2002 Citroen Saxo VTR from UK and Ireland - Comments

The only problem I've had with the car is the mud flaps the garage fitted had to be taken off as they rubbed going round corners and when hitting bumps.

Apart from that the car runs like a dream.

The car is great, no wonder its sold more than any other small hatch. Its quick off the mark and pulls in high rev's even though its only an 8 valve.

Its quicker than my mates Fiesta Zetec 1.6 and leaves most other small cars for dead.

The inside grows on you, and is plain yet looks great.

The seats are good although being 6 foot 2 there is little head room. People complain about the pedal position although I got used to it and don't even notice now.

I love the look of the car, and there are many performance parts avalible should anyone want them.

For £9500 its very good for the money. Compare it to all the other cars you can get for the money.

When parts do run out they are bound to be cheap as theres so many of us Saxo lovers out there.

Its not German build quality or the many gadgets of Japanese cars, but for the cash its the best car I could imagine driving.

Your mates 1.6 Fiesta, if this is the Zetec-s you really are ridiculous for even comparing the VTR with it, ever watched topgear gti, track comparison with a Vts, Sri 1.8 & Zetec-s, Quote " Citroen say the saxo is britains best selling hothatch, against the fiesta its hard to see why" and that was the Vts.

Blown a bit out of proportion, but it's true.

I hope you've also seen the one where they tested the VTS on a roundabout against a porsche. The handling being almost (so more than good enough!) as good as the Porsche and only 3km/h slower then the Porsche...

In my book that's a huge compliment.

Regardless that its a porsche, in a small tight piece of manouvering a smaller car would probably have the edge, there was a topgear test involving shooting round a mock multi story carpark going round obsticles trying to escape, a vauxhall agila held off a bwm,gti and cateram. Here's a porsche engineer praising the zetec-s brakes, which is high praise. Fact is in 4 road tests I've read, the zetec-s has come out on top, of course the vts has the much faster 0-60 time, but without modification it will not outhandle the zetec-s, fact, fact, fact,fact,fact. The reason the saxo is the best seller is because it's so cheap and they give free insurance, and it is cheap, cheap and nasty. You saxo owners really annoy me, you childishly and stupidly will not accept that the saxo can be outdone by other cars, the VTS I can maybe understand, super acceleration for little money, but the VTR, the same cheap car without the VTS speed.

Bit of tin bit of cord tie them together you have a ford!!! Saxos are way better... would much rather have one to a Fiesta sorry and as it goes my best friends little VTR (not VTS VTR!!) kills me constantly when we race, spesh round corners!! I drive a BMW 320 E36 V plate if ya interested!!! Stop slagging them of for christs sake!!! their amazing little cars!!! Jealousy will get you no where!

All this praise about Saxos, I don't understand it. I have a 2002 VTS, 7 months old, and it's easily the most over-rated car I have ever driven. Anything other than perfect driving conditions, and you can forget driving fast, and please lets not mention the build quality... that would be a bad idea. Give it it's due though, in dry conditions it had fantastic acceleration, it FEELS (not is) just as fast the Lotus Exige which I had.

In short plus points are: Very fast for the price (only in dry)...mmmmm, that's it.

Down points: Very, very, very bad build quality, handling in anything, but perfect conditions (oversteer is horrendous), to much torque steer, and the fact that you'll have to deal with Citroen Dealerships.

I don't understand why every time I read a review on this survey from Saxo to Fiat Chinq's to Lexus IS200's, you all have to try and have a pop at the Fiesta Zetec-S. Clearly this is a complement as you must all see the Zetec-S as the corner stone of the performance hatch market. When will you boys learn to play nice. Just beacause our cars are better should not mean that you all should throw temper tantrums and try and slate the Fiesta, why don't you just look at them, admire the car and think... one day I will have a car like that!!! I have a Zetec-S that does 0-60 in 7.8 if anyone has a VTR that goes quicker and lives in the Birmingham/Black country area then leave some details and we can settle this is the fairest way possible, Fiesta/VTR shootout!!!

To Mr 11 FEB 09:19, from your comments it sounds like you own a ZETEC-S and are trying to say the Saxo VTR beats you because its faster, I think maybe you need to let someone who knows how to make the Zetec-s perform like the beast that it is, drive your car whilst you enjoy the sheer thrill of a drive from the passenger seat! I have never in all my 2 years driving a Zetec-s been troubled by a VTR from stand still or on the motorway and I do over 300 miles a week.

I don't see how you can say a vtr has never troubled you. check the official manufacturer stats, confirmed by many car magazines and reviews...

Ford fiesta 1.6i 16v zetec: 0-62mph 10.6s, top speed 114mph

citroen saxo 1.6i 8v vtr: 0-62mph 9.4s, top speed 120mph

citroen saxo 1.6i 16v vts: 0-62mph 7.8s, top speed 127mph

so not only is the vts 2.8 seconds quicker to 62 than the fiesta, but even the 8v vtr manages 1.2 seconds quicker to 62 and an additional 6mph at top end than the sluggish ford

the ford may handle better, but off the lights and on the motorway a saxo rules... you can't argue with the stats.

MY saxo VTR CAN KILL A VTS WHEN I USE NOS no fiesta zetec could touch mine and as mine is lowered 80mm back 70mm front it handles like a dream.

You've screwed up your own point. By admitting you NEED Nitrous you haven't made much of a statement to say the least!!! You're actually saying that without it your cars a dog. Den.

He said he needs nitrous to beat a VTS not a fiesta so he ent really screwed up his point at all.

I am currently purchasing a used Zetec-s after test driving a Saxo VTR and finding that it was no faster than my current 1.25 Fiesta, had an ugly cheap looking dash board, noisy for a car of its age and the whole interior in general looked more suited to a car 0f the 80s than a modern day hot hatch. The Fiesta is far superior in terms of build quality. I was disapointed in this as I always wanted a VTR. Maybe a C2 VTR when they're available used.

Fiesta zetec 0-62 10.6 seconds.

Now that's funny.. yawn yawn yawn, wake me up when you get there. Fiesta boys please please go away and stop coming here trying to justify why you own a grandmas car. We all know as owners the Saxo is cheaply built inside, but we buy them because they are cheap and affordable and look amazing and they are very good performance wise, upgrade that comment to awsome in the case of the Vts.

I own both a zetec s, and a saxo vtr.

The VTR has Faster acceleration, and top end

The handling is far better on the Saxo

The looks, personaly I like the zetec s

Petrol consumption is in the favour of the saxo

The brakes are better on the fiesta.

I have now modified both of them are they are due to appeaer in max power as twins. Watch that space for a definative answer of which one is better, personaly i'll take the saxo anyday though.

Wasn't the 106 gti voted by top gear as the second best handling car ever made? and that was behind a porsche or ferrari or something? the saxo has almost exactly the same chassis so the same must apply to the saxo. as for speed I have blown away a few zetec-s in my 106 gti and I believe the saxo vts has exactly the same engine? oh and I see a test with the saxo/106 brakes and the car was supposedly very good due to its light weight. the saxo vtr is lighter, produces more power lower in the rev range and in my opinion looks better!!! and I don't own a saxo!