Citroen XM: Owner Review

The saloon is spacious. There is almost nothing that can irritate. The flaws: horn button on the turn-shifting lever is really inconvenient, Citroen DX and CX that haven't been restyled don't have any levers, there are cantilevers on the instrumentation panel with buttons on them and that is really convenient. It would be not bad if the seat back was a little bit higher and a seat pad was inclination adjustable however that's what you feel after some 400 - 500 km. :-) Side support adjustment is probably a need for the more bulky people than I am. :-) If you are a passenger you'd better sleep on the front seat. :-) On the whole the seats are quite comfortable, the back never hurts while you may feel pain in the small of your back when driving the same CX. The same can be said about BX, it takes 500 km for the back to start hurting and it concerns both the original seats and Recaro ones. Ventilation and heating are nice ones (although BX's ventilation is better). The back seat passengers are provided with ductings and vectorable nozzles in the side pillars which is of great use in summer when it's hot. Back seat passengers also have an individual ashtray, cigar lighter, and lights at their disposal. There is a light bias in the door to lighten the ground by the sill.

Visibility is okay there is only one inconvenience that has to do with the car length (it's almost 5 meters). There can be no complaints against the wipers. There is a small zone that stays uncleaned, it's near the left pillar, however this is the problem one can get rid of almost completely by adjusting the left blade. I want to say to the one-blade Citroen fans that two (like XM has) are better, because when one blade that is always at the right shovels slush off the glass the wind spreads the slush all over the glass just in front of your eyes when the blade moves back. Anyway, this is not the concern for those who drive slower than 120 km/h. Citroen XM's headlamps are very narrow and frankly speaking, small therefore one cannot expect good illumination from them. What is more the previous owner probably thought there is no need driving at night and treated the lamps awfully. The headlamps are to be replaced even after thorough cleaning, adjustment, and distorted Chinese lamps replacement (I didn't know there are the ones like that!) for Philips-Vision, although now it's possible to drive at all. So I will be able to judge illumination only after the headlamps replacement. :-(

This Citroen XM is provided with a unique diesel engine, which is the greatest one among those produced before direct injection introduction. What are its advantages? 1. The engine is is quite powerful and very dynamic for a diesel. (130 hp at 4000 revolutions per minute and 280 N/m at 2000 revolutions per minute). However that is why it's not the most economic one. 2. The engine is quiet enough for a diesel, some people even don't believe it's a diesel under the hood, especially in summer. 3. It heats up and doesn't require Webasto. Liquid intercooler also assures better saloon heating. What concerns dynamics it is such that many really can't even think that there can be a diesel under the hood and they can't believe it when you say it is so. :-) Cruising speed on the highway (a normal road with one lane at each direction with a medium-quality coating) is 140 km/h and 120 km/h with a ski carrier on the roof. You can surely drive faster on a good highway but at a speed over 180 km/h the trucks that fly past you make you a little nervous. :-)

Average fuel consumption is 8 l/100 km on the highway, 9 - mixed mode, and over 10 in the city. I think the driver replacement can make these numbers less. :-)

The steerability is traditionally impressive. It is difficult to appreciate the running smoothness for those who never rode a real Citroen. It's smoother if comparing with CX however Hydroactive makes it difficult to estimate because it is really adaptive. In fact when Citroen XM seems to be too rigid the suspension will be awfully letting it through. I cannot compare it with a not-Citroen as had never ridden any other car but the passengers that used to drive Mercedes S-Class say: "it feels to be the same however Citroen sways less". The latter is proved by road observations and Hydroactive operation algorithm that is, at high peak-to-peak value shock dampers become more rigid for a few seconds stopping the swaying. I should also add that the suspension construction is quite reliable, there is Mac-Pherson in the front with strong hammered levers and trailing arms on taper roller bearings in the back. The rear suspension construction has been unchanged since 1955. Should I even speak of great real Citroen brakes (till C5)?

The trunk is huge! The rear seat of this kitting-up (leather seats) is a folding one and when it is folded there is over 2 meters of even surface available for over 2 cubic meters of load. Once I put two snow boards in the trunk without folding the seat and I was able to close the rear door. However Thule Evolution 700 installed on the roof solved the problem of ski equipment transportation. :-) There is a traditionally flat floor in the trunk, there are no ledges as there are no springs, there are also extra compartments for the gadgets as well as rings for load fixation.

The automobile is quite a reliable one as there are loads of electronics that assure that. Diesel and 90-liter gas tank assure impressive cruising range. High level of comfort makes it easy to spend long hours driving. All that makes this automobile one of the best for long-distance trips with family or with the company of friends.

Disadvantages. The pipes and the wiring under the car's bottom for some reason have become awfully unprotected. Can one call plastic covers protection at all? :-( Some people may dislike the design. The automobile could never be called fashionable.

Repairs, maintenance. Preventive maintenance was the only thing I did after I bought the car. Well, I also replaced some minor parts, it seems that the previous owner preferred not paying attention to their failure. What concerns considerable expenditure I knew about when already buying the car I can mention generator replacement (I knew it right away but it still survived some 20 000 km), all suspension spheres replacement, Hydroactive's electromagnetic valves replacement, and the replacement of height correctors. However all that resulted from the neglect of preventive maintenance. :-( Volkswagen Golf