Citroen XM V6 Road Test - Power, Drama, Technology.

who says only the Italians make a lovely

sound in v6

what I love about exm is you get to bend

it doesn't all go back it at all

suddenly we are however in a 30 zone so

I'll knock it out a supporter

the XM was the latest in a long line of

big citrons started with attraction of

our then the legendary DF then the

remarkable CX and then the XM was

launched in 1989 and sometimes a bit

hard to swallow because it wasn't quite

as wacky as what had gone before the

styling was by Buitoni and it's very

very Bertoni indeed you can tell easily

by looking at it it's got perfect wedge

shapes who kicks a rear end it's

absolutely marvelous piece of design but

it's not as eccentric as a CX or a d s

but this is the third XM I've driven to

share of German turbo diesel and I've

also driven a 2-liter four-cylinder and

it is nice to finally get the v6 this is

the range topper and the v6 was the

engine the D s and the CX they never had

and that's what makes this car truly

special

I still got a hydraulic suspension I've

still got a car which looks like pretty

much nothing else but now I got a proper

v6 engine almost 200 brake horsepower

these cars will proper BMW eaters back

in the day

it makes all the difference but even

when you're just walking around you can

hear that v6 humming away when I'm not

in sport mode this is an adaptive

gearbox and it was reset reason and it

still thinks it's in maximum loft so

it's very very reluctant to kick there

which is a good thing if I wanted to

kick that and I'll put it into sport

mode any problem being but the gear

selector markings and the sport mode

button that tucked away on the other

side perfect for left-hand Drive

interestingly I'm driving this car back

to back with as antia v6 I drove earlier

today and that car wonderful wonderful

engine but there's antia doesn't feel

special it's not really what does an T

is about this however feels every bit

the special motorcar

and isn't just because of that noise

you've got the suspension as I've said

before but what's remarkable is it

doesn't feel like a big barge to drive

you got are tight and twisty road and

you can really check it around

got high directed suspension which I can

put into a sport mode or apparently does

it automatically if it detects you

getting a bit of a Hunan that firms up

the suspension rate probably these never

says lightly fidgety it's a lot firmer

than hydraulics it runs of all it's got

McPherson strut suspension as well so it

doesn't respond as well to potholes

it really does go well in sport mode

there

this is later XM has a series to

dashboard we're all the miners

switchgears dumped here

it's not very nice plastic that doesn't

help but it's still overall because it's

very spacious because it's quite large

it feels more special than the Xanthia

does unto your v6 was actually a

half-assed effort to replace the XM

santera have been around for a while by

then but Citroen killed off the XM we're

really coming up with a suitable

replacement

truly an engine can make a car and the

v6 makes all the difference here

finally a big hydraulic Citroen with the

engine hydraulic systems always should

have had

make no bones about it this car has gone

straight to the top of my wish list

okay okay I can hear saying well then

you end up liking everything you drive

even Vauxhall Chevette sand yeah okay

you have a pot but I'm a Citroen man

through and through although many many

cars but nothing really grabs me like a

Citroen Lancias get close especially

prior to the Fiat take over when they

were properly engineered

it's just the feel of this car is just

right yes what I love about the ex is

but then it has things but I wish a B X

hat I wished B X hat a smoother engine I

wish to be X had two windscreen wipers

but the build quality is better even

though these plastics are still a bit

grit it's a lot better than very few

trim wrap it's just a brilliant car and

I apologize for going on and on and on

about it I hope you'll forgive me

and there you have it a Citroen ax am I

finally achieve the dream and I'm sorry

you had to suffer it with me until next

time goodbye