Evasive maneuvers are quite difficult for a lot of cars, but not the Citroën Xantia.
Citroën was founded by André-Gustave Citroën. His father was a Russian-born diamond dealer, and his mother came from an affluent Jewish family. Despite the apparent success of their family business, Citroën refused to continue in his father's footsteps. He graduated from college and started to work at a locomotive parts workshop. He was determined to become an engineer.
During World War I, he rose fast through the ranks thanks to his aptitude for engineering to become the head of a plant that made artillery shells for the French. When the French finished the battle, the factory slumbered. It wasn’t long before André-Gustave Citroën came up with a powerful and technically tricky automobile.
After seeing how popular Ford automobiles were, he quickly changed his mind. In 1919, he began manufacturing the Type A model, a low-cost but high-quality car. The electric starter and headlights were the first in Europe.
He was able to keep the cost down by building 100 automobiles a day. The former Citroën military plant was repurposed to make economical mass-produced vehicles in this manner.
The Xantia, a middle-class car with a transverse engine and front-wheel drive, made its debut in 1993. It took the place of the Citroën BX. Today, it is thought that the design of this model influenced the continued evolution of Citroën’s style, despite the fact that many people found it unusual for the traditions of this famous French company.
The Citroën Xantia is regarded as one of the company’s most successful vehicles, as evidenced by sales volumes that were relatively high in France and throughout Europe.
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The evasive maneuver test also referred to as the moose test, is a test done to simulate what would happen if a massive animal akin to a moose suddenly occupied a lane. Drivers have to evade the obstacle by swerving into the oncoming lane and then immediately swerve back to their proper lane.
Furthermore, it happens to be one of the most difficult automobile tests to pass. It has a long list of models failing to maintain control while traveling at high speeds. To be more specific, the test’s purpose is to see how quickly a vehicle can navigate the brief gauntlet without colliding with any traffic cones or tipping over on its side.
Xantia Activa still retains the record for the fastest time to pass the Swedish moose test. It wasn't manufactured well, compared to the present one, but people should remember that this is a car from the early 1990s that could only dream of having an ESP stabilization system.
The Activa version of the Xantia was famous for having the best results in the world at the time on the skidpad generating 1.2 g. Nonetheless, it outperformed the majority of supercars at the time.
Citroën was able to achieve such outstanding results thanks to its unique active suspension technology, which strengthened the outer wheels.
Furthermore, the Activa can rely on a self-evident hydro-pneumatic suspension and a passively controlled rear axle, which are also standard features.
As a result, in a test conducted by the Swedish magazine Teknikens Varld in 1999, the car was able to overcome a sharp avoidance maneuver, also known as the elk test, at a speed of 53 miles per hour. Since then, no car has been able to beat this record.
The Xantia has been able to beat cars such as the track-orientated 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the 2017 McLaren 675LT.
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The sole body type available for the Xantia was the hatchback. Visually, the car appeared larger because of its flat back windshield and thin trunk lid.
Citroën trimmed the car’s edges considerably for the 1998 model year. It maintained its identity because it did not follow the bio-design trend. Citroën added a rounded top corner to the car’s angular and narrow headlamps.
Although there were separate body panels on older models, Citroën added a new hood and grille to the facelifted model. Fog lights flanked a redesigned lower portion of the front bumper with an enlarged cooling space.
The manufacturer upgraded the materials used inside the vehicle and expanded the instrument cluster over the center stack on the dashboard. Citroën also positioned the fuel and temperature gauges on the side of the instrument panel, allowing only the speedometer and tachometer to be seen in the driver’s direct line of sight.
A new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, rather than the 1.6-liter four-cylinder, is now the standard engine in the new model. Citroën also made a two-horsepower increase in the V-6 engine. Quite a bit, but at a lower level of pollution.
Marcus is a car enthusiast who loves writing about them. He travels frequently and always seeks out the best driving roads to really test a car's limits. His favorite cars are anything with a manual transmission, and he's been known to spend hours just shifting through all the gears.