GTP Cool Wall: 1994-2000 Citroen XM V6

1994-2000 Citroen XM V6


  • Total voters
    113
  • Poll closed .
4,209
United States
Wasilla, AK
1994-2000 Citroen XM V6 nominated by Mark II Blit

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Stats:
Production: 1994-2000
Style: 5-door hatchback, 5-door wagon
Engine: PRV 181 ci/2,963 cc naturally aspirated OHC V6 (rated 165 HP & 173 lb-ft), PRV 181 ci/2,963 cc naturally aspirated DOHC V6 (rated 200 HP & 190 lb-ft), ES9 J4 (XFX) 180 ci/2,946 cc naturally aspirated DOHC V6 (rated 190 HP & 197 lb-ft)
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
Layout: Front-engine, Front-drive
Related: Peugeot 605​
 
Issues.
Too front heavy
Poor HP/Liter performance
French
Hideous

Seriously Uncool and I rarely vote in that manner.
 
My dad had one for quite a while. All the issues above are valid, but, it is huge inside, the ride is incredible, it actually moves pretty well for its size and it has active suspension!
 
A French car that does what the French do best in cars, but the styling does let it down a little bit.

A high Cool.
 
The last truly cool Citroen wedge. Bertone did a good job of following up on the Opron-designed CX (though not so much with the 'Break' body style), with ride comfort still being placed above all else. Not the prettiest exec car Citroen ever made, but I like what I see regardless.

I envied my old next door neighbour's dad when he bought one years ago. Shame he almost never used it.
 
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Not he same level of coolness as previous big Citroens (DS/CX) due to the mediocre styling, but a unique choice in so many ways it remains cool.

I doubt there are many of them left on the roads nowadays though.
 
If it were any less ridiculous looking then people might confuse it with a generic 90's crapbox. It isn't, so they don't. Sub zero on WTF factor and France.
 
I say cool. Despite the odd styling, I think 90's Citroens look good. Also gets points for the V6.
 
The interior in the second phase XM being polled here lost the outré edge that many other 80s Citroen cars had, including the single-spoke steering wheel. Though they did try fixing a few issues that early XM's had when they were revising it in '94, as well as boosting refinement.

Non of that changes my vote decision, mind.
 
It's a very strong cool from me. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but there's something small keeping me from voting SZ.
 
This, and from Citröen, the only french car maker that hasn't been lame at some point in its history.
Sadly, that isn't quite true. Citroen was very lame indeed from the late 90s into the mid-2000s, around about the same time Peugeot was also having a personal crisis. Made to look even worse since that was the period Renault was launching barmy stuff like the Clio V6, Avantime and all manner of Renaultsport models.
Only 3 for sale on E-bay and nothing on Pistonheads... so they haven't stood the test of time very well :lol:
To be fair, that just means not many people are selling them. Given they sold fewer than 20k of them in the UK in total, around 1k left remaining two decades later isn't too bad.
 
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Sadly, that isn't quite true. Citroen was very lame indeed from the late 90s into the mid-2000s, around about the same time Peugeot was also having a personal crisis. Made to look even worse since that was the period Renault was launching barmy stuff like the Clio V6, Avantime and all manner of Renaultsport models.


I don't know, man. I see Citröen stuff from the 90s and it doesn't look half bad. Blander than the previous decade's cars, yes, but nothing I'd tag as "lame", specially compared to Peugeot. Holy hell Peugeot has been in a sinkhole for 20 years. Renault has also managed to stay in a pretty good position even if, in the 90s, it also kicked out some lame-ass cars... then vindicated itself with the Clio Williams, the Avantime, and all that stuff.
 
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Peugeot only really went into a decline in the early 2000s, when the 307 emerged. While Citroen was churning out dreary Xsaras, the first-gen C5, Saxos etc, Peugeot still had the 306 (and GTi and Rallye versions), the 106 (ditto) and the 406 (and coupe) which have always been great-looking cars. The 90s, if anything, was one of Peugeot's best periods.

For Citroen though the 90s was a time when they majored on cost-cutting and design went into a downward spiral.

Luckily, Peugeot and Citroen's modern stuff is pretty good really. The RCZ-R is one of the best cars I've driven in a long time, the 208 does everything better than a Fiesta other than outright handling, the Citroen DS range is all pretty good and the upcoming C4 Cactus is utterly crazy but utterly brilliant.

As for Renault, they've always had some hidden gems, IMO. People think Renault was dull in the 90s but they started the decade with the 19 16v (which was excellent - frequently topping magazine group tests) Renault 5 Turbo (iconic) and the GTA (barmy), went through the middle of the decade with the Clio Williams (while launching cars like the first-gen Laguna and the first-gen Megane, which to me are two of the best-looking regular family cars of the era) and ended the decade with the Clio V6 and Clio RS 172. Innovated, too - the Megane Scenic may not be interesting but looking back the design and layout were pretty clever.

And Renault too has some great stuff on the horizon. 3rd Gen Twingo is brilliant and the Captur is doing well. I'm really glad to see all three French brands getting their mojo back.
 
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