Citroen XM Estate
  • Economy

    Value

    5 out of 5 5.0

    I bought the car when it was 18 months old for £7,500 and part exchanged it yesterday (6 years on) for £250. It has done us sterling service, having covered some 160,000 miles with no breakdowns.

    Costs

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Citroens are not cheap if something goes wrong and their dealer network (or the one that I used) will rip you off; better to find an independant dealer who knows Citroens to service your car.

  • On the road

    Driving

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Excellent drive. I suffer from a bad back, but could still drive back from the south of France in one day and get out and walk. Like driving in an armchair.

    Performance

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Automatic is slow up to 15mph and then it takes off. An excellent grand tourer.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Never let me down. Only had to call RAC once for a lighting fault. The computer monitoring system does, however, develop faults that you need to live with.

    Image

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Depends what you like, but my elder son, a student, calls it 'The Stealth Machine'

    Comfort

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Armchair comfort; my sons are 6' 2" and 6' 3" tall now and are totally comfortable in the rear.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Hasn't been stolen (but who would steal a Citroen?)

    Service

    2 out of 5 2.0

    Citroen dealers don't seem to care and in my experience are shoddy; better to find an independent specialist.

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    Other

    The on-board computer was having a nervous breakdown towards the end with numerous false faults reported.

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    Used

    Would you buy the same model again?

    Yes

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    Yes