Citroën Saxo
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| Manufacturer | Citroën |
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| Parent company | PSA Group |
| Also called | Citroën Chanson |
| Production | 1996-2003 |
| Assembly | Aulnay-sous-Bois, France |
| Predecessor | Citroën AX |
| Successor | Citroën C2 Citroën C3 |
| Class | Supermini |
| Body style(s) | 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Engine(s) | 1.0 L TU9 I4 1.1 L TU1 I4 1.4 L TU3 I4 1.5 L TUD5 diesel I4 1.6 L TU5 I4 |
| Wheelbase | 2,385 mm (93.9 in) |
| Length | 3,718 mm (146.4 in) (3,737 mm (147.1 in) VTS) |
| Width | 1,595 mm (62.8 in) (1,360 mm (53.5 in) VTS) |
| Height | 1,379 mm (54.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 805 kg (1,775 lb)–935 kg (2,061 lb) |
| Related | Peugeot 106 |
The Citroën Saxo is a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën (PSA) from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106, the major difference being interiors and body panels. It was replaced by the Citroën C2 in the autumn of 2003.
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[edit] Engines and performance
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This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (September 2009) |
All engines were from the TU series that powered the Peugeot 205 and the Citroën AX, and had their roots before that with various other Citroens, such as the Visa. The range included five petrol engines and one diesel engine, all naturally-aspirated.
Although the power outputs seem low in modern terms, even the range-topping VTS had a kerb weight of just 965 kg (2,127 lb), giving all models quite a 'nippy' feel around town.
The 1.0 was however quite underpowered, although the 1.1 was much better since it was actually nearly 200 cc larger, and nearly 30% more torque.
There were 3 sport models of the Saxo: The Westcoast, later replaced by the Furio which featured a 1.4i 8v 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS) engine with a top speed of 109 mph (175 km/h), and a 0-60 mph time of 11.2 seconds. The VTR MK1 (97-99) featured a 1.6i 8v 90 bhp (67 kW; 91 PS) engine with a top speed of 116 mph (187 km/h) and a 0-60 time of 10.0 seconds. The VTR MK2 (99-03) features a 1.6i 8v 98 bhp (73 kW; 99 PS) engine with a top speed of 120 mph (190 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 9.4 seconds. The VTS featured a 1.6i 16v 120 bhp (89 kW; 122 PS) engine with a top speed of 127 mph (204 km/h), and a 0-60 mph time of 7.7 seconds. The VTS MK1 (97-99) and MK2 (99-03) shared the same performance. These models includes 247 mm (9.7 in) vented front brake discs, with the VTR and VTS also having rear brake discs (solid 247 mm (9.7 in) discs). An also different style of control arms and struts used for the suspension. The VTS has a 22 mm (0.9 in) master brake cylinder, and the VTR and Westcoast/Furio have a 19 mm (0.7 in). The VTS has a 19 mm (0.7 in) front anti roll bar and 22 mm (0.9 in) rear anti roll bar. While the have VTR and Westcoast/Furio have a 19 mm (0.7 in) front and 21 mm (0.8 in) and sometimes 19 mm (0.7 in) rear. All the sports models feature a different bodykit to the other models commonly known as the "VT" bodykit.
In 1997 the Saxo's 3 Speed Automatic Gearbox was powered by the 1.6i 90 bhp (67 kW) which was available on the Saxo SX and VSX. Then in late 1997 The 1.6i Auto was replaced with a 1.4i 75 bhp (56 kW) engine. The 1.6i was more powerful with a top speed of 109 mph (175 km/h) compared with the 1.4's 103 mph (166 km/h).
Citroën carried on using the 1.4i engine on the Facelift Saxo Automatic in 1999. Due to the C3 having a 1.4i Automatic Gear Box the Saxo Automatic came to an end in March 2002, whilst the manual models were still sold right up to the end of 2003.
[edit] Interior and equipment
The equipment list was generally sparse, with budget models having drivers air bag, seat belt pre-tensioners, cassette player, heated rear screen and tinted windows, and early mk1's with keypad immobilisers and a clock in place of a tachometer and 3 stud wheels, much like the AX. Further up the list sunroofs, PAS, Electric windows, ultrasonic alarm, passenger airbag, CD player, tachometer, front fog lights, bodykits, colour coded mirror caps and alloy wheels were added, to name a few.
