Working for Citroen, I have driven plenty of these! The VTR is nothing more than a standard Xsara with 3 doors. Earlier ones were mainly the 1.8i 16v 112bhp petrol engine (pre-facelift) and had the potential to be pretty quick if they were worked. The later ones (post-facelift) got the 1.6i 16v 110bhp engine (still used today) and although very similar in performance (possibly slightly slower), were alot better on fuel and emissions (for those who care!!)
The VTS is a totally different animal, much faster, sounds great and eggs you on to rev ithowever it still has enough torque (for a NA petrol 16v) to make smooth progress. It's definitely not as quick as some other "hot" hatches (eg. Civic Type R, etc), but neither is it anything like as expensive. Essentially it is the same car as a Peugeot 306 GTi-6, but without the 6 speed gearbox.
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Agree with the above pretty much. There are some different specs though:
1.6 8v VTR. Came with wheeltrims/basic alloys, Saxo VTR fabric on cheap seats, 90bhp and not much else. Slow, but quite frugal and very reliable/easy to work on.
1.8 16v VTR. Came with Saxo VTS 5 spoke alloys, Xsara VTS interior, rear disc brakes, 112bhp or there abouts and not much else. Goes quite well for a 1.8, fuel economy not as hot as 1.6. Still fairly reliable though. Has basic climate control system.
1.6 16v VTR. Ph2 models only. Engine as used in 206 XSi. Pretty basic again but as mentioned, good on fuel and emissions (helpful with the post 2001 tax regs).
All VTR's are basically normal Xsara's in that "Coupe" body (read 3 door hatchback with big boot!)
The VTS....different animal. Spec:
2.0 16v GTi-6 engine. 167bhp. Book time of 8.0secs 0-60mph, but in reality ALOT quicker. Will hit 140mph with ease.
Quicker ratio steering rack (2.4 turns LTL rather than 3.2). Steering is also deliberately heavier.
Bigger anti-roll bars, heavier duty shocks and lower springs. Wider rear axle. Very stiff ride compared with soft and squishy VTR.
283mm discs at front. 247mm rear. ABS fitted as standard.
Leather an option, but generally not favoured. Has the basic climate control system. Ph'2 have trip computer, but then you have to put up with the looks.
Friend recently worked out an average of 32mpg combined. Not bad considering the spec and age.
The VTS was actually developed by Citroen Sport. They put a load of effort into it, and this was reflected in the mental £18.5k price tag, without options! Couple that to a marketing disaster, where they didn't play on the basic hot hatch icon status of the Saxo VTS's, bigger, fast brother and tried to market it as a coupe. Even today, people still think they're diesels!, which makes them an uber cool sleeper.
Agree, but a scale model is not going to be that helpful anymore as video games' visuals have enhanced a lot since the PS1 period, so details in modeling can only be completed using authentic models.
