Citroën Xantia and Assets

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Purchasing classics there

Citroën has turned 100 this year.

One hundred years young. And in those 100 years, the brand has proven itself time and time again as unique. Citroën made cars with character. Cars that people fell in love with (or didn't want to be seen dead). Meanwhile Citroën become much more mainstream (and the "boss" at Opel).

The Assets were presented in 1988

The design of Art Blakeslee was such a stubborn 'we just do it differently' study of Citroën. The Assets were not really bourgeois either. The slender, low (1.27 m) five-person sedan was equipped with a three-liter 24-valve PRV V6 and was 200 km / h fast. Underneath his bright red coat, he had four-wheel steering, active suspension and a non-slip device outside that V6. The Activa had a remote control to open the oppositely placed doors.

The SCCAR: the System also belonged to all modernities Citroën a Actif du Roulis check. This is a system that prevents rolling movements of the body. The Activa was also equipped with an ABS.

The name Activa also appeared in the showrooms

The time ahead of Activa (later: Activa 1) was a taste of the later XM and the much more civilian Citroën Xantia. The more conventional 1990 assets were presented in 2. The Citroën Xantia also received an Asset version. So the name came in showrooms.

Citroën Xantia, by Bertone

Designed by Bertone Citroën Xantia - for the time being not yet as 'Activa' came in 1993 as the successor to the BX. The end for the Citroën Xantia came in 2001. More than 1.500.000 has been made where the breaks - built at subcontractor Heuliez - offered an unlikely amount of storage space.

The Xantia was a special car in several respects

All Citroën Xantias had the unique Citroën hydropneumatic spring system. The level control ensured that the ride height remained the same regardless of the load. The driver could set different ride heights. In addition, the Citroën Xantia also has 'steering' rear wheels.

The more luxurious ones Citroën Xantias have the computer-controlled Hydractive II suspension system. A system in which a computer quickly adjusts the suspension settings to the events on the road. The driver can choose from comfortable or sporty settings at the touch of a button. And that is exactly what we nowadays call the 'driving modes'. Nothing new under the sun.

End of 1993 modified Citroën the hydropneumatic system, so that the characteristic 'collapse', that Citroëns with this suspension since the introduction of the DS, was a thing of the past.

The Xantia received a facelift in the summer of 1994. For example, the double chevrons moved from the bonnet to the grille and power steering became standard on all Xantias.

The Xantia Activa was 'top off the bill' in the Xantia range; The Xantia Activa was equipped with SCCAR: System Citroën a Actif du Roulis check. It is a system that prevents rolling movements of the body. This means that the Xantia Activa remains extremely flat when cornering. The Xantia Activa was delivered as standard with the 150 pk strong two liter CT (Continuous Torque) engine. The eight-valve already had an impressive couple from the lowest revs. The block was quite thirsty by the way. Certainly with the V6 in the front. It may not have been due to the V6, but when the Swedes came up with the famous 'Elk test', the tested Xantia Assets proved unbeatable for the competition.

Nobody can buy an 1 or 2 asset. But the range of holder-free Xantias is refreshing. Think of € 1.500 for a topper and € 4.950 for the most beautiful specimen in the world. And please note: these are asking prices!

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4 comments

  1. Didn't the C5 (huge break) also have the same, responsive, springy system? Two of them driven. The second, with 130pk hdi + automatic transmission, is the finest travel car I have had so far. idd also because with a double-axle trailer up to the permissible max with bricks and the car up to the permissible max loaded with bricks, the whole lay spotlessly nicely horizontal on the road. Also useful is the switch in the trunk with which the rear can be raised / lowered. 190 km / h by D, and there was still just talk (very useful) With a flat tire driving you only noticed the extra sound not driving behavior.

  2. Nice article Dolf.
    Citroën is not the boss at Opel; like Opel, she was recruited at Peugeot .. (PSA).
    The> '75 Cit's are jokingly referred to as “Peus-met-spheres”, the Xant shares platform and bottom with the 405.
    My 'Millesime' is an action model from the last year of production, so almost 19 years young.

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