The 1.6L VTR and VTS Saxo's were the best equipped, with both gaining rear disc brakes as opposed to drum brakes, and ABS as an optional extra on the VTR and standard on the VTS.
Few special models were released throughout the Saxo's life, most notably the "Open Scandal", a Saxo with a full length sliding canvas roof. Other special editions added certain extra's to the lower end model, such as sunroofs or PAS. Notable models are the Westcoast up to 1999 and the furio to 2003, as they incorporated the standard Saxo bodykit found on the VTR and VTS with a more insurance friendly 1.4L engine.
Air-conditioning was never an option on right-hand-drive Saxo's because the blower motor was mounted in the bulk-head on the drivers side. As a result, there was insufficient space available to accommodate the evaporator, except by first ducting the air flow to the passenger side and then at the expense of the glove-box. Although an after-market kit was available that did exactly this, the resultant pressure loss made the system noisy and ineffective. The blower motor could also not be easily relocated, since the windscreen wiper motor was mounted in the passenger side space.
As with many other small cars of the time, the standard stereo system included 5.25" drivers mounted low in the front doors and 4" drivers mounted in the rear quarter panels. This set-up could be easily improved upon by mounting separate tweeters in the A-panel trims, similar to many VW models of the time. The very thin door cards and metalwork did however leave the system very 'thin' sounding, with very poor output in the upper-bass ranges.
[edit] Facelift
The Saxo received a style makeover at the start of the year 2000, commonly branded as a MK2, with the major differences being more modern styled headlights, bonnets and grilles to replace the ageing square style on the MK1 and Multipoint injection replacing the single point on the 1.1L engines.
PAS became standard on all but the very basic models. More subtle changes were alterations to the rear lights (the indicator sections are more "white") and the engine control unit moved from a single plug to 3 plugs. The old 3 stud wheel layout was also dropped.
There was also a minor facelift during the MK1 phase of the cars production in line with the then current releases by Citroen, moving towards a rounder look.
[edit] Stereotypes
Due to the car being cheap to buy and lower models being cheap to insure, most are bought second hand by younger drivers. The Saxo has therefore earned a bad name among the general public as a "boy racers" car, especially the slower 1.1 and 1.4 models due to their low insurance. Although the fastest model (VTS) is an insurance group 14 car.
[edit] Safety
The Saxo's crash test results from Euro NCAP was only 2 stars,[1] which was a poor effort in year 2000, but comparable to most small cars at the time of the Saxo's release.
[edit] Fuel economy
One area in which the Saxo excelled was fuel efficiency. Even the sports models could manage nearly 50 mpg-imp (5.6 L/100 km; 42 mpg-US) at cruising speeds,[citation needed] whilst the 1.1 could manage nearer to 60 mpg-imp (4.7 L/100 km; 50 mpg-US).[citation needed]
This came as no surprise, since its predecessor the Citroen AX in diesel form held the record for the best fuel economy achieved in a production car, 103 miles per imperial gallon (2.74 L/100 km; 86 mpg-US) - a record that stands many years, until 2008 (beaten by Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi with 2.23 litres per 100 kilometres (126.67 mpg-imp; 105.48 mpg-US) - official Guinness record)
[edit] Drag
The Saxo has a drag coefficient of 0.340.[2] In addition its frontal area is 1.83m2[2]. Giving it a CdA ft² just 6.66.
[edit] Gavin and Stacey
The Saxo has featured prominently in the popular BBC3 series Gavin and Stacey. Gavin famously drives a Saxo VTR to Barry Island from Essex on numerous occasions during the series to visit his love interest Stacey. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Citroën Saxo". euroncap.com. http://www.euroncap.com/tests/citroen_saxo_2000/70.aspx. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ a b Citroën Saxo 1.1i X technical specifications - Carfolio.com car specifications pages
- ^ 07:04 (2008-12-09). "Gavin and Stacey - Saxperience - Citroen Saxo Forum". Saxperience. http://www.saxperience.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192830. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
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