They are two very different cars, but are both worthy and have positives and negatives, with that engine/box set up you shouldnt have hopefully too much bother as they are simple and tried and tested!Philip Chidlow wrote:Having driven 160 miles cross country in the 2.0i Auto Xantia I recently acquired, I can say it was a pretty good experience. Less neutral than the BX, - it's a bit more 'understeery' - and a bit less feel through the steering, but it is sure-footed with a better ride than the BX over difficult camber/surface-changing twisty roads. The car is quieter and more refined too, but it isn't going to beat a BX on driver appeal - especially if that car is a GTi or 16v over those sort of roads.
The seats - with the lumbar support adjusted right - are good, but not as good as a BX GTi's.
Perfomance from the 2 litre is pretty strong and the pre-auto adaptive box (a ZF unit similar if not the same as the BX GTi auto) you can 'play' almost like a manual with good kickdown response and smooth changes (downshifts are almost imperceptible).
I had a drive in Jim's V6 Xantia. With nearly 200 bhp and bags of torque that really does 'go'
Overall it's a good car and worth my time and effort to get right. But the BX will stay here, and be used as out daily driver.
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I really like the Xantia. It's got beautiful styling and the V6 autos really are superb. I imagine others are a bit more dull, but then the BX already represents quite a compromise compared to say a CX or GS - even a BX Mk2 has had the quirky charm largely removed compared to a Mk1, especially inside. The Xantia is just the natural evolution of things - though sadly the C5 is a definite blot on the copy book.