Citroën Xantia - BBC Top Gear Roadtest with Chris Goffey

[@bid84]

That’s a beautiful cardigan he has draped on his shoulders

[@bojanarezina2352]

the so called power sweater

[@Objectification]

It’s breathtaking

[@KarlHamilton]

Fashion icon

[@bid84]

He’s so hot right now, (on account of the plush woollen fabric)

[@stephencamilleri9390]

More like a blanket over his shoulder 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bordersw1239]

Loved mine, used to raise the suspension to drive through floods and lowered it to go under ferry height restrictions (with a roof box) , so got charged less.

[@0xBlez]

Pretty smart

[@stephenberry1205]

We took our 1997 Xantia 1.9 turbo diesel way into the Aussie Outback in 2016... Broken Hill, Flinders Ranges, Maree, up the famed Oodnadatta Track past Lake Eyre - where were we probably the vert few two wheel drive vehicles... Fabulous comfort, space, ride, dust sealing and air conditioning and even returned 5.4 litres/100 kms giving us over 1100 kms on the 65 litre tank with 100 kms to spare at 100-120 kph on the dirt... Then a couple of nights in an underground motel at Coober Pedy before another 1,100 kms to Kangaroo Island... A magical trip with a wonderful steed. Only 1,600 kms back home to Sydney.... the Xantia had very Long Legs... for the Open Road.

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

You can put 73L in it if you fill it all the way to the neck. I have one, excellent car. Currently she is off the road, but will be on the road again this summer. I just don't want to sell her....

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

Those cars handle incredible off road, i could fly over a gravel road with that car while others had to go slow it has excellent handling too. Glad you enjoy it over there in Australia. Just a little note, make sure you replace all LHM Y piece return lines. there is 1 in front, 2 in the back. In front it is a green one, rear right is blue, rear left orange. They are made of ABS and they disintegrate really easily after so long. The new ones are transparent but have the color written on them, and are twice as thick and 3d printed.

[@thomaskruyer251]

Love the old top gear!

[@easydrive3662]

good looking car the xantia, quite unique looking with certain details and shape that made them stand out.

[@Swissair171]

My aunt had a red Citroën BX (I believe it was a ’92 BX 16 TXI with the optional rear spoiler), followed a white Citroën Xantia in the late ’90s. Good times.

[@Lemont321989]

My daily car at the moment, X1 from 1995, only 35000 miles. Only a 1.8i with 8 valves, 101 hp. Ride is superb. Luxury car comfort for little money. Good brakes. Fair handling. I don't have the hydractive 2, but it's not necessary if you ask me, and it's something more that can break. Underpowered ofc, but who cares with this car. 3100 revs at 70mph is not great, but the stereo is fine ^^

[@chrishart8548]

1500rpm @ 70mph is the normal now. At 1500rpm (nice cruise rpm) that 1.8 x1 would be around 35mph give or take.

[@Lemont321989]

@@chrishart8548 Oh don't get me wrong, I know things have improved. Maybe the V6 was smoother on the highway.

[@joeankard]

Little money? That suspension is a nightmare when it goes wrong. Which is often the case nowadays since these are all so old now

[@VDPEFi]

It was a great car, at low speed on tight bends it could feel a bit front heavy but everywhere else it was a masterpiece, gliding from point to point over any surface, the last truly french Citroen, even the c6 couldn't match it

[@Lemont321989]

I agree. Its regular suspension sags in very slow corners. In the others, it leans and then holds on quite well.

[@mainiotaainetta]

Xantia is beautiful, but quite normal looking and definitely hard as rock when compared to C6.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

@@mainiotaainetta hard as rock!!! What do u mean!!!

[@s2000.]

@@kamrankhan-lj1ng Xantia is still very soft, but the suspension is slow due the nature of having to move hydrualic fluid throught channels and pipes. So small bumps, rocks, potholes, speed bumps can be felt strongly. But big wallowy roads at high speed are very smooth.

[@pyeltd.5457]

The C6 is the last French 🇫🇷citroën looking like Benz 🇩🇪

[@6ettinold]

The one I had was plagued with electric issues. But it was supremely comfortable and fun to hustle into corners on twisty roads. My ex"s dad had an Activa as a company car. What I wouldn't give to find one of those now.

[@KarlHamilton]

An Activa as a company car?! That's got to be the best company car ever. Always wanted a go in an Activa. Absolutely none left though. Haven't even seen a normal Xantia in about 10 years :'(

[@bensmithkent22]

One of the cars is standing still the other is cornering at 50mph was the advert in the car mags.

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

Still a great car even now

[@265justy]

😂😂😂 I can think off plenty cars in that catagory from that era that are 100 times better... 🇯🇵Hint hint..

[@lostre77]

@@265justy The Carina, the Primera, the 626, the Galant even the mighty Accord during that period were really bland and boring mass produced average but reliable commuters. I wrote commuters...hint hint.

[@265justy]

@@lostre77 Are you saying basicly the Xantia was more desirable than the Japanese alternatives... I think not bud... For starters the Japanese alternatives also had far better performance in terms off power with the 2.0L GT, GTi and Type R versions off them. Plus the reliability and build quality..

