More than an old car #214: Citroen Xsara

Writing these days honestly comes in a series of bursts, and also an overarching need to clear my eternal backlog. It is high time that I write about this 2001 Citroen Xsara that is unbelievably still surviving here!

First released in 1997, the Xsara (pronounced sa-ra) replaced the ZX for which it shared a similar platform. While it was only available as a 5-door hatchback, a 3-door hatchback and a wagon version were introduced later. There was a facelift in 2000, with larger almond-shaped headlights, new grille with larger logo, an improved tailgate opening mechanism and a stiffer suspension, among other things. Interestingly, Citroen collaborated with Microsoft to develop the limited-edition Xsara Auto PC. Auto PC was part of a line of PC-compatible products designed around the Microsoft Windows CE 2.0 operating system. The main innovation of the Auto PC was its use of voice recognition technology, enabling the vehicle to respond to oral commands and to talk to the user by means of a voice synthesis system. One could not help but draw parallels to in-car voice recognition systems that are common today..

The Xsara was powered by a 1361 cc TU3JP i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 172 km/h with an acceleration of 14.8 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It weighed in at 1116 kg, with dimensions of 4188 x 1705 x 1405 mm and had a fuel consumption of 14.7 km/litre.

Production of the Xsara ended in 2006, after the Europe-market hatchback in 2004 and the Dongfeng-Citroen version in 2005. Truth be told, there is nothing really unique about this car: it was as bread-and-butter as it could be. However, a rally version was lined up for the World Rally Championship between 2001-2005, and scored a total of 24 victories under the hands of Sebastien Loeb and his teammates.

Xsaras were sold here in 1997 by Motorviva Minerva Pte Ltd, where it retailed at S$109,888 (S$161,741 in today's prices). Interestingly, the car was the top prize for an island-wide treasure hunt in 2001 (by then the facelifted version). This particular unit is noted to be the last one remaining, and it does not appear to be scrapped any time soon. Trying to keep an old French car in a car-unfriendly land is no mean feat, and part of me wonders what do the owners see in this vehicle that compels them to apply for the COE renewals. Hopefully, you will have the chance to see this rarity one day!