Citroen Xantia Activa????
Discussion
It is interesting how the Activa has generated some interest of late. I wont lie, it was a thread on here that sparked up my enthusiasm for the cars again, and after 8 months of Activalessness, i now own another which is awaiting some tweaks.
A few points worth mentioning.
They are getting old. This means many have been neglected by people that do not understand how they work, they do need more care and attention compared to a normal Xantia.
The Activa is a model in its own right, it was based on the VSX so it had a decent spec. You could only get them in a hatchback.
Bodywork you really dont have to worry, you get the odd little scab here and there but thats it, underneath they are typical PSA mid 90's, loaded with seam sealer and underseal unless accident damaged in the past.
They are a heavy car, even though they dont look it. A UK Activa weighs 1430kg! This is why performance is not sparkling when standard, but they do pull their weight fine thanks to diesel like torque from 1500rpm, yes it really does come on boost that low!
The UK only ever had the 2 litre CT (constant torque) 8 valve 150bhp 171lb ft engine. In europe, they had a much wider choice, a V6 manual with 194bhp, a poverty 2.0 16v, and 2.1 TD which was later replaced by the 110 HDi.
Economy is not good. They are old skool engines, run a low compression ratio of 8-1 which does not help off boost. Expect low 20's running around, over 35mpg is possible on a loooong run but 30 is the best you'll get.
The suspension has 10 spheres, tons of sensors and pipes, and two hydrualic rams, one on the OSF and one on the NSF. These are prone to leakage with age but a fix has been created at a fraction of the cost of a new one (£400!!)
If you own one its a good idea to have a Lexia diagnostics, to check all the sensors, clear fault codes etc.
When they are set up correctly, driving one is a unique experience. The ride is much softer than a sporty steel sprung car, its firmer than a conventional Xantia though.
The faster you go, the better it gets. It goes round fast sweeping corners like a scalextric car, yet at the same time in complete comfort and without fuss.
Certain elements as a drivers car let it down though. The steering doesnt have a lot of feel, the brakes have no feel at all, like a on/off switch. The brakes themselves are quite strong though, the later cars had 288mm discs which were ample for a road car.
I like them, because they are different. The Xantia chassis is very under-rated IMO, for a big car even without the Activa suspension they handle well.
A few points worth mentioning.
They are getting old. This means many have been neglected by people that do not understand how they work, they do need more care and attention compared to a normal Xantia.
The Activa is a model in its own right, it was based on the VSX so it had a decent spec. You could only get them in a hatchback.
Bodywork you really dont have to worry, you get the odd little scab here and there but thats it, underneath they are typical PSA mid 90's, loaded with seam sealer and underseal unless accident damaged in the past.
They are a heavy car, even though they dont look it. A UK Activa weighs 1430kg! This is why performance is not sparkling when standard, but they do pull their weight fine thanks to diesel like torque from 1500rpm, yes it really does come on boost that low!
The UK only ever had the 2 litre CT (constant torque) 8 valve 150bhp 171lb ft engine. In europe, they had a much wider choice, a V6 manual with 194bhp, a poverty 2.0 16v, and 2.1 TD which was later replaced by the 110 HDi.
Economy is not good. They are old skool engines, run a low compression ratio of 8-1 which does not help off boost. Expect low 20's running around, over 35mpg is possible on a loooong run but 30 is the best you'll get.
The suspension has 10 spheres, tons of sensors and pipes, and two hydrualic rams, one on the OSF and one on the NSF. These are prone to leakage with age but a fix has been created at a fraction of the cost of a new one (£400!!)
If you own one its a good idea to have a Lexia diagnostics, to check all the sensors, clear fault codes etc.
When they are set up correctly, driving one is a unique experience. The ride is much softer than a sporty steel sprung car, its firmer than a conventional Xantia though.
The faster you go, the better it gets. It goes round fast sweeping corners like a scalextric car, yet at the same time in complete comfort and without fuss.
Certain elements as a drivers car let it down though. The steering doesnt have a lot of feel, the brakes have no feel at all, like a on/off switch. The brakes themselves are quite strong though, the later cars had 288mm discs which were ample for a road car.
I like them, because they are different. The Xantia chassis is very under-rated IMO, for a big car even without the Activa suspension they handle well.
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