My Citroen XM 3.0 PR-Vestige

[White Exec]

There's a lot to be said for plenty of cylinders and a good manual box. If a pull-action clutch comes with it, all the better.
The Rover V8 was chalk and cheese in 3500 Auto and 3500S guise, even with the latter's original 4-speed manual box. With Rover's later 5-speed ZF (and the right gear oil) the engine positively sung.

I've got no compaints about the MG5TB which the V6, V6.24 and 2.5 got for 1995: well spaced ratios and a smooth action.

[Dieselman]

Whilst we are talking about V6 12v engines. What does the paneel think to them in manual form.

IMO 24v should be manual and 12v should be auto.

The HP18 makes the XM feel lethargic all the time and labours the engine. Having had a 2.1td Auto from new and driven them occassionally again in the last few years, I'm not inclined towards an auto XM.
In addition, when they fail avery 5 minutes, it really takes the pleasure out of owning one.

See the senario:
Wash and prep car for rally, drive to rally feeling smug, auto box fails, can't drive car at rally, organise recovery home. Matthew and Russ have had that particular pleasure, as did Richard with his DS.

Old cars and manual boxes go together nicely.

[Eddie nuff]

The 24v was promoted as the hairy-arsed beast, the 12v as the cruiser - hence manual and automatic.

As for the car itself, smaller engines - manual, larger engines - auto. Just my opinion . . . for what it's worth.

[Dieselman]

In manual fom the 12v is only about 0.5s slower than the 24v to 60mph. The auto is nearly another 2s slower. The HP18 just drains power from the engine. The 2.1td auto is more thirsty than the 2.5td.

[Eddie nuff]

I couldn't care less how much faster one car is than another. What matters to me is how it feels.

Obviously we are on different wave lengths. One man's meat . . .

[russ92xmsed]

I like both. They make for very different experiences. I think the auto idea suits the XM, maybe not the 4hp18 as such, the later ES9 version was better in my opinion, but if it's performance you are after then definitely the manual. Matthews in France was great fun.

For long term future proofing if you like, a manual would be a better option. Auto parts are just going to get worse.

And yeah, it's not great having to get recovered from a rally. But mine was due to the HG.

[MTXM]

As someone who is lucky enough to own V6 12v with manual and auto boxes perhaps I could have my two pennyworth! It happens that I also have examples of both on the road at the present time. I would say that each option is quite quick enough although the auto is obviously a bit sluggish from a standing start the kick down and acceleration at higher speeds is quite impressive. The manual is a much more 'physical' driving experience and can seem quite hard work at times, although there are compensations with the higher control and involvement. The auto box when operating well is a very nice relaxed cruiser but can be driven harder if desired with equal rewards. Although my experience of the auto is not totally happy l would say it does seem to suit the car with the comfort of the suspension etc. The 24v is a different animal entirely and cannot be compared, even with the 12v manual, they are like night and day, the throttle response and sound of the engine! Although the 12v has perfectly adequate power the 24v has it in spades and the driving experience is even more physical. Regards, Matthew T.

[MTXM]

Just seen the post by Russ and I have to agree that both auto and manual have appeal, which I guess is the reason it is nice to own both! The auto is a more fragile and demanding beast although the popularity of the box means parts are not currently a problem. At the end of the day how often does a manual appear for sale! Regards, Matthew T.

[citroenxm]

Whilst we are talking about V6 12v engines. What does the paneel think to them in manual form.

IMO 24v should be manual and 12v should be auto.

The HP18 makes the XM feel lethargic all the time and labours the engine. Having had a 2.1td Auto from new and driven them occassionally again in the last few years, I'm not inclined towards an auto XM.
In addition, when they fail avery 5 minutes, it really takes the pleasure out of owning one.

See the senario:
Wash and prep car for rally, drive to rally feeling smug, auto box fails, can't drive car at rally, organise recovery home. Matthew and Russ have had that particular pleasure, as did Richard with his DS.

Old cars and manual boxes go together nicely.

Try a 2.1 td auto with lucas epic fuel pump.. which you could at x rally as there will be one there.. now they are hp18 but the performance difference between it and an earlyer bosch setup is massive. .

[russ92xmsed]

The mandarins original Bosch pump engine was tweaked and performed very well indeed. It really kept up with the modern stuff and makes the car in its current configuration a little lacking.

I totally agree with Matthew about the manual V6 being more physical. They are a heavier car in feel to drive.