1992 Citroen BX

Citroën BX (Hatch/Estate), 1982-1994

The Citroën BX was in production from 1982 until 1994. Styled by Marcello Gandini and refined in house, it is a front-engine, front wheel drive hatchback and estate range seating four adults.

Project XB, as the BX was born, began in 1977. Development over the next five years led to the first hydropneumatic Citroën to share meaningful parts of its underpinnings with a Peugeot - in this case, the 305. The engines and floorpan would be shared - Citroën would adapt its hydropneumatics system to work in an environment better suited to conventional struts, and would clothe and trim the car itself. With hatchback and estate bodies, and an engine range from 1.4 to 1.9 litres in the UK (Some BX11s were sold in France), here was a mid range model that was conventional enough to appeal to customers and yet with sufficient Citroën charm to appeal to existing brand devotees.

But it was with the turbo diesel models, launched in 1988, that the BX really came into its own in the British market. Between their unique combination of power and economy, the practicality of the estates with self levelling suspension and a low load height, and the fearsomely quick 16 Valve variant, the BX range had earned itself a reputation as transport for enthusiasts. Citroën ceased production of the saloon in 1993 in preparation for the Xantia model, with the estate following a year later once the Xantia estate was ready for production. 2.3 million BXs had been built by the time the last example left the factory.

In terms of compact family cars, both the preceding GSA and successive Xantia make excellent alternatives, as does the XM - which under the skin amounts to a large and slightly more complicated BX itself. Rivals in its class include the similar Peugeot 305, the Ford Sierra and the Vauxhall Cavalier MK2. The diesel only has one rival - the Rover Montego diesel was the only car to match the BX combination of performance and economy.