Citroen Xantia Turbo Diesel or Citroen C5 As Tug.

[Auspom]

Hi Guys
Well after 13yrs in Australia we are contemplating moving back to the UK, i miss my Fish n Chips and Pork Pies

When we lived in the UK we had a Citroen BX19RD Turbo Diesel and it was an absolutely fantastic tow car so we are once again thinking Citroen but as the BX is now knocking on we were thinking along the lines of the Xantia Turbo Diesel or the C5 Turbo Diesel.

We are looking around the year 2000-2004 and we will not be towing anything over approx 1500kg loaded so do you think the Citroens are a reasonable choice of tow tug or can you suggest anything similar in Turbo Diesel and is Turbo Diesel the way to go compared with petrol.

Is Diesel still cheaper than petrol in the UK or is it the other way around as when i lived there Diesel was cheaper.

Sorry guys i have been away from England for so long i have kinda lost touch with makes/models over there.

Any help/advice would be gratefully appreciated.

P.S. Will have to get used to those narrow country lanes again and the dreaded speed cameras.

Tony

 

[Surfer]

Hi Guys
Well after 13yrs in Australia we are contemplating moving back to the UK, i miss my Fish n Chips and Pork Pies

When we lived in the UK we had a Citroen BX19RD Turbo Diesel and it was an absolutely fantastic tow car so we are once again thinking Citroen but as the BX is now knocking on we were thinking along the lines of the Xantia Turbo Diesel or the C5 Turbo Diesel.

We are looking around the year 2000-2004 and we will not be towing anything over approx 1500kg loaded so do you think the Citroens are a reasonable choice of tow tug or can you suggest anything similar in Turbo Diesel and is Turbo Diesel the way to go compared with petrol.

Is Diesel still cheaper than petrol in the UK or is it the other way around as when i lived there Diesel was cheaper.

Sorry guys i have been away from England for so long i have kinda lost touch with makes/models over there.

Any help/advice would be gratefully appreciated.

P.S. Will have to get used to those narrow country lanes again and the dreaded speed cameras.

Tony

Diesel is more expensive now by about 4p a litre. The maximum braked towing weights of cars has changed drastically to comply with EU regulations in the past few years so that question is difficult to answer. Also Citroen's reputation has gone down the pan but they are trying to recover it on newer cars. Citroen, Peugeot and some other makes all use the same engine/gearbox now.
Surprised you want to come back to the UK as surely you are better off in Oz and it is a lot warmer. If we had the money, we would be there in a flash, but have to wait for the kids to emigrate there first!.

 

[Auspom]

Thank you for the reply surfer, unfortunately its a matter of having to come back as the wifes elderly mother is unwell and she wants to be near her mum, we will stay for approx 5yrs and then return to Oz.
Thanx for the info on the Diesel being more expensive.

 

[Jaydug]

Like you, I bought a Citroen BXTZD Estate as a towcar in 1990. I was so impressed with it that after 8 years I gave it to my daughter and bought a Xantia 2.1 Estate. I kept the Xantia for 7 years before selling it to be exported to France. In 2005 I bought a Citroen C5 Exclusive and I must say that it is a fantastic towcar. Yes - diesel is dearer than petrol but when would you find a petrol engine giving you 52mpg on a motorway drive? As for the reliability of Citroens - as someone questioned - my first daughter has a Pug306 (Citroen engine) and the 2nd daughter has a Citroen Xsara. As a runabout I also have a Citroen Saxo. All four vehicles have been 100% reliable. None of them has been to a garage for years.
Don't hestitate to look for a C5 - preferably the 2ltr engine. On no account the 1.6 model.

 

[Auspom]

Thanks for the thumbs upon the C5, thats very impressive having so many Ciroens in the family and all have been good cars, i actualy had a couple of the Citroen BX.s but just the stock standard diesels but when i got the BX19TRD the turbo made a big difference.
Do all the C5,s have the self levelling suspension like the BX,s used to have as surely this is an added advantage for towing a caravan.
Have also been leaning towards the 2006 VW Passat 1.9TDi estate, is it better to go for the 1.9TDi or the 2.0TDi and is manual or automatic better for towing a caravan and is an estate better than a saloon for towing ??
Tony

 

[JohnGriffiths]

I also ran both series 1 and 2 C5's as towcars and they were superb. These all have self levelling suspension as far as I know although the degree of sophistocation varies depending on the model. Lower spec models have little or no adjustment, higher specs can be raised up to give more ground clearance, plus stiffen the suspension for a more sporty ride. The latest series 3 models though are offered with a choice of hydrolic or steel spring suspension. Its a feature I really miss on my X-trail. (Plus the refinement and comfort...I sometimes wonder why I changed!)