[@lostre77]

@@265justyYou should do your homework. During that time that segment did not offer the R and the fastest versions of JP cars in that segment had around 140 to 150 HP. About the same with the Europeans. Plus that segment was targeting the middle aged customer, who wouldn't care less about power. JP cars were not that special during that time. Design spec and architecture was so similar between them.They were bland and inoffensive. They offered great hot hatches though (Civic vti) and coupes filled with technology. But their middle size segment was not their best effort. The Xantia was not more desirable. None of these cars truly were. But it offered more character. An unbeatable roadholding (see moose test) and unparalleled suspension comfort. To define what character means. The Xantia was great at 2 things unlike the JP competition which was good at most but great at none.

[@nuclear944]

@@265justy Only problem is by now they are all rusted to f*ck. I've yet to see a rotten Xantia.

[@damian-795]

I had one ,1995 same colour as this. Totally reliable car , loved it.

[@pallasathena55]

This was the clip I remember as a child! been looking for this for years. In my memory this was Clarkson who did the review but I got that wrong. Thanks for uploading!

[@AlexZ-lc6nl]

My father had this car in Peru as a businessman. It was beautiful, clean and wonderful.

[@stephenberry8658]

Drove a Cantina 1.9 turbo diesel half way across Australia including in the far outback on the Oodnadatta Track. Fabulous comfort, space and dust proofing with excellent air conditioning... All the other travelers in 4WDs marvelled at the speed and ride on the 400 Kms of dirt... Best tank gave us 5.4 litres per 100kms with over 1,000 Kms before refueling.. also very reliable..

[@Mooocheropordis]

The wheels are on the corners of the car, clever

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Possibly peak car in my view - everything else after this is just unnecessary multi media gadgetry, silly touch screens and ugly styling!

[@0xBlez]

I'm Gen Z. But I love how old cars feel and their classic look. Talking about futuristic cars, Tesla's look cool when it comes to tech and comfort and reliability ( Model X ).

[@salihahzem]

Look how he pushes the car to the limit at 5:50 and still very little body roll!

[@bensmithkent22]

Is that him you cant imagine a man like him ragging the absolute fuck out of it

[@nudisco300]

Bought one as a temporary banger about 15 years ago.. Ride was absolutely superb, only let down by its weird styling.

[@callumhardy5098]

Back when “a new citroen” was exciting.

[@stevendavies3563]

Takes great skill to wear a sweater like that and it not slip off

[@trondedvardsen]

Great skill - or velcro tape.

[@peteglanton9259]

Apparently it was sewn onto his shirt. All of the style, none of the sliding risk 👍

[@leepower2717]

A business I worked at had a couple of Xantia on there company vehicle fleet, I remember they used to eat stop & tail bulbs.

[@KarlHamilton]

You were fitting cheap shite bulbs, that's why! 🤦

[@leepower2717]

@@KarlHamilton - We used the same bulbs in all the various fleet vehicles & only the 2 x Xantia would eat them.

[@fuckinantipope5511]

@@leepower2717 if it's not the bulbs the manufacturer says you should use, no wonder they'll be burning through them quickly. Doesn't matter if the other cars don't burn through them.

[@leepower2717]

@@fuckinantipope5511 - They where the correct spec bulbs for a Xantia.

[@McBeamer94]

There was also the 3.0 PRV V6 in the engine options, but that obviously was added later on. Nice looking car although Citroen's era of conventional aesthetics clearly wasn't its best. That 25-year period, from the launch of the Visa to the end of the Xsara, was almost like Citroen suffered from personality split.

[@kiinanomistaja2402]

The Xantia never came with the prv. The v6 that the Xantia had was the es9j4. The same engine found in the later Xm’s and 605’s, the 607 and the c6.

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

No, it was a new 60o V, the 24v is a fantastic engine, especially on activa form

[@ronaldderooij1774]

The car was extremely comfy and reliable. My only criticism would be the "self-learning" automatic gearbox. It felt like a student taking his first driving lessons. And yes, you could somehow anticipate what foolish things that gearbox was going to do, but never quite all of it. Horrible idea.

[@Ampelmannchen42]

Often wondered what it meant for subsequent owners of the car if it were to be sold. It wouldn't know it had to re-learn driving.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

@@Ampelmannchen42 According to Citroën, it was constantly relearning every day. In an event of changing owners or driving style, it would take up to 900 km to relearn. I never noticed it. So I let the dealer check everything and nothing was wrong with the gearbox or the software. So, yeah... Who to believe.

[@Automotivefactsandhistor-im2es]

@@ronaldderooij1774 Was it the AL4 or the 4HP20?

