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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

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2000. - 2005.
C - Small family car
hatchback, 5 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2002. - 2006.
C - Small family car
hatchback, 5 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4188 mm
1705 mm
1405 mm
408 liters
1190 liters
54 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4209 mm
1777 mm
1457 mm
330 liters
1190 liters
60 liters
2000 Citroen Xsara
2002 Renault Megane

Engine

Peugeot
1.9 XUD9 A
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1905 cc
71 hp
125 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1870 cc
120 hp
300 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 5 gears
1134 kg
15.8 s
162 km/h
8.3 l/100km
5.0 l/100km
6.2 l/100km
164 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 5 gears
1245 kg
10.5 s
196 km/h
7.1 l/100km
4.4 l/100km
5.4 l/100km
141 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km

Expenses

500 EUR
Price from
900 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the small family car segment and utilize the same 5-door hatchback body style and the front wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific diesel engine choice they offer. The first one has a Peugeot-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 71hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 120hp engine designed by Renault.

Safety

A starting point here would be to take a look at the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests which were performed on both of the cars, with the Renault displaying significantly better structural stability. Still, apart from the official crash test results there are other things we need to be aware of. Both vehicles belong to the small family car segment, which is generally classifying them somewhere in the middle safety-wise, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. On the other hand, taking kerb weight as an important factor into account, Megane offers a considerable difference of 10% more metal.

Reliability

Manufacturers have been building their reliability reputation for decades now and, generally speaking, it appears that Renault does have a slight advantage, at least on all of the models level. These are the official statistics, while our visitors describe reliability of Citroen with an average rating of 4.1, and models under the Renault badge with 4.2 out of 5. Some independent research have also placed Xsara as average reliability-wise, and Megane is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as Xsara rank it on average as 3.1, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.3 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Renault is way more agile, reaching 100km/h in 5.3 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 196 kilometers per hour, 34km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be Megane, averaging around 5.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (52 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 15% difference compared to Xsara.


Verdict

Renault appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Megane beats the other contender by far, making it the best choice without even considering other things. It all continues in the same direction, with Renault outracing its opponent in any situation possible, making it better choice for boy racers. To make things even better, it consumps less fuel! All together, there's not much more to say, in this case I wouldn't even consider anything but Renault. Anyway, that's the most objective conclusion I could've came up with and it's based solely on the information found on this website. Aspects such as design, practicality, brand value and driving experience are there for you to measure them out. I suggest you spend two more minutes in order to find out which car, based on your needs and budget, would be picked by the virtual adviser, out of 12.000+ vehicles we currently have in our database.

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