CITROËN AUSTRALIA

The Citroën Xsara range is now powered by three state of the art 16 valve petrol engines that offer, with 83 kW from the 1.6 litre unit 124 kW from the range topping 2.0 litre 16 valve, as well as 102 kW from the 2.0 litre engine used in the five door hatch. All are above class average power outputs. This provides the Xsara with a level of performance that all but puts its in the hot hatch bracket.

The new 1.6 litre engine, which is both lighter and more powerful than the 1.6 litre engine it replaces, is anything but a poverty pack entry level unit. It thrusts the Xsara Coupe to 100 kmh in a very respectable 10.9 seconds and, where law permits, takes it on to a top speed of 197 kmh.

This has been achieved by a number of changes to the TU5J4 engine, including reprofiling the inlet and exhaust manifold and increasing the size of the inlet valves. The engine has been fitted with state of the art sequential fuel injection and it is controlled by a fly-by-wire electronic throttle. But it's not all about performance. The new engine is also cleaner than the unit it replaces and easier to service. For example the catalysts has been moved closer to the engine so that it warms up more quickly and, therefore become fully functional after shorter distances. It is also now possible to change the oil filter - which is also recyclable - without draining the oil.

Reserved for the Xsara Coupe, the 2.0 litre 124 kW XU10J4RS engine is one of the most powerful engines of its type in the world with an output that puts to shame some manufacturers turbo charged engines. With 193 Nm of torque and 89 per cent of the torque peak available from 2000 rpm to the red line, it is not a lightweight screamer. It delivers a powerful performance punch in all gears and at all speeds.

This engine is fitted with a 'blast head' in which the section of the combustion chamber is smaller than that in which the pistons move. During the compression stroke the mixture is pushed to the edges of a metal crown several millimeters in width. Greatly compressed in this area, they are then "blasted" across the centre of the chamber, increasing turbulence to produce a more thoroughly mixed combination of air and fuel.

The cast iron crankcase has thin walls and integrated bores. It is braced by the light alloy sump, which is further internally reinforced. The crankshaft is a five bearing unit and a series of weight reductions in the internal moving parts have been provided to enable the engine to have a high 7300 rpm red line.

A Magneti Marelli 1 AP-10 engine management unit controls the sequential fuel injection system that is able, with three bar fuel pressure, to deliver fuel to two cylinders simultaneously. The mapped EMU also controls the ignition system that has a separate coil for each cylinder and spark plug.

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