 

[ProfJohnL]

There is a temptation with self leveling suspension to overload nose weights - not only is that illegal it is als quite dengerous as it can over stress many of the underbody fixing points. leading to failure.
Always keep within the nose weight and max towing weight limits

 

[Auspom]

Which engine is best to go for in the VW Passat, is it the 1.9TDi or 2.0TDi. ?
Is an Estate better than a Saloon, Advantages/Disadvantages. ?
Auto or Manual for towing, if manual is 6 Speed manual the way to go. ?


Thanks
Tony

 

[Surfer]

Tony, why don't you wait unti you have returned to the UK and settled somewhere, then yoiu can check all this out for youeself when you have some free time as a lot of things have changed since you left the UK?

 

[Auspom]

Wish that we could wait until we have settled and do it when we have some free time however my wife is Disabled so a car is an absolute must shortly after arriving back.
We will have a hired car for approx 2 weeks but within that period i have to source a suitable vehicle.
The information asked above would be of great help in advance in choosing what possibly could be the most suitable vehicle for us.
Tony

 

[Surfer]

Wish that we could wait until we have settled and do it when we have some free time however my wife is Disabled so a car is an absolute must shortly after arriving back.
We will have a hired car for approx 2 weeks but within that period i have to source a suitable vehicle.
The information asked above would be of great help in advance in choosing what possibly could be the most suitable vehicle for us.
Tony

If her disability affects her mobility than perhaps you could consider a Motability car. To qualify she would need to apply for Disability Living Allowance. You can use the car for towing a caravan and the road tax, insurance and maintenace is all in..

 

[Auspom]

Thanks for those links, we had already thought about going down that avenue.
I know they take the higher component of the Motobility Allowance to pay for the vehicle but do you still recieve your Disability Allowance/Payment seperately ?
Perhaps we have some members on this scheme who can verify !
Tony

 

[Jaydug]

Do all the C5,s have the self levelling suspension like the BX,s used to have as surely this is an added advantage for towing a caravan.

Regard C5's from 2001 up to 2004 as Mk1; 2004 to 2006 as Mk2 (or facelift) and 2007 onwards as new. All the Mk 1 and 2 have hydropnuematic suspension but some have Sports mode as well. On the latest models only the Exclusive models have wet suspension; all the others have steel - (Whatever were Citroen trying to do?) The Mk1 C5's come in 2 ltr and 2.2 ltr engines. The 2ltr ones were 8 valve jobs carried over from the last of the Xantias and came without the dreaded Eolys fluid and particle filters. The 2.2 ltrs came with them right from the start. The Mk 2's got modified engines with 12 valves and even the 2ltr models got the Eolys fluid and particle filters. Because of that, they are extremely 'clean' engines.

The wet suspension is ideal for towing. When hitching up, not only can you lower and raise the vehicle height at the press of a button, but once on the road, the car stays level - so no nose up in the air because of the van on the back.

 

[Jaydug]

[Sorry duplicate post.

 

[Auspom]

Are the Citroen C5 and the VW Passat both front wheel drive vehicles ?
Is the Mondeo Diesel front or rear wheel drive as i have been told it is better to tow with a rear wheel drive vehicle as they have better grip than front wheel drives....would this be correct ?
Tony

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tony,
All the models you have noted are front wheel drive vehicles. None of them are really considerd high performance vehicels The VW and I think the Mondeo are available in 4 wheel driver versions, but these are usually the the top spec high performance models.

Rear wheel drive is uually reserevd for high perfomance vehicels, and it may provide some small adavantage when towing, but the vast majority of private cars in the UK and Europe are front wheel drive, and under normal towing conditions they offer more than adequate levels of grip.

 

[Tukums]

On my 3rd Citroen, 1 Xantia & 2 C5's. I have at present a Citroen C5 2.0 HDi (2002 model) and tow a Sprite Alpine 4 (2006). A brilliant towcar and get around 30-34 'ish mpg towing up to 58 mpg solo. The milage is now adding up and I have had some electrical problems which have cost a bit to put right. The suspension units are now getting a bit soft and that is going to cost around £600.00 to replace all four. So now (reluctantly and a good deal) have ordered a Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 TDi 4x4, lots of good reports on these models, the engine is a VW and 4x4 Haldex system is used by Audi, Volvo and other makes. The Skoda Superb got the tow car of the year from the Caravan Club.