2002 Citroen Saxo VTR from UK and Ireland - Comments

Not too sure about the handling part Mr Focus.

Lowered 18 inch by 8 inch alloys, traction control and ESP as standard, the Focus is one of the best handling hatches on the market even in standard form, but only Focus owners know how good they are at handling. I wish I could see the look on the boy racers faces in 106 GTis, VTRs etc when I'm leaving them behind round roundabouts and country lanes etc etc.

I had a mark 1 VTR for my first car on a V reg and my Focus is better in every single way; miles faster, especially from 50-90 where it is nearly twice as fast, and it doesn't start understeering once you get above 45. On all but the tightest bends it will oversteer before underteering, which is never a bad thing. This is something that never happened in my VTR. Can't wait until I'm 21 to get an orange ST.

I had a mk2 VTR, lowered 35mm, made some difference to the handling. My friend who had an 06 Astra described the saxo's handling as immense when he drove it and commented that the acceleration is better than you expect. Although it was not a fast car by the way. I now drive a 318ti, which seems to be lacking in the handling department compared with the VTR, but its not a fair judgement really as I have only had it a few weeks.

It would be interesting to see the Focus and a VTR on track against each other, although that I will probably never see.

I do remember hearing somthing about the 106GTI/ VTR/S being the second best handling of cars in the world. Although I'm not sure how true that is.

Some very good point that people have made about there cars.

I personally think that Citroen Saxo's are very good cars for the money. They are a cheap car, so what do you expect from it after a period of several years? Same go's for the zetec and so on. The quality of them are bound to decrease dramatically. But only if you do not keep them maintained and under control!

I own a Saxo VTR mk 2, And for now in my opinion its one of the best cars around at the moment. I have done minor tweaks to the engine and mechanical of the car, which has added bhp and improved handling.

A friend of mine owns an 05' plate Renault Clio sport 182, with modifications to boost the power to 200bhp, which make it go like stink.

Now I have lost my trial of thought so I think I will go and take a rest. Please do not take any of my comments or opinion as if I am boasting or whatever.

Its laughable that some one thinks a focus will out handle a 106 GTI/saxo vts. These cars are like go-carts round a bend, keep the focus for the shopping, its better at that.

What did the Clio comment have to do with anything? You didn't even relate it to another car. My brother had two Ford Fiesta Zetec S' and they were completely different cars, his first one (in imperial blue) was brilliant and pulled really well, but the other one seemed slow in comparison and had lots of niggly faults. I have read that many of the Zetec S' came out of the factory with more bhp than they were meant to (one guy had a standard Zetec S which produced just over 120bhp on a rolling road), and wonder if he had one low bhp and one higher as the difference was very noticeable. In the first Fiesta he beat every VTR he came up against and in the second I don't know as he wouldn't tell me-kind of suggests not so many.

Personally I wouldn't touch either car, the Saxo because it's french tat held together with plastic clips and with about as much reliability as the british rail service, and the Fiesta because the body rusts, and my brothers second one was a pig with electronics, not to mention the bizarre power difference.

Neither car is really that special, 0-60 is 10 seconds or thereabouts for both cars, plenty of other cars equal this e.g. a normal 1.4 16v Rover 200 does 0-60 in 10.5 seconds. Or an Astra 1.6/1.8 would be similar, same with a Focus... the list goes on.

I drive an MG ZR diesel 99bhp with a book figure 0-60 in 9.7 seconds. It is only group 7 insurance (if you have the Rover 25 version), and it's an engine renowned for reliability, which is why I bought it; which brings us back to the Saxo and Fiesta. If you have one and like it for the way it drives (or whatever else) fine, but don't claim you own a very quick car because you don't. Mine is faster than yours and I don't go around boasting my car is super fast-because it's not. It's mildly quick.

"Its laughable that some one thinks a focus will out handle a 106 GTI/saxo vts. These cars are like go-carts round a bend, keep the focus for the shopping, its better at that."

LOL you've obviously never been in a 3dr 2.0 esp focus. Read any review of the mrk1 focus and it will say best handling family hatch far better suspension than the crappy torsion bar you get with a saxo.

My bet would be a saxo would have the better handling over a focus.

I've driven both and even owned a VTR a few years back, and anywhere near the limit the Saxo understeers (even with expensive sports tyres), whereas the Focus still grips confidently. The Saxo is good, don't get me wrong, but the Focus is just better.

And the extra torque from the 2.0 engine is enough to make the Focus a more rewarding driving experience, as well as an all round better car.

Saxo's are just WAY too tinny and poorly built for everyday life...

2.0 zetec in focus cudnt match 1.6 vts in ne way handling, aceleration. it's a glorified mondeo engine 130bhp weighs bout 1110kg. wherase saxo has 120bhp weighs 900kgs its all bout bhp per ton. get real focus driver. saxo shares gti chassis rated 2nd in top gear or dnt they no wat thier talkin about either.

For your information I'm not a focus driver I'm a honda integra type r driver which will piss all over your little gti.I've driven a couple saxo vts's and they are cheap nasty crap with terrible brakes, build quality, gear change, image...i could go on all day.I've driven a 1.8 focus that felt faster than gti, vts brigade. difference being the focus WILL handle safer on the limit, its quieter, better built, room for 4 adults, half the insurance costs, more reliable, better brakes, more torque, more power... overall a MUCH MUCH better car than the shitty little french tin can saxos and 106's...girls cars!!

Focus will only be better after about 70mph for handling. Saxo's start bouncing around a bit after 70, whereas the Focus's weight and better suspension will keep it gripping. I had a Saxo, not a Focus. If you don't believe me, go and take your Saxo or Focus out on a lane at 70+ and you'll see what I mean.

I wish people would stop going on about that top gear episode. The Honda Integra is widely regarded as the best handling FWD production car ever built; but was it even on that episode? No. I'm not saying the GTI is a bad handling car, but it sure is not the best, by a long way! It hasn't even got an LSD, and any good handling car worth its salt has one.

I agree. It was just clarkson being his normal idiotic self trying to shock the viewer. Seriously he comes out with his little twist in every single episode/review and the peugeot was just another attempt to shock us by saying something which really wasnt true. The saxo/106 may handle well but you cannot go around claiming they are one of the best handling cars ever built, they just aren't.

You seem to not know what you're on about with cars focus or integra driver. That's why they put LSD in the things, because they just don't handle without them hence. What LSD means is limited slip differential to stop its erratic handling. Saxo all the way.