[@rayaspo4893]

Had one of these in 98 great drive but it had a stupid keypad immobiliser under the radio that required a four digit code. Once the novelty wore of i absolutely hated that device. That code is forever etched in my memory 1894 aaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhhhh

[@bensmithkent22]

As did the 406

[@joeankard]

LOL funny to see this comment. I've got one and had exactly the same experience. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make you enter a code every bloody time you want to turn your car on? Over engineering at its finest

[@lucylocket4740]

Is this review from 1993 by any chance, after the car was launched to the press at the end of the previous year, the same time as the first Mondeo in December 1992 for launch the following month? 🚗

[@wilfamos7314]

Brilliant cars, had 2.0 HDi model in 2004. However, WTF was up with Chris and his jumper!!! LOL. Wally

[@bensmithkent22]

Casually efforlessly draped almost matched the seat fabric.

[@BubbaSnipe]

A very successfull design from the decade good design otherwise forgot all about.

[@user-in1yw9ty5t]

Came from a moose test vid

[@elisorrells5314]

I think that the Xantia was an average looking sedan but a great looking wagon

[@lucylocket4740]

*Liftback 🚗

[@Lemont321989]

I disagree. The longer you look at the Xantia sedan, the better it starts looking ^^. Also, there's almost nothing on the road that looks like this any more. Today's cars all look alike. Just compare Audis, BMWs, and Mercs. Interchangeable.

[@hokman1]

@@Lemont321989 it definitely aged well, especially the broad voluptuous surface treatment on the rear hind quarters and doors

[@minimaxi802]

All seemed to have vanished in recent years. Introduced around the same time as the Renault Laguna. Probably no more than 500 left in Britain.

[@H71BCD]

We saw an M plate one fairly recently parked at a Tesco. I had a good look at it as many of the familiar mid to late 90s cars have now disappeared from the roads. It still looked really good and didn’t look that dated either. It’s sobering when you consider its getting on for nearly 30 years old.

[@seamusoflatcap]

Mini Maxi : pretty good guess. There's a website saying as of 2021 there were 623 still registered as on the road. Makes H71BCD's sighting somewhat rare.

[@H71BCD]

@@seamusoflatcap I have seen a P reg Citroen ZX also parked in the same spot a few times so they might be Citroen enthusiasts. Both have got local registrations so they may have owned them from new and have really looked after the cars. Neither appear to have suffered with rust. I was comparing the Xantia to the other cars parked close by which were mostly identikit Hyundai / Kia and VW Group cars and realised just how dull the cars are these days.

[@seamusoflatcap]

@@H71BCD Citroen enthusiast. That's a terrible affliction to suffer from.

[@bensmithkent22]

These were cabbie specials along with 405s and cavaliers/vectras until octavias and 406s pretty much took over everything.

[@semiretired86]

THe Xantia was better looking than the BX and sold better than the BX the ZX ended up flopping

[@KarlHamilton]

The ZX was no flop

[@betaman7988]

The ZX was a pretty popular model in the UK and sold immensely in Europe. Plus in China they loved it - it was still in production until a few years back!

[@semiretired86]

@@betaman7988 here in Denmark the ZX flopped the Citröen layalists didn't want it I don't know how well the BX sold the Xantia was pretty sucessfull - not only with fleetmanagers

[@fuckinantipope5511]

@@semiretired86 the BX was a full on success as well. ZX was also quite far spread. It not being succesful in one country doesn't mean it wasn't succesful elsewhere

[@CORRIGEEN71]

Had one zantia great car

[@landyachtfan79]

1:43.........well, I sure as hell hope not!!!!!

[@classlessbozo317]

I own an LX MY 2000, 40k miles, poverty spec with climate control. I wanted the legendary XUD but this one has the 8V HDi. It perfectly complements my Nissan Leaf and will easily outlast that pos.

[@joeankard]

What's the suspension on your one like? I have a low mileage one as well but it drives like a boat on choppy water. Up and down and up and down...

[@classlessbozo317]

@@joeankard get the spheres repressurised by a specialist.

[@joeankard]

@@classlessbozo317 I have ordered some new front spheres. Hopefully that will fix it

[@MrWesternDuke]

Had one as a company car (not my choice). Noisy, coarse & thrashy petrol engine, dubious build quality and suspension that would make passengers feel ill when crossing lorry ruts on dual carriageways. On the plus side, you could jack up the suspension to wade through flooded roads. I was so relieved when it was replaced by a Golf!

[@pallasathena55]

And yet I have a 1993 Xantia now and in 5 years nothing has broken and it's not rusty. Noone has ever felt ill in it. Nearly 30 years old. I'll concede the petrol wasn't the ideal choice but the 16v petrol was good. 1.9 and 2.1 TD were the choice for the era.

[@fuckinantipope5511]

Then it was a crappy maintained Xantia. A Xantia that get's maintained from time to time will be great and one that get's maintained regularly as the manufacturer intended will last forever.

[@nrs796bs]

😿

[@nrs796bs]

Could you tell me how to travel in time?

[@ส่องรถส่องโลก]

Woww

[@kakasangi4933]

ایرانی

[@albertogambino2562]

1:48 REALLY? Do English people pronaunce Xantia in that way?

[@seamusoflatcap]

No one I know. It's zantia

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

No

[@pyeltd.5457]

We pronounce it Zan Tea Ahhhhhhh. The X Antie 🤶🏻

[@arianazizi4537]

Ilove xantia2000sx. Silver