The Citroen Xantia was a French spaceship that was attainable to Malaysians

Let me first put up a little disclaimer up front, I have a soft spot for Citroens and am disappointed to see its presence not being continued in Malaysia. While its long-time partner, Peugeot, got its distribution rights taken over by Bermaz, the brand with double chevrons was orphaned.

It’s easy to see why the brand couldn’t really make it in Malaysia with its quirky French design being a little too odd for most Malaysians’ tastes. The C3 Aircross for one, looked practical but it also has some odd features like the weird handbrake design.

Also read: Review: Citroen C3 Aircross - Do you dare to go French?

Yet, 30 years ago, Citroen was a badge of pride here and it was thanks to a couple of models, the ZX and the star of this article, the Xantia. The Xantia was the first Citroen I ever laid my little eyes on when I saw one on display at a shopping mall in Melaka when I was around 5 years old.

Also read: French cars: Trusted as taxis in Africa, but Malaysians say reliability is terrible

So, what made this spaceship on wheels special among Malaysians? Well, let’s start with a little bit of French history.

Créative Technologie

Compared to other French marques, Citroen was one of the most innovative carmakers ever. It produced the world’s first unibody front-wheel-drive car, the Traction Avant which also led to its bankruptcy and eventual rescue by Michelin.

Being ahead of the times can be very beneficial too especially if you’re the head of state. The DS with its hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension allowed the car to be driven even with only 3 wheels.

This feature was credited for saving former French President, Charles de Gaulle from an assassination attempt in 1962 as his Citroen DS sped away even after gunshots punctured one of the tyres.

Still, in spite of all these technological innovations, Citroen struggled in sales which led to Michelin offloading the beleaguered carmaker to Peugeot. That merger became a fruitful one for both brands but at a cost of Citroen losing its identity.

Before Xantia

Aside from the flagship CX and XM, the other Citroen models more or less looked like generic European cars from the eighties. The BX, while retaining some Citroen features like the self-levelling suspension and an angular design penned by Marcelo Gandini, was really a Peugeot 405 underneath.

Also read: The Peugeot 405 was the last great French car sold in Malaysia

Unlike the 405 however, the BX wasn’t that well-received in Malaysia. In spite of an advertising slogan that promoted reduced maintenance costs, clearly, that might not be true considering so few survived today.

French flair, built in Pekan

Its successor meanwhile, stood a much better chance in Malaysia. Unveiled in 1994, two years after its global debut, the local-spec Citroen Xantia was a success right from the start. It was reported that the first shipment of 40 units was immediately snapped up even before launch.

Locally assembled (CKD) at Automotive Manufacturers Malaysia’s (AMM) plant in Pekan (the same plant that built the Proton Tiara), the Xantia was initially offered with two petrol-powered variants, a 2.0-litre XU10 4-cylinder (121 PS/176 Nm) with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.

Also read: Proton tried fighting Perodua with the Tiara and Savvy, and lost miserably

Prices initially started from RM 102,989 (~RM 192k in today’s money) for the manual and RM 103,583 (~RM 193k today) for the automatic.

Two years later in 1996, Directional Sdn. Bhd., Citroen’s distributors at the time, introduced a 1.9-litre turbodiesel (92 PS/196 Nm) variant which only came with a 5-speed manual option. This was offered from RM 126,737 (~RM 219k in today’s money).

Besides the 5-door hatchback variants, a 2.0-litre station wagon was also offered but unlike the hatchbacks, it was fully-imported. Only the automatic variant was offered and prices started from RM 124,999 (~RM 216k today).

Malaysian French Renaissance

The nineties were a sort of brief renaissance period for French cars as their attractive prices were simply too enticing for Malaysia’s middle class. Though not as hugely popular as the Peugeot 405, the Xantia was very well-received by Malaysians.

The Bertone-designed aerodynamic looks made it appear like a spaceship on wheels. It’s a timeless design to say the least. Purists like to think that the XM was the last old school Citroen model ever made but the Xantia had hallmarks of a great Citroen built for the masses.

Though the platform and engines were shared with Peugeot, the Xantia still had certain Citroen-only innovations like the self-levelling suspension set-up. The French executive car also had a passive rear-steering axle which was a form of rear-wheel steering.

Maintenance would certainly cost a bomb but the ride and comfort were pretty much like an old-school DS – brilliant and wafty. The handling is also among the best-in-class and the Xantia holds a record for highest speed recorded (85 km/h) in the infamous moose test conducted by Swedish motoring magazine, Teknikens Värld.

Also read: Why Toyota sucks so badly in moose tests, and should you believe it?

As such, the Xantia grew a bit of a cult following among Malaysian car fans and used ones can go for below RM 10,000. However, parts will be expensive especially to maintain the self-levelling suspension.

Also read: Owner Review: The car of the future from the past - My 1993 Citroen Xantia 2.0i

Poor succession

Much like the Peugeot 406 failed to achieve the same success as its predecessor, the Xantia’s successor not only failed to live up to its expectations, it was a step backwards.

Directional introduced the Citroen Xsara in 1999 and for a few years, the Xantia was sold alongside its predecessor. Unlike the Xantia, the Xsara was fully imported with prices ranging from RM 83,850 to RM 90,850 (~RM 131k to RM 142k today).

However, the Xsara paled in comparison to the Xantia with a more conservative design and completely devoid of Citroen’s innovative features like the hydropneumatic suspension. Sales in Malaysia only lasted until 2002 with less than 400 brought in total.

The Citroen Xantia was one of the most technologically advanced French cars ever sold in Malaysia. It might be costly to own in the long run, but with an attractive price during its launch, it introduced European flair to the masses.