2000 Citroen Saxo Desire 5 door 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good automatic car for the money

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with it at all, I have nothing to complain about at all, wish they still did the 1600 cc in an Automatic though.

General Comments:

Car is quick enough for a 1400, and handling is very good indeed for a small car, especially with the wider 14" wheels / tyres on.

The interior is adequate and the equipment is just right especially for the price, although as I needed an automatic, there was ONLY one model to choose from.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd September, 2001

16th Feb 2005, 20:23

I had a P reg 97 Citroen Saxo 1.6i SX Auto it was a brilliant car then I had the New Shape V Feb 00 Saxo 1.4i SX Auto Met Blue 5 Dr. A nightmare. The gear box went when the car turned 2 years old so it was off the road for 6 weeks. had faults after that aswell. It failed its first MOT. I got a C3 1.4i SX Auto now which just had to have a new gear box fitted second car which had to have a new one and its not even 2 years old yet. The C3 have had more faults than the last Saxo.

2000 Citroen Saxo VTS 1.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A GTI beater that puts the letters VTS one step ahead !

Faults:

At 2800-3200 rpm the accelerator pedal vibrates violently. When I took this problem to the dealer, they told me it occurs on all VTS's. After 6 months waiting for a fix, I have come up empty handed :(

General Comments:

Well, what can I say? My last car was a Lotus Elise, which I managed to crash and I needed a nice little fast runabout as a replacement for a couple of years.

The performance of the VTS is excellent, from 4000rpm onwards it picks up as if it has a turbo installed, fastastically fun!!!

Build quality, is somewhat poor, but Citroen certainly seem to be getting better at this.

It beats almost all cars of its type from 0-60, but don't try to beat an Elise at the lights, I tried the other day and it didn't last very long! Mind you it says a lot that he actually had to tread the pedal to the metal to get past me.

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

Review Date: 2nd September, 2001

5th Sep 2001, 06:10

Typical Citroen dealers. My pedal has never vibrated on my VTS. It doesn't idle too well though, though the dealer said that this occurs on all VTS's aswell! For a 1.6 you can't go wrong.

18th Feb 2003, 15:02

I've driven an Elise and it would fry a Saxo without using the last 2,000 RPM of its rev range. He was playing with you.

3rd Apr 2005, 16:29

I think he knows how an Elise drives he already mentioned it was his last car,

2000 Citroen Saxo VTR 1.6i 8v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Superb warm hatch

Faults:

I had a slight rattle from the steering cowling, but I remedied this by putting in a couple of cut down felt liners from an old cycle helmet.

General Comments:

I really like my VTR as it's pretty nippy for a group seven insurance. As I am only five foot two inches tall the car fits me perfectly, although some of my taller friends and family have commented on the pedals being small and close together (their problem, not mine!). Having done just over fifteen thousand miles the only gripe I have got is that the fitted Michelin Pilot tyres have worn rather quickly on the front wheels. This may be due to the compound being rather soft but the plus side is that they grip really well.

Other dislikes centre around the interior. Apart from the white dials it really is pretty ordinary. The plastic gear lever top, although nice and shiny at the very pinnacle, had started to show some signs of wear and was replaced with a nice aluminium Conrero from Larkspeed of Rotherham at a cost of £40.

The only other modification I have made is to replace the paper air filter for a cotton K&N one (£33). I plan to replace the whole air intake system with an induction kit.

Other mods I plan are to get rid of the ghastly front grill which looks very cheap in black plastic for a nice mesh one, sixteen inch alloys, new suspension bushes, a lowering kit and Splitfire spark plugs and HT leads. I will only make these changes when the warranty has run out as I don't want to invalidate it.

My performance figures (post cotton filter) read as 0-60 in 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 120+ (the speedo only goes up to 120!). I must also say that as I have clocked up the miles the engine seems to have loosened up noticeably.

As for ride and handling, the standard suspension mated with the Michelin tyres really is superb. The ride is firm but comfortable (the seats score highly here), and gives you the confidence to go into corners and bends at some ridiculous speeds. The steering is sharp and precise and only under steers if you really are pushing on a bit. Driving around town in traffic the ride can be bit jiggly, but that's my girlfriends opinion and not mine.

What can I say about the engine? Only eight valves, but feeling like sixteen, and that's a pretty neat trick. At low revs it drives like any other small car, but push it up into that high rev section and it is simply sublime with a great sound to match.

There may be some Saxo drivers out there who don't agree with what I've written, but I have had no problems and a whole heap of fun.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th August, 2001

1st Jun 2006, 08:53

I agree the slightest modifications can make a lot of difference to the car. Standard the car is sporty and has a lovely tune to it at high revs. People say the downside is the interior because the seats etc and the wearing of the gear knob as well.