The Citroën BX was introduced in 1982 and was a somewhat radical car compared to many of its contemporaries. Being French, the car was launched under the Eiffel Tower with great fanfare.

Oddly enough, the body design of the BX is strongly inspired from a British car, the Reliant FW11 prototype which was presented in 1977.

This was one of the first cars to really benefit from the merger of Peugeot and Citroën in 1976, the platform being shared by the more conventional 405 that appeared in 1988.

The features that really set this car apart was the traditional Citroën hydropneumatic suspension, extensive use of plastic body panels and disc brakes all round. The car also benefited from Bertone styling that looks interesting even today. This was also a practical vehicle, featuring a hatchback rear, four doors and a decent amount of space.

Powertrains all came courtesy of Peugeot. The BX used the TU and XU series' of petrol engines in 1.4, 1.6 and 1.9 litre editions (even 1.1 was available in some countries). The XUD diesel engine was also available. It was this Peugeot influence that endowed the BX with some much needed reliability, something which its predcessor, the GS, never possessed. This led to the BX's famous advertising slogan "Loves Driving, Hates Garages". Throughout the 1980s the BX slowly rebuilt Citroën's reputation, and paved the way for the AX, ZX, and XM.

A year later estate versions were also made available. Later on a 16 valve petrol, 4x4 versions and turbo diesels too. The 16 valve petrol was the ultimate BX. Its 1.9 litre engine produced a massive power of 160 bhp and 177 Nm of torque, giving it a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 218 km/h. ABS-brakes were fitted as standard. It had big sideskirts that made it easy to recognize from other BX-models. Along with the normal BX-versions, there were also some special limited versions. Perhaps the most intresting ones being the Sport (less than 10000 were built from 1985 to 1987), and the Digit (only 4000 were built in 1985). BX Sport was the most powerful BX at that time with its 126hp. It also stood out with its unique bodykit (BX Sport picture (http://koti.mbnet.fi/css/bx/bx10.jpg)). BX Digit was based on BX GT, but had a special digital instrument panel (BX Digit picture (http://perso.club-internet.fr/aebergon/photos_Citroen/BX_Digit_tdb_T.jpg)). Altogether the BX had surprisingly many sporty versions considering its otherwise peaceful nature. These versions included the 16 GTi, the 19 GT, the 19 GTi, the 19 GTi 4x4, the 19 Sport and the 19 GTi 16V.

The amount of additional equipment available to BX was also surprisingly high for a car of its size and class. Besides the superior hydropneumatic suspension, you could also get equipment like ABS, air conditioning, electric windows, electric sidemirrors, electric sunroof, remotely controlled central locking system, leather interior, etc.

In 1987 the interior and dashboard were redesigned and made less quirky than the original, which used Citroën's bizarre idiosyncratic switchgear and "bathroom scale" speedometer; these were replaced with more conventional switches and dial-type instruments. The earlier GTi-models already had "normal" speedometer and tachometer. In 1987 the BX also changed a bit from the outside. New bumpers were fitted and the front indicators were changed. Later, the rear lights were changed to more appealing ones.

In total, some 2,500,000 BX's were built during its 13 year history. The hatchback was discontinued in 1993 with the arrival of the Xantia, but the station wagon continued for another year.

All BX's are very well known for the exceptionally smooth ride, reasonable fuel economy and great brakes. The complexity of the suspension system meant that repairs tended to get very expensive in later life. For this reason there are few BX's still around.

This earlier version of the hydropneumatic suspension didn't feature a non-return valve, so the car slowly sinks toward the ground (rear first) in a style that makes the lay person believe the suspension has collapsed. It must have greatly amused people to see them rise back up again when the engine started! Like most hydropneumatic Citroëns, the BX can be driven on 3 wheels. Jacking the suspension up, a rear wheel can be taken off and the car can balance itself on the other 3 wheels.

Citroën also made an effort in the group B rallying with BX in 1986. This BX version was called BX 4TC. Of course, it was nothing like the normal BX. It had a very long nose because the engine was mounted lengthwise. The 4TC had only 2 doors, whereas all the other BX-models had 4 doors. Because of the group B regulations, 200 street versions also had to be built. There is a public registry of these available here (http://home.wanadoo.nl/prins2000/bx4tcreg.html). The 4TC was never very successful, its best result being the 6th place in 1986 Sweden rally. Citroën only participated in three group B rallies before the whole group B was banned and killed in 1986. An interesting fact is that the rally version of the BX also featured the unique hydropneumatic suspension.

Template:Citroën

sv:Citroën BX