Citroën C8 and Evasion: the Citroën Eurovans

The Citroën Evasion and Citroën C8 are the French brand’s versions of the Eurovans, a family of large MPVs from Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat and Lancia built at the jointly owned Sevel Nord factory in France. The first generation came in 1994, the second in 2002, and Citroën production ended in June 2014.

Citroën C8 at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Eurovans, which covers the Evasion, Synergie and C8. No separate English articles exist for these models.

History of the Citroën C8

1994: the first Eurovans

The first generation was introduced in June 1994 as the Citroën Evasion, Fiat Ulysse, Lancia Zeta and Peugeot 806, and the Citroën was badged Synergie in the right-hand-drive markets of Britain and Ireland, though it kept the Evasion name in New Zealand. The vans had sliding rear side doors, like their commercial siblings, and came in a single size rather than long and short versions. The four were almost identical, differing in grilles, tailgates, lights, wheels and badges. Inside, the gear lever sat on the dashboard and the handbrake on the door side of the driver’s seat, which removed the middle console and opened a passage between the front seats; the seats were two fixed ones in front and three removable individual seats in the middle row, with two individual seats or a bench in the third row. Engines were PSA’s XU and XUD units, later EW and DW. In October 1998 the Evasion received a mild facelift with a larger logo and restyled grille and rear bumper, and more than 120,000 Evasion and Synergie were produced.

Windows 95 and other oddities

A special Evasion was built to prepare for Bill Gates’s visit to sell Windows 95 in France: two vans were modified as mobile offices with a Siemens Nixdorf multimedia suite, laptop, laser printer and a Siemens phone with hands-free kit. One of them is still driven daily in France, while the other is unaccounted for and may be in the United States.

2002: the C8

The second generation arrived in 2002, the Peugeot 807 in June and the Citroën C8 in July. The floorpan and wheelbase stayed, but every exterior dimension grew, adding almost 30 cm of length and a great deal of interior volume. The new vans had a much more rounded look and a modern dashboard with centrally mounted instruments, and the versions were more clearly differentiated by their front and rear ends and interior colours. Middle and third-row seats gained fore-and-aft sliders and adjustable backs. The C8 and 807 had light facelifts in February 2008 and in 2012, and Citroën and Peugeot production ended in June 2014.

Design and features

• Sliding doors: rear side doors that slide, as on the commercial vans they were based on.
• Removable middle row: three individual seats, with two more or a bench behind.
• Passage between the front seats: the gear lever and handbrake were moved off the floor.
• Two generations: Evasion and Synergie from 1994, C8 from 2002.
• Shared with four brands: Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat and Lancia built the same vehicles.

Citroën C8 versions

• Evasion (1994–2002): the first-generation Citroën Eurovan.
• Synergie: the same car for Britain and Ireland.
• C8 (2002–2014): the second generation.
• Peugeot 806 and 807, Fiat Ulysse, Lancia Zeta and Phedra: the sister models.

The Eurovans shared their structure with the Jumpy vans, and the C8 was the biggest people carrier in a range that also included the Xsara Picasso. More cars are in the Citroën collection.

Video: Citroen Evasion 2.0i

Video by Papagorgo Alešák on YouTube.

Sources

• Eurovans, English Wikipedia: both generations, Evasion and C8, engines, facelifts, production