Legendary Citroen Xara, or a tale about how a well-deserved veteran shows class!

The Citroen Ksara range is available in three versions: a five-door family station wagon, a three-door hatchback and a minivan, which, in addition to the standard name, has the Picasso index. This series is a real old-timer of the market - it was issued from 1997 to 2006. Such a long life conceptually unchanged cars provided well-established cooperation of competent teams of marketers and engineers.

The first meticulously studied the wishes of customers, and the latter ideally embodied in the metal the fruits of their research. However, even such a strategy did not allow the series to live too long. In the two-thousandth market of coupe cars developed rapidly and, unfortunately, Citroën Xara outlived itself. Conceptually, the machine is obsolete. No, of course, for those who need a quiet family car, Citroen Xara Picasso is still a very good option, but here the times of sporting glory of this model line have passed.

And the glory, by the way, was very serious. The rally version of Citroen Ksara WRC (World Rally Championship) was one of the most successful cars that ever performed at the World Rally Championship. Legendary nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb won 28 victories and won his first three titles thanks to this unit. In addition, the constructors' cup from 2003 to 2005 was given to the Citroën team together with the title of the rally car of the year from the magazine Autosport.

And now the car looks like a well-deserved veteran. Rigid suspension? Undoubtedly, it is necessary for a sports car, however, only at its expense you can not get out. And in the compartment it is not rigid, but, rather, ruthless, and at the same time it does not provide the necessary improvement in handling characteristics. The driver's seat does not support enough when passing high-speed turns. Models that have equipped the steering amplifier with a change in the degree of gain relative to the speed of movement have certainly become more obedient, but in general, the coupe versions have long been unable to meet the expectations of those who love active driving style.

Looking closely at the units of this series, it is worth paying attention primarily to Citroen Xara Picasso. Reviews this mini-collector collects positive. It is still a good option for those who are looking for a car for the family.

The car is practical, economical, perfectly sharpened to the needs of the owner. The roof is high, the salon is spacious, the rear row, however, is designed more for children than for adults. The rear seats have three three-point seat belts . On each of them, an ISOFIX child restraint is provided. According to the results of the crash tests Euro NCAP, Citroen Xara Picasso received at one time three stars, which is an excellent indicator. The stock version was equipped with side and front airbags, and the vehicle stability control and curtain airbags were available as options.

Of the minuses, it should be noted that the dashboard has an outdated architecture, which is why the ergonomics of the machine suffers. The design of the instruments and upholstery is expected to be old-fashioned, and the plastic version of the instrument panel looks rather poor. But this is, rather, a matter of taste, because in the family car the main thing is safety and economy, and their Citroen Ksara Picasso always kept at a very decent level.