Faults:

Problem with rear glass.

General Comments:

Citroen say the interior is whisper quiet in their brochure, but in reality the cabin is noisy with lots of road boom. Hard plastic door pockets create even more noise with objects rattling around inside.

Headlining fits where it touches and trim is generally of poor quality.

Fuel consumption is not as good as stated in brochure.

Faults:

Two oil leaks.

Two sets of spheres.

One set of balance weights.

Indicators working intermittently.

Flickering headlights.

Squealing brakes. Been back twice and its still not fixed.

Loose rear bumper trim.

General Comments:

The car seemed like an excellent idea and was less risky than going to a car importer and perhaps having problems after the 1-year warranty expired.

I need not have worried. The UK dealer is absolute garbage!

Faults:

No problems to report so far.

General Comments:

The ride is smooth and exceptionally quiet.

The handling in sport mode is on a par with my old Peugeot 406.

Acceleration in the mid range is impressive for a diesel and rivals many petrol engines.

The gadgets are great, and mostly practical, particularly the adjustable rear suspension for loading and unloading the estate.

Faults:

The external temperature gauge recorded 21 degrees C in the middle of winter when the actual was -8 degrees C.

Replacement fitted by dealer.

Rattling coming intermittently from rear. Sounds like parcel shelf, but Dealer unable to identify.

Squeak and rattles seem to be coming from under dashboard. Taken back to dealer under warranty for 1 day, then another full day, then 5 days (which I think was an attempt to cause me to give up) then a further 3 days after writing a letter of complaint to the Managing Director. Problem still not solved, but I do appreciate that the causes of these noises are often difficult to locate. Parts of the panelling and insulation were not fitted back.

The dealer did subcontract the fitting of a tow bar and I wondered if that mechanic had reassembled wiring and panels correctly.

The programmed stations on my radio had been changed when I got it back. Do garages not provide "music while you work" for their fitters from their own sources?

General Comments:

I do miss not having a tape deck, although I know that a CD is the modern trend.

I also miss windscreen wipers on the rear window.

The car is a joy to drive.

It is extremely comfortable.

What a pity it is spoiled by poor back up from the dealer.

Faults:

Traffic Master did not speak until it had a full unit replaced.

Scratches on the interior trim around the radio and heater controls.

Radio continues to loose preset stations, even after 3 replacement radios and strip down of the dash to check plugs and connections. The next item to replaced will be the 'Comm 2000' unit in January 2003.

Radio controls on the steering column malfunction refusing to change presets. Due to be replaced January 2003.

Rear seat locking mechanism faulty refusing to release then re-lock the seats in the correct position.

Rear 12v socket in the estate version blew the fuse.

Under body engine guard rattled loose.

General Comments:

Nice car to drive, but shame about faults that cannot be rectified after 6 months of back and forth to dealers who just seem interested in making warranty claims to Citroen.

Faults:

Rear suspension spheres (25) changed for softer ones (31).

General Comments:

This car is only slightly larger than the Xantia, but it feels a lot bigger.

The very large size of the door mirrors mean that for normal garage doors you will require the option to retract the mirrors from an inside button, otherwise it's too wide.

The multiplex electrics cause a short delay for anything electrical. The lights don't immediately switch on or off, but wait 2 or 3 seconds. The button to retract the door mirrors sometimes does not become active for 10 to 15 seconds.

It is important that if you require an automatic to go for the 3 litre petrol or 2.2 diesel because the auto box for these are from a German manufacturer and are OK. The other size engines get a PSA unit which is renowned for giving a very rough downward gearchange.

When purchasing these cars, ensure that you check the ORGA number which is on the drivers door pillar. This number can be converted into the date of manufacture. If the manufacture date is before February 2002 then don't buy the car. After this date, most of the initial teething problems have been sorted and you will have a very pleasant vehicle.