CITROEN C8
Generations Timeline, Specs and Pictures
Car manufacturer Citroen first introduced the C8 in 2002 as a minivan with a 2,820 mm wheelbase, a length of 4,727 mm and width of 1,860 mm, designed to allow eight people in three rows to travel in comfort and safety with plenty of space to move inside the car.
With that in mind, the C8 has the possibility to remove some seats to make room and adapt to any load requirement, up to 2,948 liters of cargo. The cabin of C8 is underlined by the use of a slick chrome finish on the door handles, gear lever and air vent cursors.
The C8 is equipped with ABS, ESP, and ASR and comes with 8 engines - 6 diesel and 2 gasoline - with an output range from 120 hp to 173 hp.
Due to the front characterized by the drop-shaped headlights, Citroen C8 looks a bit like Peugeot 807. The differences between C8 and its predecessor constitute a sense of elegance through lateral direction indicators, placed on the lower side of the arms that hold the external mirrors.
The NaviDrive system has also been devised to offer features like Citroen Emergency, Citroen Assistance, and Citroen On-Line. Citroen Emergency can ascertain the vehicle’s location in the event of an accident and access to call center services.
The Eurovans continued their mission to put more people inside a family car and still offer plenty of room for luggage, and the Citroen C8 was one of them.
Peugeot-Citroen Group and Fiat rallied together to beat the Renault Espace at its own game by introducing a badge-engineered vehicle range in 1994. Their alliance worked well enough to continue the alliance for a second generation of the so-called Eurovans. Thus, Citroen produced the C8, Peugeot entered the 807, Fiat the Ulysses, and Lancia the Phaedra.
In 2000, Citroen started a new front-fascia theme for its entire lineup, starting with the Xsara and continued with the C5 in 2001 and the 2002 C8. Its tear-shaped headlights featured a straight cut toward the hood and rounded on the exterior. The chromed slat on the grille that supported the “double-chevron” badge was part of the theme as well. From its sides, the C8 showed its sloped front side that started with a steep and short hood continued by a long windshield. In the rear, the slim and very tall taillights flanked the tailgate.
Inside, Citroen installed three seats of rows, with an option for up to seven seats. Apart from the front seats, all other places could slide, recline, or be removed. The carmakers that built the Eurovans didn’t consider that a folding system would be a better idea. Its instrument panel was installed in the middle of the wide and long dashboard. Thus, it was cheaper for them to build LHD or RHD vehicles.
The two partners installed some common and some different engines under the hood, with Citroen-Peugeot and Fiat-sourced powerplants. The C8 was available with up to ten engine versions, with either manual or automatic transmissions.