Citroen AX - a sample of savings?
At one time, this small and rather interesting-looking car at that time was also considered one of the most economical. The small and extremely simple diesel engine installed in it was content with a ridiculous amount of fuel (less than 4 l / 100 km). However, do the benefits of the Citroen AX end in savings?
The car debuted in 1986. During its debut, it aroused considerable interest - an interestingly designed body with a partially covered rear wheel stood out quite brightly against the background of the colorless designs of Volkswagen and Opel. Adding to this innovative technical solutions for those times (the use of industrial sheet metal of increased strength for the production of body parts that are most susceptible to deformation, the use of plastic for the production of some body elements, such as a trunk lid), the customer received a completely modern car for decent money.
However, time did not stand still, and a quarter of a century later, in 2011, the little Citroen looks very archaic. Especially cars before the modernization carried out in 1991 are clearly different from modern standards.
The car is less than 3.5m long, 1.56m wide and 1.35m high. In theory, the AX is a five-seat car, but its ridiculous wheelbase of less than 223cm makes it a caricature of a family car. And even body versions with an additional pair of doors for rear seat passengers do not help here - Citroen AX is a very small car, both outside and even more so inside.
One way or another, the interior of the car, especially pre-modernization, is more like a caricature of a city car. The hopeless trim materials, their poor fit, and the typical French roughness of the period made the AX's cabin unconvincing in itself. Huge expanses of bare metal, a powerful and not very captivating steering wheel and poor equipment in the field of safety and comfort on the road made the AX a dubious dream object. The situation improved slightly in 1991 when the interior was modernized and given a bit more character. Improved build quality and more careful processing led to a much higher acoustic comfort of the cabin - after all, it was possible to carry on conversations without problems without raising the timbre of the voice to levels far from the norm.
Despite many, if not many, shortcomings of the small Citroen, he had one indisputable advantage - an economical diesel engine. And in general, “economical”, probably too little - a 1.4-liter diesel engine was once considered the most economical serial diesel engine in the world! Motor with a maximum power of 55 hp consumed less than 4 liters of diesel fuel per 100 km! At that time, this was a result unattainable for manufacturers such as Opel or Volkswagen. Unfortunately, a number of "improvements" to the successful diesel (including the replacement of the excellent Bosch injection system with the less successful and more emergency from Lucas, the installation of a catalytic converter) meant that the market life of one of the most successful PSA engines was gradually coming to an end.
The 1.4-liter unit was replaced by a completely new 1.5-liter engine. A more modern, dynamic, more cultured and reliable power unit, unfortunately, has lost the most important advantage of its predecessor - savings unattainable for other manufacturers. The engine still coped well with a light car (about 700 kg), providing it with good performance, but diesel consumption increased to 5 liters per 100 km. Thus, Citroen caught up in this category with German manufacturers. Unfortunately, in this context, this is definitely a disadvantageous "upgrade".
In addition to diesel units, small Citroen gasoline units were also installed: 1.0, 1.1 and 1.4 liters, the smallest of them was not very popular due to meager performance and inconvenient operation. 1.1-liter engine with 60 hp - the most popular AX engine. In turn, a 1.4-liter unit with up to 100 hp. is a kind of highlight - with such an engine under the hood, the lightweight AX had an almost sporty performance.
Citroen AX is a very economical car, especially in the diesel version. However, saving on a handout does not necessarily translate into careful handling of the wallet - although the AX is cheap to buy and very economical, it can lead to a cobbler's passion due to numerous breakdowns. The more than 25-year-old design does not tolerate the passage of time and very often, if not repeatedly, asks for a workshop. Unfortunately.
