Ihadn’t consciously noticed a Citroën Xantia for what seems like years, until the day the editor asked me to write this piece. After answering my emails, I had to walk into town to do some errands. As I crossed the high street, an immaculate maroon Xantia saloon glided past, pure coincidence in motion.
Since then I have seen it several times. It is rather a gem. Set against the bloated automotive population of 2023 it looks lithe, cleanlimbed and very definitely French. I admit that I failed to appreciate the Xantia much during its manufacturing life, but its virtues are manifestly more apparent 21 years after it ceased production.
When it was launched in 1992 the Xantia had a
