DS 9 - long term review

Time for our DS 9 to step out of the shadows and into the limelight, by way of a head-to-head against one of its fancy French luxo-barge predecessors: the Citroen XM.

Regular readers may recall long-term owner Esther’s very first report where she highlighted the DS 9’s Active Scan suspension, a camera controlled damping system that adjusts each wheel independently according to imperfections in the road for improved comfort. But the

DS 9 is far from the first French saloon to claim a clever suspension system, with Citroen having much history in this department.

Enter the Citroen XM stage right. Launched in 1989 and in production until the turn of the century, it featured self levelling, electronically controlled hydropneumatic suspension that promised – and when it worked, delivered – an exceptionally smooth ride. So what better way to see how the DS 9’s tech-focused suspension system fares, than up against the XM’s old school mechanical approach?

First things first was seeing if we could get hold of an XM, a call duly answered by Rob Draper of the excellent Citroen Car Club (citroencarclub.org.uk) with his well used but much loved early 1990 example. Meet point agreed, photographer booked, and we were on.

It was a day of firsts for me, having never driven the DS 9 or the Citroen XM before, but allow me to puncture the suspense: both were commendably comfortable. Different – the DS 9 cuts through the air with its clever suspension ironing out any bumps and ruts where the XM floats along absorbing any imperfections – but both equally impressively in their own way. Want more? Click here to read the full progress report.