--------------- About the car --------------- This is a great little car that has many good points and a few little niggles.
I purchased this car in September 2000 (X-reg). I chose the colour Poseidon Blue (Metalic). At the time Citroen were giving a years free insurance away with the car, which as a young male driver this I found was invaluable.
The basic on the road cost of the car was around £7200 after the cash back deal. (£800 pounds at the time).
With a 1.1i petrol engine (1124cc) you will find the Saxo usually does around 45 miles per gallon even when you give it some stick. Also having such a small engine the car passes for reduced road tax, which is a big bonus!
Inside the Forte model you will find a CD player with four speakers (2 in front and 2 in back). You will notice a big difference from the standard saxo. First off there is this really funky yellow gear knob, the speedo and rev counter are a cool shade of blue. The seat belts are all different colours too.
It is nice to find a small car where the sunroof actually slides back instead of just popping up a couple of inches! Well-done Citroen! However, this does not make up for the lack of power steering, central locking and electric windows fitted to other saxo models.
As I mentioned this is a small car so boot space and rear passenger leg room is limited.
Saftey features include a drivers airbag but there is no ABS what is happening here Citroen??? An immobiliser is fitted as standard to help stop thief’s.
I had an alarm and central locking fitted to my saxo, which finishes it off nicely.
****** Update on Alarm and remote central locking ******
The Alarm I had fitted to my Saxo was a Thatchum approved Category 1 alarm. A Thatchum approved Cat 1 alarm will often help to slightly reduce the cost of your car insurance. The alarm and remote central locking was not an option from Citroen. I had it installed as an after market extra. I didn’t go to a Citroen main dealer to have it fitted as they charge around £45 + Vat an hour labour. Instead a friend of mine who owns a car audio and security fitting company installed it for me. So the cost was less than going to a main dealer. The total cost came to £280.
************ End update ************
---------------- Driving the car ---------------- The pedals are quite close together but when you get used to that this isn’t really a problem. I suppose I found them too close at first as I was used to driving a larger car.
The seats a comfortable but they are not the best seats in a car of this class. Once in the driving seat you will find the pedals and steering wheel both positioned central to you, which makes driving more comfortable. How often do manufactures spoil cars by having the pedals slightly off to one side so you end up in the most uncomfortable of driving positions?
Round town the saxo performs well holding the road on even the tightest of corners. The ride quality is nice and smooth and the engine is fairly quiet. Out on the open road (major A roads or motorway) the saxo performs just as well still managing to give minimum fuel consumption while at the same time producing a good top speed. A good comfortable ride is still achieved at higher speed. However on particular windy days you may notice the car being buffeted by wind on the motorway especially at very high speed and while over taking tall sided vehicles.
-------------- Performance --------------
Don’t expect this car to perform like a sports car as it simply is not one, it is a small hatch back. Its 1.1i engine will take you from 0 – 60 mph in around 12 seconds and produce a top speed of 101 mph. I would recommend this car to someone looking for a small run around or to use to and from work and occasional motorway use.
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I have the 1.4 saxo and i find it a real upgrade from the 1.1 but my friend has the 1.1 and we have managed a top speed of 107mph. Very precise op...Great!
Advantages: nimble with good performance for its engine size, fun handling Disadvantages: Steering takes getting used to, basic interior, basic equipment
b3rtie 04.06.2006 ·
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