2001 Citroen Saxo VTR 1.6i petrol

Summary:

Cheap and cheerful

Faults:

Rear bumper not smooth (flashing from the mould still on the bumper).

Wheel arch extensions not flush with the body-work and unpainted surfaces visible on both sides.

Front driver's fog lamp fills with moisture.

Knocking noise from the rear-end.

Clunking noise when 1st gear selected.

General Comments:

Lovely car to drive, very smooth and handles well.

The dealer tried ripping me off for the £200 deposit. We had an argument on the phone and he hung up. He later apologized when I showed him the receipt.

Sloppy build quality, yet I still love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 18th April, 2001

2001 Citroen Saxo VTS 1.6 16v

Summary:

The best hot hatch, bye bye 205 GTi

Faults:

Nothing major has gone wrong, the only fault seems to be that the passenger side seat is a bit loose and there's a rattle from the back. Getting it serviced as I type.

General Comments:

The engine is awesome, very strong and torque is okay for such a small engine.

Handling is excellent, although I feel the roll-bars could be a bit stiffer.

Looks excellent, nice interior, but no air conditioning is a pain, and the seats should be adjustable for height.

All in all it's an excellent fun and represents cracking value for money in terms of spec and performance.

Can't believe the problems other people have with the build quality as mine was okay on the whole.

It'll never match the handling or performace of my GSXR but for a hot hatch it's the dogs danglies!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th April, 2001

2001 Citroen Saxo VTR 1.6i

Summary:

High performance bargain!!!

Faults:

4 inch scratch on boot on delivery, to be re-sprayed on first service.

Interior grubby from finger prints and 5mm scratch on the passenger air vent (to be replaced on the first service, but watch this space)..

Faulty brake light operation.

Severe spring-back on air flow selector switch, fourth position unusable.

Screw on driver door trim not even screwed in, (better check my engine bay!!!)

Anti-rust compound contamination on the passenger door handle, and on the bottoms of the doors.

Engine seems to run hot as the fan is always switching on when the engine is switched off?!!

General Comments:

Even though I have racked up just 300 miles the list is already growing.

I know I'm picky, but, when you a buy a new car you expect it to have been valeted to the highest standard, built i.e. screwed together, and doesn't anyone at Citroen just check functionality. It's not as if brake lights are important...

Is it!!!

Apart from this list though I'm over the moon with my new motor. The spec is second to none in this price range!!

PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT RIDE QUALITY SHOULDN'T BUY SPORTED UP MODELS!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th March, 2001

2nd Apr 2001, 05:53

With regards to the engine running hot.

Yeah, I had that as well. Its OK, the engine is just a little tight. I found after about 800 miles (the end of the run period) it stopped doing that.

Otherwise, none of the problems you've mentioned. My only glitch so far is a dodgy connection on the passenger side pre-tensioner sensor.

20th Apr 2001, 17:48

My VTR is at 35,000 miles and the fan still comes on more regularly than it ought to? Any ideas guys?

Any cheap tire suggestions? I have Michelen Pilots at the moment...

12th Jul 2001, 10:13

SAXO TYRES.

Pirelli Dragos, these are good tyres and are significantly cheaper than the Michelins, they are good tyres in the dry, and adequate in the wet, they give a progressive break-away and wear well.

Yokohama also do some tyres in the correct fitment, but be warned if you are a hard driver, you will only get 8-10K out of a set. As they are super-sticky in the dry, the wear has been compromised to attain this.

Goodyear Eagle F1's, these tyres look very sexy, with there directional 'vee' pattern. I have heard mixed reports about this tyre, some people rave about its amazing roadholding (similar to the Yoko's), but others criticise them, because when the tyres do break away, there is little or no warning.

Toyo Proxes, not too sure if Toyo have released a tyre in a standard Saxo fitment, but if they do and you are on a tight budget these are the tyres for you, excellent road holding (wet and dry) and very good wear rates.

Bridgestone, yet again, not too sure if they have released there flagship tyre, the S-02, in the Saxo fitment yet, but if they do, the Toyo's are going to be pushed to out-perform them.

10th Jun 2003, 14:02

AX GT, faster than a VTR??

DAMN RIGHT MATE.

I've had 2 AX GT's and making 18 yr old kids cry after pee peeing all over their precious little piles just about anywhere on the road is a pleasure.

It's a shame really, Citroen could have done so much better with the VTR. : (