Source: Car. Oct '79
explores beyond it: recovering a 'lost' big Citroen is for aces only.
although outclassed, the Renault is far from disgraced. By normal standards, its power steering is one of the best, well weighted and fabulously responsible yet feels a bit vague compared with the Citroens. But then everything else does.
held on lock, especially through a long round-a-bout or motorway cloverleaf, the valving squelches and hisses irritatingly, adding to the noise of squealing tyres if you're in a hurry. The big Renault will hustle through corners safely and quickly it doesn't have the roadholding reserves of the Citroen and the body tends heave and roll a bit under spirited cornering especially on poor roads when the ride can lose some of its generally superb composure. The smooth disc/drum brakes, easier to feather on and off than the CX's, are strong and reassuring.
The Renault is a very comfortable car.
You sit tall and plush, embracing armchairs, looking down from a good vantage point over the bonnet. Not that visibility is impaired by the much lower, more reclined driving position in the Citroen : its low sills and concave facia, which creates a feeling of great spaciousness though it is in fact a bit wasteful of space, ensures a commanding view over the long, raked nose. Not everyone will feel completely at home in the Citroen however.
Even though the seat is (awkwardly) adjustable for height as well as reach and rake, the bee-spoke steering wheel tends to rub against your thighs, and tall drivers could do with more rearward movement. There is no convenient resting place for your left foot in the rather narrow foothills either.
The Renault's driving position, pedal layout and four-spoke steering wheel - if not its hand controls - are on the whole preferable. The gearchange is a little more notchy and clonks than the Citroen's though, and the minor switches nothing special. Reaching for the ignition key often means inadvertently operating the adjacent wiper stalk. The Citroens unique switchgear - rockers and toggles strategically arranged at each end of the 'rainbow' instrument cowl within finger stretching reach - is quite outstanding, arguably the best devised until the Visa came along despite the non-self-cancelling indicators.
The same cannot be said of the controversial drum type instruments which are permanently illuminated (a rheostat regulates intensity) beneath a battery of warning lights. The conventional instrument panel of the 20TS will arouse no strong feelings, and there's no question about the superiority of the Renault's excellent ventilation system. Strong throughput can be boosted to a hair- blowing gale, whereas the Citroen will deliver no more than a poorly directed and noisy breeze. The CX's ventilation is better than it was - but it's still not good enough.
Both cars are well appointed and equipped : electric front windows and tinted glass are standard and the Renault also has central locking - but no head restraints. Both cars have cloth-and-plastic trim, although the interior decor- restrained in the Renault, characteristically futuristic in the Citroen - is very different. With its five doors and multi-position seating, the Renault is clearly the more versatile carrier.
For many buyers the innate advantages of this packaging concept will outweigh the streamlined Athena's more striking appearance, superior driving qualities and better economy. But the space-age Citroen, at first more demanding to drive, is the more rewarding once you have come to terms with its unique character and controls. And for the money, it is very good value indeed.