Citroen Xsara

Citroën Xsara at a glance

The Xsara is one of the older models in our Citroën catalogue. Its MPV offshoot, the Xsara Picasso, used the Xsara name but was a separate model and continued alongside its C4-based successor.

Generations and versions

The Xsara had a single generation. The September 2000 facelift, sold from the 2001 model year, changed the front end, added track width and made 15-inch wheels standard.

The ADAC catalogue lists the facelifted hatchback in Germany from October 2000 to November 2004, the Coupé to 2004 and the Break to 2005. Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën, PSA's joint venture in China, kept building the hatchback for another year after European production ended.

Engines, transmissions and performance

At launch in September 1997 the range ran from a 1.4 eight-valve petrol to the 2.0 16-valve of the Xsara VTS. The facelift dropped the 1.8 and brought new 16-valve 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines; the EW10 2.0 replaced the older XU10 in 2002.

German catalogue figures differ slightly: ADAC gives 80 kW (109 PS) for the facelifted 1.6 16V and 100 kW (136 PS) for the 2.0 16V. Most cars had a five-speed manual gearbox, and an automatic was offered on some petrol and HDi versions; the ADAC lists 1.6 16V and HDi 110 Exclusive versions with automatic transmission. The HDi 90 hatchback reaches 100 km/h in 13.2 seconds and 180 km/h (ADAC, manufacturer data).

Dimensions, space and boot

Boot, weight and tank figures are for the facelifted five-door 2.0 HDi 90 (ADAC). The Break is about 180 mm longer than the hatchback on the same wheelbase.

Fuel economy and running costs

The 2.0 HDi 90 was the economy choice: ADAC lists 5.4 l/100 km combined (NEDC) and 141 g/km of CO2 for the facelifted five-door. Petrol versions use more, and the VTS more still. To turn those figures into a yearly cost, use the fuel cost calculator.

In Germany the facelifted hatchback cost from EUR 13,340 for the 1.4 Tonic (ADAC, list price 2003) up to EUR 22,475 for the HDi 110 Exclusive with automatic gearbox (2001-2004). Those are new-car list prices of the time, not today's used values.

Trims and equipment

German trims after the facelift were SX, SX Plus, Chrono, Tonic and Exclusive, with VTR and VTS as the sporty names in other markets. Citroën experimented with technology in the Xsara: it worked with Intel on an in-car Auto PC shown at CES in January 1998 and sold from 1999, and with Microsoft on a Windows CE version, of which 500 were built in 2000. Two hybrid prototypes, the Dynalto of 1998 and the Dynactive estate of 2000 with 20 km of electric range, never reached production.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the Xsara hatchback in 1998. It scored 20 points and three stars for adult occupant protection. The tested car had a driver's airbag and front side airbags but no front passenger airbag. Today's safety standards are far higher; the safety section explains how ratings have changed.

Reliability and known issues

Wikipedia lists two rear-axle problems on high-mileage cars. The rear axle mounting bushes wear, which is easy to fix. More serious is wear of the rear trailing arm bearings, which then wears the trailing arm axle tubes; that needs an expensive rebuild or a replacement axle assembly.

The Xsara in rallying

The Xsara Kit Car won Rallye Catalunya and the Tour de Corse outright in 1999. The four-wheel-drive Xsara WRC, with 235 kW (315 bhp), followed in 2001 and raced until the 2010 Rallye de France. It won 32 World Rally Championship events, 28 of them with Sébastien Loeb, took the manufacturers' title in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and carried Loeb to the drivers' titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Rivals

The Xsara competed in the biggest segment of the European market, against cars such as the Volkswagen Golf IV, Ford Focus, Renault Mégane, Opel Astra and its own platform sister, the Peugeot 306.

Side-by-side figures for these rivals are in our comparison tool.

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