All Citroen Xsara reviews

"Citroen's failure in the original Xsara Picasso to offer anything with more than 117bhp was a major problem. This car puts things right?"

Citroen's Xsara Picasso may be the UK's best selling mini-MPV, but until the arrival of the 2.0-litre 137bhp version featured here, it didn't have the kind of powerful petrol engine likely to appeal to up-market customers downsizing from something larger. Now things are different, the last remaining impediment to continuing sales success seems to hav...

"The interior is one of the most original of its kind..."

When it comes to choosing a family car, practicality and panache are often mutually exclusive concepts. You either choose something with a modicum of style and pay the price in terms of interior space or else opt for a motorised breeze block with acres of room but a singular absence of elegance. There are rare exceptions however, and the Citroen Xsara Picasso has long been one of the less 'setsquare' mini-MPVs. Sales have been st...

"The interior is one of the most original of its kind..."

Pablo Picasso was a man known for his originality on canvas. Perhaps then, he would have appreciated the Citroen mini-MPV people carrier that bears his name.

Not that the concept behind this car is particularly new. The idea of a miniature people carrier has been around since Renault introduced their Scenic back in 1996, a concept since copied by a clutch of imitators. None of these, however, bettered the Renault where it r...

"Satellite navigation is another option available to Exclusive customers, ensuring that 'Lost In France' will remain just another bad Bonnie Tyler song."

At the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps naming a model you expect great things of an "Exclusive" isn't the wisest step, especially when it's the flagship model of the UK's best selling mini-MPV range. Nevertheless, Citroen are confident that the Exclusive version of the Xsara Picasso will remain exclusive in nature ...

'Sensible' is the word that most readily springs to mind when considering Citroen's Xsara. Under the skin, there's nothing much to differentiate this family hatchback from the PSA Group's equally sensible Peugeot 306. Look a little closer, however, and there are distinct character traits. Certainly there's none of the quirkiness of small Citroens of the past - but then if you're buying a car like this, you probably don't want that anyway. The Xsara handles better than the equivalent Ford Esco...

Although the Xsara Coupe range was a reasonably successful product line for Citroen, it never created the same stir as its PSA sister vehicle the Peugeot 306 did, nor did it enjoy the cult following of its junior sibling, the Saxo. All of which should tell you that here is a bargain waiting to be discovered. And so it proves. The Xsara Coupe offers scalpel sharp handling that many thought had been excised from modern coupes under the sheer weight of over regulation. Dismiss it as a throwback ...

Through a combination of keen pricing, shrewd niche marketing and access to some of the best engines the PSA Group has to offer, the Citroen Xsara has become an unlikely success story. Although few would know it, it's based on the Peugeot 306 platform, a chassis that's a bit of a museum piece in today's high-tech world. Despite this many will attest to the fact that whatever Xsara you opt for, it's a rattling good drive. Used examples reflect Citroen's ruthless price slashing tactics and low ...