Hi there, I have been wanting to own an xm for a couple of years and now I have changed jobs and escaped the company car trap I can have a dabble. I will be doing about 10 - 15 thousand miles a year and wondered what flavour of XM will suit me best. I definitely want a diesel but would like advice on manual or auto, I currently drive an auto (Renault Kangoo) and would prefer this option but don't mind manual as my journeys no longer involve central London. Is there any problem with auto boxes on XMs regarding high (ish) mileages?

I have heard that the 2.1 diesel engines last for ages with regular servicing, is the 2.5 similar or are there any problems, I am tempted by the extra grunt but don't want to be cursed with problems.

Any suggestions gratefully recieved.

John

The 2.5TD is not available with auto. Both 2.1 and 2.5 are eqaully reliable if they have been looked after service-wise. The autobox can be OK , but must have had a meticulously careful owner (in my opinion). Both diesels are holding their value well as bodywork is not usually a problem. I have little experience with petrol models, but reports seem to indicate a similar pattern. techmanagain

Hi There..bigjohnh

Agreed, Both 2.1 and 2.5 TD's are both EXCELLENT units! Provided SERVICING is carried out. I currently drive a 3.0V6 Auto on LPG, but I'm actually a diesel man myself.

AVOID the auto by all means, they DO have problems and many (like older renaults) have failed and rendered cars useless so GO FOR a manual

Personally go for the 2.1 unit.. Its better on fuel, has 110bhp, goes well enough for cruising and features the 12 valve head, but most were auto I know of an N REG 2.1 Manual Diesel in black up for grabs if you want. (Thats a series two car) and have slightly better electrics (Except the DOT matrix display on left). 2.5 units are brilliant, as few may well tell you on here, and feature 130bhp, but I THINK its an 8 valve unit, and has slightly less consumption.

2.1's can suffer head failures, but i have hardly seen or heard of a 2.5 failure. As techman said, all 2.5's are manual, this is because there is physicilly NO space for the auto box under the bonnet.

We hope you join us in the idvidual world of XM motoring. I'm sure there will be more comments from other drivers/users.

Best Regards
citroenxm

I personally favour the 2.1 td (sorry Noz) I am on my 4th now and apart from the inevitable head gasket problem at about 150k they seem to be pretty well bomb proof and very economical. The last one I owned, I sold at 292 k miles and it still drove beautifully. I also favour the manual gearbox, but then again, personal preference, I just dont like auto's.

As techmanagain says, if you get an auto see if you can find some evidence of good maintenance, as they often seem to fail at around 80k. You will have a better choice with an auto as there are a lot more for sale, late manual estates are almost extinct, I know I have been looking for one for a year or more, there are a few hatchbacks about though.

The 2.5 is nicer to drive as it has a hydraulic clutch, the manual one tends to be a bit on the heavy side. If you can get a really low mileage 2.5 you shouldn't have a problem, but spares for them are not as readily available as the 2.1 as they use them in a number of other cars.

Manual gearboxes on both cars seem almost indestructable, and even if you do have a problem you can usually contine to drive them. Auto box failure usually results in a write off, unless you are a really keen DIYer.

Peter.N.

Hi citroenxm and John

You beat me by 6 minutes, must learn to type faster. Well, at least we are broadly in agreement. The 2.5 is also 12 valve unit but has a lot more head bolts. One thing I didn't mention, the 2.1 is a lot easier to work on due to the extra room citroenxm was mentioning, although I think Noz can change a 2.5 cam belt in the time it takes me to get the cover off! Perhaps if you get one he will repair it for you

Peter.N.

Hi Peter N

Ok, learnt something new then. My ignorance to the 2.5 was because crappy haynes says nothing about the head on 2.5td's (as I remember)

Mind you, I've never seen a 2.5 in the flesh, just the 2.1's

Regards
citroenxm

And now for the most biased view of them all. The 2.5 is a dream machine. I do about 14000 business miles per year on top of personal milage and the power is just awesome (even before chipping !!). My favourite (never driven anything else so making comparisons is a waste of time). You only have to look through the pages of club-xm to see the problems I've had with both my 2.5's but I still love them both dearly (lets hope SWMBO is not listening to this).


Since nearly all of the opinions expressed are subjective you'll never get the true answer you're looking for until you try one (or two !!).

Cheers

noz

I would agree entirely with you Noz, thats why I kept running my CX for seven years, despite having to change the head gasket every six months! But now I have opted for the quieter life, thats why I run the second best. But I am sure we all agree that the XM is the best thing since sliced bread.

Peter.N.