1998 Citroen Xsara VTS review from UK and Ireland

I haven't had the car long, but nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with the car during my ownership.

However the car came in the following condition, which I am sure isn't common with the Xsara, but this is present on my vehicle.

Drivers bucket seat worn to stage of foam coming out (previous owner was a bodybuilder, probably too big for it).

Also drivers seat doesn't feel very stable, a little loose and will need tightening.

Like I said this is probably just my car and not a common fault with the Xsara VTS.

My car is a 1998 S Reg Citroen Xsara VTS 2.0i 16v in Gold.

The car has done 67,000 miles with only basic maintenance.

Everything on the car just seams to work, brakes are excellent, steering is precise, handles the road very well, although in the wet you can get some under-steer if your giving it some as the front wheels struggle for grip under power.

Performance from the 2.0i 16v unit is very good and healthy, the car can be driven sedate, or if you want to drive at speed the car doesn't let you down, the car gives a really nice rasp from the air induction.

The car does 0-60 in 7 seconds, 137mph and develops 167bhp which sounds like a lot and it is, that's the same as a Nissan 200SX Turbo! but the way it delivers its power isn't in an aggressive throw you back style, its delivered in a nice, smooth wave of torque, you wouldn't want it any more violent as it wouldn't be a pleasure to drive then.

My last car was a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo Auto, they have 280bhp and 0-60 on the Auto was 7.1 seconds, there is no doubt in my mind that the Xsara VTS is equally as quick if not quicker.

Insurance for this car is a group 16, I highly recommend www.bell.co.uk for insurance quotes as they prove time and time again to be the cheapest on the World Wide Web, and lets not forget, this car is quicker than the Peugeot 205 1.9i GTi I had, and faster than the Astra GTE 16v I had too.

Obviously the car has more to offer than sheer performance, the cockpit offers generous levels of equipment, the stereo controls on the steering wheel are easy to use while keeping your eye on the road, the cabin is roomy and offering lots of room in the back for adults (mines 2 door and lots of space) and the clocks light up very nice at night.

Security wise, the car comes alarmed and immobilised as standard, saves me buying an after-market alarm, same with the radio situation too, Citroen provide you with a very nice radio as standard with a 6 CD changer in the boot, thank you Citroen :)

Safety compromises of passenger airbag, drivers airbag and side airbags.

Gearbox, brakes, engine, cabin, controls and the whole driving experience of the Xsara I would have to give 10 outta 10 :)

MPG I have tested and its coming back at 150 miles for £20 of petrol, that's about 34mpg with a mixture of 5th gear cruising and round town, with occasional 3rd gear at the limiter ;)

These cars are cheap now on the open market, I paid £1,500 for mine, what else can you buy that offers these levels of comfort, performance and reliability?

My only grip is that there isn't a Internet website or chat forum on the WWW to chat about the Xsara VTS, if anyone knows of a place to discuss this car, please add a comment to this post.

What are you waiting for, Citroen Xsara VTS 2.0i 16v... Buy one, today :)