CITROEN XMTiming chain or Belt?

The Citroën XM is an E-segment saloon manufactured by the French carmaker Citroën. It was marketed between 1989 and 2000, taking over from the legendary Citroën CX. Later on, this vehicle would be replaced by the Citroën C5. It was sold in both saloon and estate body styles.

Presented in May 1989, the Citroën XM was produced on the same platform as the Peugeot 605, and had numerous points of comparison with its predecessor, the CX. The design was also handled by Bertone, which continued to take the issue of aerodynamic drag coefficient very seriously. The XM achieved a fantastic drag coefficient of 0.28, thus improving upon its predecessor.

In terms of design, we could say that the Citroën XM is the car of windows. It was completely covered in glass. Bertone added an extra Easter egg-like feature: the famous 'number 13 window'. This was an extra pane of glass between the boot lid (liftback type) and the passenger cabin, ensuring that passengers were not exposed to the elements when the boot was opened.

Mechanically, the XM kept the hydropneumatic suspension of the CX, adding an innovation in its "Hydractive" version that allowed two damping modes: "moelleux" and "sport".

The vehicle was sold with petrol and diesel engines. The petrol variants featured a 2-litre PSA XU. The most powerful versions had a 3-litre V6, which was sold with two different specifications. On the diesel side, the XM was fitted with several 2.1-litre XUD engines and a 2.5-litre turbocharged DK5.

Mid-generation, the XM underwent a fairly significant restyling, especially regarding the interior. Its importance in France (and for the PSA Group) was very high, becoming the official car of presidents such as François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac.

In terms of competitors, the Citroën XM was designed to take on German saloons such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Audi 100 / Audi A6, or the BMW 5 Series. However, it also competed against the Renault Safrane.