1998 Citroen Saxo VTS from UK and Ireland - Comments

Look after them and they won't brake any more than any other car.

Hi I've had my vts 4 three yrs and no problems 4 wot you pay there quick an enjoyable 2 drive lets not get silly there not in the same class as the teg type r or such as scoobys or owt really with over 200 bhp but you can av a bit of fun, yeh there flimsy but we ant paid a lot of cash av we :)

Can anybody help me compare these cars please?: Clio 197 mini cooper s corsa vxr and the ibiza cupra. Which is faster, better fuel etc? and will I beat a saxo vts ha ha. Thanks.

Clio 197 - 197bhp, 134mph, 6.9 to 60, 31.7mpg.

Mini Cooper S - 163bhp, 130mph, 8.0 to 60, 33.6mpg.

Corsa VXR - 189bhp, 140mph, 6.8 to 60, 35.8mpg.

Ibiza Curpa - 178bhp, 142mph, 7.2 to 60, 36mpg.

They're from UKCAR. You can get different versions of the Cooper S. Plus my friend drove the 182 Clio and 197 Clio and said the 182 seemed quicker.

I like the Leon Cupra and the works mini s.

Buy an old VTS for under a grand and you'll have a great power to weight ratio, and you'll love driving it because it handles awesome and revs freely.

Who cares what car's faster, when you get burnt off by a scooby you can just think, haha you're driving a four door saloon that uses loads of fuel, costs loads to maintain, costs loads to insure and you only bought it coz you can't afford an Evo or have a little winkle.

Then point and laugh at them, and ask them when their mid life crisis started. :)

P.S. don't you find it funny when you see a man in a scooby with the full rally sticker kit?

I just think, I bet he's a real man who is an awesome driver!

Don't know if I would say anyone who has an Impreza can't afford an Evo... A lot of generalisations I wouldn't read into. An Impreza is a different class of car, look at Subaru reliability and then Citroen and tell me that the cost to buy is only based on speed... it's just one of many factors making Subarus better than Citroens.

The older people get, the less they can be judged by the car they drive.

An STi or a FQ400 cost about 30 grand ish. I'd put my money into a nearly new M3 any day, and have the speed with the comfort. In my opinion the rally cars are great for a blast, but I couldn't take one to London on the motorway. Back ache and deafness galore.

I have just purchased a brand new Evo X without checking my insurance, as I used to have an Evo 9. The cost isn't a problem, it's the stipulations. I can't park in a public car park, have to have tracker fitted, obviously I am limited on miles, and have to have a camera fitted in my garage.

What's the point. My car is now up for sale.

Have you tried many insurance companies?

Everybody is on about hp hp hp blah blah horse power! It's ridiculous. Come on everyone, what about torque to begin with, and how the power gets to the ground - drive train, tyres etc. There are so many variables to make a car fast than just power to weight ratio. Just because a car has better power to weight ratio, doesn't mean much at all.

Power to weight is a good indicator for performance when comparing cars with the same drivetrain style e.g. FWD vs FWD or AWD vs AWD etc. Torque will tell you which has better in gear pull and which car can tow or accelerate up hills well, but for anyone after 0-60 times or flat out performance figures etc bhp per ton is pretty useful.

VTS Owner here:

I stumbled across this thread and have been reading through it (in parts, it does flow off topic somewhat).

I’ve owned this car for 4 years, keeping it completely standard and I’ve covered just under 20k in it (now on 80k) so feel I’m well placed to give a good description of the car and I will try to remain fair.

Performance:

The VTS does seem to get a lot of stick and I really don’t understand it. People saying it's slow etc, you’ve clearly never driven one or were burning off the lights against a VTR (yes there’s a noticeable difference).

It's by no means a rocket ship, I wouldn’t even say it was a “fast” car, but it certainly is quick in 1st and 2nd, and in those gears quicker than 90% of the cars on the road today (until the end of 3rd gear, by which time you are breaking the speed limit – so who cares). It's certainly comparable to the bulk of hot hatches currently being produced.

You do need to rev it hard for full effect though (changing at 7000-7200, no less), if you drop below the power range by changing early there will indeed be a noticeable lull in acceleration until you get back there (similar to the effect of driving a VTEC, or VVTI) – this is the flat spot mentioned previously, and you can argue about gear ratios all day, it doesn’t bother me as it certainly does do 62 in second gear in around 7 seconds – just make sure you nail first.

Handling:

As with all cars, tyres make such a difference here. It does handle well, but better then a Teg Type R? – no chance. However if your mates running a 172 or a Fiesta ST and you decide to go for a drive in the country one day, you will not be disappointed, bar an LSD you will not be embarrassed.

Build Quality:

I went from an Escort XR3i to the VTS, and the first thing I noticed is how nervous it made me feel, there's very little space, the bonnet looks as though it's not there when you're in the driving seat, the doors shut with a less than convincing bang and the windows rattle. The interior panels, and plastic casing on the rear by parcel shelf squeak and groan. It feels cheap, and if you crash it over I'd say 25 MPH, you are going to lose your legs at the very least (its twin front airbags do nothing to comfort me).

Having said all that, the only problems I’ve had with the car have been the alarm – its rubbish and goes off at random intervals. I’ve had it in a number of times, but to be honest it's probably worth disabling it or getting a Clifford.

The engine was a real surprise – it's actually solid as a rock and really, well laid out, services are easy and there's space to work on it. Mines got 80k on it and I give it the beans at least once each time I drive it, there's no smoke or knocks coming from it' and it's not cost me a penny to fix (bar annual servicing charges and the alarm!).

The Trump Card:

It feels cheap, because it is cheap – VERY. My insurance costs me £300 a year (fully comp with 9k), tax is 185, a service done by me is around 40 and the car is worth around 900 quid – I ask what can you run that gives better performance, combined with daily use, economy and overall value for money – I think it's number one for that, and that is the reason I still own it after 4 years (even though I'm 27 now and perhaps should move onto bigger things!)

Feel free to flame away as it's water off a ducks back - I love mine ;)

13th May 2009, 18:07.

Would be better of as a review than a comment I think.