Saxo Education (Citroën Saxo 1.1i Desire 3-door)

Member Name: smcc

Product:	Citroën Saxo 1.1i Desire 3-door
Date:	30/06/01 (420 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Power Steering, CD Player, Electric Windows

Disadvantages: Cramped in back, Dull wheel trims, Questionable stopping performance

Ok, they have a bad name. Poor resale value. Poor build quality. Not reliable. Boring looking.

Now for your average "expert" this is the description given to most Citroens. To me, this is the description of ANY car on the market that doesn't have a price tag higher than my wage.

This is such a negative start to a review of a car that I quite like, but I have to say I am fed up of people slagging off cars because a peer has told them they are rubbish.

My mother-in-law has recently bought a Saxo 1.1i 3 door Desire. This is an appropriate name for this version, because due to the price/specification balance it is highly desirable.

Resale value is low? The car itself cost £6500. My mother-in-law had a Cinquecento previously and got £850 in p/x for it (it was an M reg).

Reliability? It comes with 3-year warranty.

Build quality? We are almost into the age of the throw-away car so who really cares. A car stays as good as you want it to stay.

This car has an amazing list of features: CD player, electric windows, sunroof, fog lights, remote central locking, tinted windows, power steering and colour-match bumpers etc.

I have to agree with one thing many say about it; the brakes leave a lot to be desired at times. Driving on the M62 recently, the rain was a little heavy and I really didn't feel at all like I was in control of a vehicle which would react quickly in an emergency...perhaps this could be due to the fact that the engine in these cars have increased in size from 1.0 to 1.1? The performace of the car is superb for a 1.1 litre engine; it can hit just over 100mph and can average almost 50mpg (but not at 100mph). Saying that although it is fairly quick off the mark, it does lack performance at higher speeds (naturally, as it is a commuter oriented vehicle rather than long-distance).

Its main problem (like so many small cars) is its lack of rear space; my tin
y 5'6" body struggles in the back seats...but the front has plenty of room, so it would be more suitable for a single person or a couple.

And yes, it shares virtually all its components with the Peugeot 106. The local Peugeot dealer told me that.

Give the car a chance (especially at this price).

Update: I have just had the fortune of spending the last four days driving this car, my opinion hasn't changed too much. It's a long time since I've put £10 of fuel in a car to see it go to over half-way on the needle. My one gripe is the lack of any place to put things in, ie the door pockets are minute, the glove box can just about fit a pair of gloves and there is nowhere for my cup of tea at lunch time (I know this sounds ridicuously petty, but I like to eat my lunch in a car whilst reading a good book - see my review of Insomnia by Stephen King...plug, plug). The charcoal grey interior contrasts nicely with the bright white exterior - but both are a pain to keep clean. I still say it's biggest letdown is the brakes, but maybe I'm used to servo-based and ABS. Maybe Citroen ought to consider ABS as standard rather than an option, as well as 3-point rear seatbelts.

I'll add more to this review if she lets me have the car again for a longer while.

Summary: