Differences between models

The first XM came out in 1989. The car was given a facelift in 1994, known as the Series 2 - with the earlier model becoming retrospectively known as the Series 1. Like most manufacturers, Citroen have a policy of continuous improvement to their products, so there were changes all the time within these two broad groups. Externally, the differences between the S1 and S2 can be seen in the pictures below:

The S1 car, on the left, has black bumpers and door mirrors where the S2 has them painted body colour. The front panel between the headlights is perhaps the most noticable difference - with the S1 having the Citroen double chevron logo offset to the nearside, while the S2 has them in the center of the grille. Many other small changes to the plastic trim panels - such as different mirrors and rear spoiler can be seen, as can a change to the font of the lettering on the back.

Inside, the differences are greater, as the two pictures below show:

The S1 dash, on the left, is quite angular where the S2 dash, on the right, is far more curved.

Unfortunately, with the the introduction of airbags, the classic Citroen single spoke steering wheel had to be ditched on the s2 cars. This brought the end to a Citroen "trademark", dating back to the DS.