Citroën Xsara Coupé VTS: Still here, still fighting, still costing me more than it should

The last time the Xsara VTS appeared on Petrolblog, it was August 2018 and the update was optimistically titled A long-overdue introduction to the Xsara. In hindsight, that introduction turned into something more like a disappearing act.

A brief recap for those joining us late – or for those who can’t quite believe it’s still here.

The long sleep (and the surprise wake-up)

The MOT expired in May 2020 and, like many old cars during that period, the Xsara quietly slipped into stasis. It remained off the road until the end of 2024, at which point something extraordinary happened.

Without my knowledge, my family conspired to resurrect it for a significant birthday in January 2025. What followed bore an uncomfortable resemblance to an episode of Car S.O.S., minus Tim Shaw, Fuzz Townshend and the camera crew.

On 15 January 2025, the Xsara passed its MOT. That same evening, I arrived at a local pub expecting a midweek car meet and instead found my eldest son sitting behind the wheel of my long-dormant Citroën Xsara Coupé VTS, headlights blazing, yellow fog lights piercing the gloom, fresh MOT certificate still warm.

It was glorious. Disorientating. Emotional. Completely ridiculous.

Brief joy, inevitable heartbreak

The joy didn’t last. Not long after its triumphant return, the head gasket failed; a reminder that French performance cars giveth and they taketh away with interest.

The car was laid up once again until I’d saved enough to send it to Pug1Off. The resulting invoice covered a new head gasket, cambelt, water pump, idle control valve and various other ‘while we’re in there’ jobs. It was, by any rational measure, a terrible financial decision.

The drive home, however, was anything but terrible.

Why it’s all worth it (for about 20 minutes at a time)

Somewhere between Banbury and Devon – past tractors, horseboxes, milk tankers, a steadfastly law-abiding Yaris and at least one Vauxhall Mokka – the roads finally cleared. And then the Xsara did the thing.

The 2.0-litre 16-valve engine is, quite simply, one of the greats. It doesn’t overwhelm you with torque or theatrics; instead it builds, hardens and then howls its way past 6,000rpm towards 7,000 with an enthusiasm that feels increasingly alien in modern cars. Autocar quoted 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds back in the day, but numbers miss the point entirely.

In tone and character, it reminds me strongly of the Fiat Coupé 16v twin-cam: busy, vocal, mechanical and utterly committed. Different enough to justify owning both. Similar enough to explain why I keep forgiving them.

Those fleeting moments – when the road opens up and everything clicks – are why this car still exists.

Reality bites (again)

Unfortunately, real life has a habit of intervening. A family medical emergency meant the Xsara sat unused for another eight weeks. Christmas followed. Momentum evaporated.

Work has only properly resumed this year, and so far the to-do list has included:

• Welding under the bonnet (nearside-front chassis leg, beneath the ABS pump)
• A new alternator – an especially hateful job (sorry, Matt)
• Still required
  • Four new tyres
  • Two steering rack boots
  • A CV boot
  • Centre exhaust section
  • Diagnosis of a fuel pump that switches itself on and off for entertainment
  • Investigation into a lumpy idle that refuses to be ignored

It owes me far more than I’ve spent on it: financially, emotionally and probably spiritually. The MOT expired yesterday...

Why keep going?

Because there are probably only a handful of pre-facelift Xsara VTS coupés left on the road. Because it represents a very specific moment in Citroën’s performance history. Because modern hot hatches are astonishingly capable but rarely make you feel quite like this.

And because, every now and then, when it’s behaving, the Xsara VTS is fabulous.