The Citroen ZX was the affordable European hot hatch Malaysians can get in the 90s

Citroen is a brand that Malaysians are unlikely to see a return in the future. The French carmaker’s recent offerings didn’t quite capture the appeal of most Malaysian buyers. But turn back the clock to nearly 30 years ago and you would find the opposite and it was thanks to two models.

The Xantia and ZX both introduced something different from the regular Continental brands in which one was simply a unique spaceship while the other is a surprisingly capable hot hatch. Best of all, both models were priced affordably for a growing middle class.

Also read: The Citroen Xantia was a French spaceship that was attainable to Malaysians

A return to a familiar segment

The Citroen ZX carried over the angular styling of the bigger BX and when it was introduced in Europe in 1990, reviewers immediately praised it. More importantly, the ZX marked the Deux Chevron’s comeback to the lucrative C-segment market.

It was competing against the Ford Escort and the Volkswagen Golf and the ZX trumped both in terms of interior space and value. Unique to the ZX was its rear seats which can be moved forwards or rearwards to allow more room for cargo or passengers respectively.

A cult French hero

The ZX was introduced in Malaysia in 1992, initially as a fully-imported (CBU) model. The early imported units were mostly brought over from France as they were five-door models, the few units of 3-door ZXs were imported from Spain and they are very rare.

Two variants were introduced by Citroen’s distributors at the time, Directional (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd – the 1.6-litre Aura (90 PS/135 Nm) and the 1.9-litre Volcane (130 PS/170 Nm). Prices for both variants started from RM 62,600 (~RM 126k today) and RM 66,700 (~RM 134k today) respectively.

At launch, only the 5-speed manual transmission was offered for both variants. It didn't matter though as the initial batch of 100 units were reportedly sold out almost immediately.

Those putting off the ZX for calling it a faux-Citroen simply because it lacked the familiar innovative tech the brand is famous for (the sliding rear seats weren’t convincing enough for some) would put off those criticisms aside once they take the wheel.

Conventional-looking but rides just like a Citroen would

Citroen had won the notoriously difficult Paris-Dakar Rally in 1991 and that sort of racing know-how can be felt in the ZX. Though it was a front-wheel-drive (FWD) hatchback, the ZX handled around corners with precision and steering that was sharp and controlled.

Unique to the ZX was its rear suspension set-up that incorporated a passive rear steer axle which allowed the hatchback to outhandle most of its rivals. Granted, it's not exactly similar to the 4-wheel-steering on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class but this set-up also offerred class-leading comfort.

Local assembly (CKD) would begin by the end of 1992 and the ZX was built in Pekan alongside the Xantia as well as a couple of Protons. The CKD ZX was launched in 1993 with only the 1.9-litre unit paired with a 5-speed manual offered.

Prices for the CKD ZX started from RM 63,600 which was around RM 3,100 less than the imported Volcane. The CKD units also included once optional features like air-con, a cassette player, carpets, and third brake light as standard.

The long way down

Later on, Directional added a few more variants to the ZX’s line-up including a hotter 2.0-litre 16v three-door hatchback (150 PS/183 Nm), a 1.8-litre station wagon (103 PS/153 Nm), and a 1.9-litre diesel variant (71 PS/125 Nm). Aside from the diesel variant, the rest were fully imported (CBU).

Eventually, the ZX would be given a facelift in 1996 and the 1.9-litre engine was replaced with a 2.0-litre 8v fuel-injected unit (123 PS/176 Nm). A 4-speed automatic transmission was also added around this period.

Sales for the ZX would continue until 1999 and by then Citroen had produced a well-rounded hatchback beloved by Malaysians. Just like its bigger brother, the Xantia and the Peugeot 405, subsequent French cars that were launched did not meet the same cult status.

Also read: The Peugeot 405 was the last great French car sold in Malaysia

While Peugeot would continue its local assembly in Malaysia, Citroen would not receive the same treatment following the failure of the Proton Tiara. Subsequent models bearing the double chevrons would be fully imported, making them tougher to afford for most Malaysians.

Also read: French cars: Trusted as taxis in Africa, but Malaysians say reliability is terrible