CITROËN AUSTRALIA

The Citroën Xsara Coupe goes on sale in Australia in late February offering a unique combination of real European style, a motorsport developed chassis standard in all versions and prices starting at $23,990

“The Citroën Xsara Coupe sets nothing less than a new benchmark in Australia,” says Miles Williams, General Manager for Citroën in Australia. “Unlike its competitors in the staid hatchback market, it is a true coupe, not a five door with two less doors.

“This is clear not just from the superb European styling, but also evident with both versions, the $23,990 Coupe VTR and the road burning 124 kW Coupe VTS, sharing the same sports tuned high performance suspension and steering.. Inside it is the same, with both Xsara Coupes sharing white instrumentation, carbon fibre trimmed dashboard and a short throw gear stick topped with burnished aluminium and wrapped in carbon fibre.”

“While other car makers regard their entry level model as a basic stripped car, Citroën is offering real European style and performance at what would be a excellent price for a normal car. For the Citroën Xsara Coupe, it is nothing short of remarkable,” says Mr Williams.

As a basis for a performance car, the Xsara Coupe could not be a better choice. Unlike its competitors, where all that separates a three door from a five door is two less doors, Citroën has provided the Xsara Coupe with looks that truly justify its name. Added to this is the already benchmark chassis with its magic car ride allied to envied levels of steering response, road holding and handling. To this already potent mix Citroën has added a 124 kW 2.0 litre 16 valve engine matched to a close ratio gearbox to provide neck snapping performance.

Fitted with this engine the new Citroën Xsara slices to 100 kmh in just 8.7 seconds and goes on to score a top speed of 220 kmh where the law permits. With the ability to cover the acceleration sector from 80 to 120 kmh in fifth gear in just 9.1 seconds, the new high performance 2.0 litre engine is also extremely flexible.

Citroën is not, however, limiting the style of its new Coupe to the upper reaches of the market. The Citroën Xsara will also be available with Citroën’s new 1.6 litre 16 valve engine which, with an above class average 83 kW, also offers strong performance and the ability to be matched to Citroën’s new automatic gearbox as well as the standard five speed manual. With this engine, the Xsara Coupe has a top speed of 197 kmh and it sprints to 100 kmh in 10.9 seconds.

As with all Xsaras, the Coupes are well equipped.

Both versions are fitted with full sports suspension twin front air bags, climate control air conditioning, variable assistance power steering, central locking with remote control and remote boot opening, power front windows with one touch on the driver’s side, a CD audio system with six speakers, carbon fibre trimmed dashboard, short throw gearstick trimmed in burnished aluminium, interior adjustable door mirrors, colour matched mirrors, bumpers and door handles and split fold rear seat.

The top of the line Xsara Coupe VTS adds ABS brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, alloy wheels with low profile tyres, automatic windscreen wipers with a rain sensor, twin remote electrically controlled door mirrors with demist, rear armrest, exterior temperature gauge, velour and Alcantara upholstery, trip computer, full colour matched exterior, front side airbags, leather steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors and a boot floor net.

With this small, but broad based Coupe range, Citroën is looking to target two groups of buyers in Australia.

Both versions of the Xsara Coupe prove that it is possible to have a three door car that is much more than a five door with two fewer doors. The Coupe is infused with a level of style that enables it to truly live up to the name Coupe.

The Coupe VTS is unashamedly aimed at the driving enthusiast, one for whom every drive is far more than just a journey. The Xsara Coupe VTS owner is also someone who wants to feel special in their car even when it is stationary or when they look at it parked outside their home. It is a car that does not hide its style or performance aspirations.

The Xsara Coupe VTR, with its 1.6 litre engine is for the owner who wants a more comfort and ease of use orientated car, but one that is no less stylish, well equipped, or, when called upon to do so, provides a high level of driving involvement that is responsive, quick-witted and comfortable.

“The arrival of the Citroën Xsara Coupe marks a significant move forward in the evolution of Citroën in Australia,” says Miles Williams. “Like the Berlingo before it, the Coupe takes Citroën’s Australian range into market sectors in which it has not previous competed and demonstrates clearly to the market place the breadth and depth of Citroën’s design and development skills. As such, the Coupe will not only directly increase Citroën sales in Australia, I am sure it will also have a halo affect on the Citroën range as a whole and boost our sales across the board.”

Citroën’s acclaimed Xsara, has gained a new look for 2001, with an all new exterior ahead of the ‘a’ pillar, a new rear hatch and re-styled rubbing strips that combine to produce a look that is both dynamic and attractive for both the five door hatch and the newly launched Coupe.

But the changes to the Citroën Xsara are not all superficial, with the Xsara also boasting three new engines with above class average out puts of 83 and 124 kW, as well as an 102 kW engine for hatch only, and a new automatic gearbox that uses the latest fuzzy logic adaptive technology. Conventional electrics have been ousted by the computer based multiplex system that both simplifies and speeds servicing and maintenance and enables the Xsara to offer a wider range of standard and optional electrical equipment and features.

Already a by-word for ride, handling and road holding, the 2001 Xsara’s on road abilities have been further enhanced with a wider track front and rear, 15 inch wheels and tyres and the adoption of the latest ABS brake system with electronic brake force distribution as standard on the Coupe VTS.

Even the stylish new teardrop headlights boast a practical advance for the Xsara. On both low and high beam they offer 20 per cent more light than their predecessors.

The Citroën Xsara is the latest model in the Citroën range to benefit from the new styling spirit at the French car maker that has already produced some of the most exciting cars to come out of Europe in the past few years. Like its stable mates, the Citroën Xsara Picasso and the newly launched Citroën C5, a new level of prominence is given to headlights and the famous Citroën Chevron badge.

The new teardrop headlights amply demonstrate the substantial advances that have been made in headlight design in recent years. Not only do the polycarbonate lens allow a much larger free form shape that blends into the overall shape of the Xsara and to contribute to its new look, they are also substantially better at doing their job. On both dip and full beam they offer 20 per cent more light and this light is also more tightly controlled.

Between the new headlights is the enlarged grilled with its substantially more prominent Chevron badges. The new front treatment produced by the combination of the grille and headlight flow into new lines on the bonnet and the front guards. The front bumper has been reprofiled to blend into the new styling and even the seals around the windscreen have been slimmed to blend with the new Xsara’s restyle. However, they still do their job of catching water from the windscreen and guiding it away from the side windows. The front is completed by the removal of the aerial to the rear of the car.

From the rear, the Citroën Chevrons again play a substantial role in the revised appearance of the Xsara. Not only are they larger, they also blend into the rear panel that frames them for greater prominence. The push button opening for the boot has been replaced by handle that is styled into the rear hatch, while the lock itself has been replaced by an electronic unit that allows remote opening of the rear hatch, that locks automatically at 20 kmh.

For more information, please select from the menu at the left

Site design and construction by InterStellar - © 1998-9 & 2000-1