enough for what I need, and it great on fuel, but I could blow 4 grand or so on a C5 estate and end up with an inferior product for my needs.
I WISH Citroen would build another individual, SPORTING & ECONOMICAL diesel estate. The 2.2 litre HDi seems to be up to par with the BX on 0-60 times but these days 10.5 secs to 0-60 is not that great; oh and economy is worse to.
May get one if cheap enough, but I didn't really want to stray beyond a 2 litre for a performance diesel. Oh well.....
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Post by Robin »

Rob, i sympathise with you on this point. I had the chance of a vehicle swop last Christmas - I need an estate that can tow, is fairly quick and comfortable. I have a Xantia TD which suits me fine but at 120k miles thought change now or keep it. Prior to this had the 2.2 TD Renault Savannah, wonderful car, would tow a house at 70 mph and was big, roomy and comfortable. Replaced it with the Xantia. Both of these motors returned well in excess of 40mpg and would top 50 mpg if needed. The Laguna is no better than the C5 and the Peugeot range is no different.
Went through a few cars last year and decided to stay with the Xantia.
Anyone else got a few suggestions? I support your wish for something like the big estates of a few years ago with economical engines. Surely to day there is a need for this rather than the abundance of 7 seaters like buses!
Robin
Rob Marshall
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Post by Rob Marshall »

so true.
All I wanted was a big car that could be comfortable, carry a wardrobe, go like the clappers, return over 45MPG, doesn't depreciate and be different.
IS THAT ASKING TOO MUCH????!!!!!!!
Since the BX days, estate have got heavier, less economical & slower. Progress??????
cheesesliceking

Post by cheesesliceking »

Slower due to more safety features..progress, YES..fun...Hell no.
Look at the MK1 AX GT compared to the MK1 Saxo VTR, Saxo should have been quicker & handle better...should have....doesnt..
But which would you rather be driving in a crash??
Since the BX days, estate have got heavier, less economical & slower. Progress??????
[/quote]
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Post by JohnD »

I also moved on from a BXTZD to an SX Xantia. I agree with you on the seating. The BX, even at seven years old had seats far superior to those in the new Xantia. Also the Xantia's ride is more harsh than the BX was. Since the Xantia is a 2.1, the engine has much more pulling power. I use it often for pulling a caravan and for that reason, it's the best tow car I've owned.
Rob Marshall
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Post by Rob Marshall »

Reagarding the AX and SAXO thing; no I wouldn't want to be in ANY of them, especially in a crash. I used to work at a breakers, and the SAXO & 106 are really cars from another age.
Yes safety improvements are advances but it goes to prove that even in todays compueter controlled world, you don't get summit for nowt!
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

Hi Rob, I don't care for the C5 either, but I can't say I've ever driven one - or had any desire to...
Rob said:
>All I wanted was a big car that could be comfortable, carry a wardrobe, go like the clappers, return over >45MPG, doesn't depreciate and be different.
>IS THAT ASKING TOO MUCH????!!!!!!!
But you've got that with the BX! Why don't you just carefully maintain and look after the BX then you won't *need* to waste your money on a bloated machine that doesn't *work* as well?
Jonathan.
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Post by pwatson »

How about a Xantia HDi?
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Post by paranoid »

Gotta agree!!! Workmate just spent £19000+ on passat, asks me how do I keep my xant looking so good (97 td 64000 miles £2500) Sure does make you feel good!!!!!
Answer...[:D] A little TLC and plenty of oil changes, the passats been back under warranty a lot more than you think as well! (2 batterys and 2 heaters plug units)[V]
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Post by DoubleChevron »

Hi Guys,
the only reason for the BX's agility and frugality is it's light. And as such though bullet proof mechanically it's certainly screwed together very poorly compared to the Xantia (the extra weight went into making it a much sturdier car).
eg. this is the interior of your average BX out here. Who'd want to drive in it ???
Image
Just about every plastic item in the car is the same as this (including the top of the instrument panel --I put my hand through that).
They basically turn to dust infront of your eyes[:0]
seeya,
Shane L
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Post by howiedean »

How many computers does the C5 have? Just imagine the cost of running a C5 in the future, at least on the BX and the Xantia to an extent costs can be kept down by servicing yourself.
Howie..
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Post by alan s »

"They basically turn to dust infront of your eyes[:0]"
.................and the rest of the story; "particularly if they've sat out in an open car yard unprotected for about 5 years and spent the rest of their lives in the Sun in Australia parked outside at work!!"
thought that bit may have slipped your memory Shane.[:D][}:)]
Alan S [:o)]
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Post by DoubleChevron »

Hi Alan,
there still comparing a Xantia and C5 (a car that weighs as much as a CX) with a BX. If your going to be fair, compare a Xantias full consumption (especially the diesels) with a CX's fuel consumption. CX's just bloody drink the stuff... There has been considerable progress in cars safety and structure, however the negative side to this is the weight of the average car has increased dramatically. Just look at ***any*** car for an example of this. Eg: compare a Renault 5 from the '80s with a current Renault Clio, a Ford Mondane from the 80's with the current car etc, etc ...
seeya
Shane L.
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Post by alan s »

Shane,
What's that got to do with the price of bacon?
I was talking about the plastic issue, nothing else; you've been talking to "Daniel" too long.[:o)][:D][:D][:D][:D][:o)]
Alan S [}:)][;)]
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Post by uhn113x »

Jonathan opined:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Hi Rob, I don't care for the C5 either, but I can't say I've ever driven one - or had any desire to...
Rob said:
>All I wanted was a big car that could be comfortable, carry a wardrobe, go like the clappers, return over >45MPG, doesn't depreciate and be different.
>IS THAT ASKING TOO MUCH????!!!!!!!
But you've got that with the BX! Why don't you just carefully maintain and look after the BX then you won't *need* to waste your money on a bloated machine that doesn't *work* as well?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Seconded - why <b>do</b> you want to add an unsuitable and inferior car to your fleet, Rob?
No, I haven't tried a C5, either - a car that I cannot fix is about as much use as a flag to a hen, as far as I am concerned [:(]
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