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Citroen thus campaigned the Xsara T4 on a limited basis, using the 2001 and 2002 seasons as test beds for a full-on assault. The car predictably decimated the competition in the French leg of the WRC in 2000. From the get-go, the Xsara T4 exhibited tremendous amounts of speed—prompting complaints from other teams, saying that Citroen had spies surveying the track ahead of time, thus giving them an unfair advantage. Of course, these all turned out to be false, as if to already submit defeat towards the new French competitor. Unfortunately, reliability remained a big question. In the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally, Citroen young gun Sebastian Loeb drove through the reliability issue to cross the finish line first. However, a one-minute penalty eventually handed the race win to Tommi Makkinen. During the season though, Loeb and Citroen managed to notch some comfortable point scoring positions including a win. This season saw the first full WRC campaign for the Xsara T4. With little parts shared with the sedate Xsara family hatchback, Citroen Sport massaged its XU7JP4 series inline-4 engine to produce a massive 310-bhp and a mind-blowing 58.12 kg-m of torque. The purpose-built 2.0-liter integrated a Garrett TR30R turbocharger as well as a steering-wheel operated 6-speed Xtrac sequential shifter. Comparatively, the Xsara T4 has better power-to-weight ratio than either the Chevrolet Corvette C5 or Aston Martin Vanquish with their monstrous V8 and V12 engines respectively. The all-wheel drive is an added bonus, making sure that the power is well planted whatever the weather or terrain. Citroen doesn’t just benefit from the Xsara T4’s speed and new-found reliability. Another major strength this year was their driver line-up. Aside from hotshot French Sebastian Loeb, Citroen signed former Ford teammates and WRC champions Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz. Loeb’s determination plus Sainz’s and McRae’s experience meant a complete domination of the season opening Monte Carlo Rally—more than making up for Citroen’s penalty a year earlier that cost them the race win. |
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