More vigorous marketing in N.Z. likely from Citroen

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 35

More vigorous marketing in N.Z. likely from Citroen

Launched in France in 1982, the medium-size BX Citroens have been marketed in a rather desultory manner by Palmerston North-based Citroen Distributors, Ltd, a member of the Moller group of companies. In mitigation, it should be said that Moller and its Citroen company have been rather preoccupied with the establishment of Franzcorp Imports Pty, Ltd, an Australian company set up at the behest of Automobiles Citroen SA through which it is hoped to develop the Australian and New Zealand Citroen markets side by side. To this end, Ross Moller is managing director of the two distributorships and is based in Sydney, although he was in New Zealand last week for the introduction of the 1987 Citroen BX range to the motoring press corps. Now that virtually everything is in place for the smooth running of the Citroen operation in Australia, it is likely that the marketing of these French cars will be pursued with more vigour in this country. The 1987 BX range comprises a facelift of the BXI6, known as the 16RS, the 19TRS and the 19GTL The 16RS has a 1580 cu cm overhead camshaft engine that develops 68.6 kW at 6000 rpm. It is mated with a manual fivespeed gearbox and will accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in less than 14s, while it is claimed to be capable of 175 km/h. This car shares its typically Citroen hydropneumatic suspension and bodyshell with its two larger-engined stablemates.

I drove it part of the way from Taupo to Auckland and found it very much to my liking. It is quite a lively performer, rides just as well as larger European luxury cars and

is a leech-like road-holder in fast and slow bends.

Like all Citroens, it is a front-wheel-drive saloon, but it has none of the vices one expects in frontdriven cars. The steering, power-assisted rack and pinion, is nicely weighted and ultra-sensitive to give a driver tremendous confidence that I believe would never be misplaced.

There are disc brakes all round and pedal travel in this particular car was longer than rd expected. The larger-engined cars were better in this respect For purposes of comparison I sampled the previous model. It sounded agricultural, seemed to have a more spongey ride, heeled over in corners and confused me with its instruments and dashboard-mounted controls. Nevertheless it was pleasant enough to drive, although I suspect that BX 16 devotees will be delighted with the latest version.

Incidentally, like all the 1987 models, the 16RS has self-cancelling traffic indicators which are operated by a steering columnmounted stalk, as also are the lights.

Andre Citroen, the founder of the French company, seldom spared the shrines of orthodoxy a glance and the cars his factories produced, particularly from the time he went to front-wheel-drive, or “Traction Avant,” in 1934, seem to have had an irresistible appeal for the more radical on the motoring fringes, at least outside France, a conservative country in which the populace appears willing to accept the unconventional unflinchingly. If that was Citroen’s eccentricity, it still exists. Although Autombiles Citroen has been owned by the Peugeot SA group, to which Automobiles Peugeot belongs also, since

May 1976, the radical ideas of Andre Citroen have not been laid to rest entirely.

One of the Citroen’s most distinctive features is hydropneumatic suspension. It differs from the others because it is able to maintain ride level regardless of the load or the road surface.

Gas springs are employed. They stiffen as the load increases, so that, laden or unladen, the car retains the same driving feel.

The self-levelling process is achieved by having oil under high pressure between the gas springing and the wheels. This raises or lowers the car hydraulically on the suspension. What is more, it combines with the simplicity of MacPherson struts and trailing arms to blend positive handling with superb comfort This suspension system is not new. It was introduced to the motoring public in May, 1954, in the Citroen 15-Six and over the years it has been refined and simplified. Self-levelling systems are not rare these days and one expects to find them in luxury and executive class cars. Significantly, there is no BX competitor endowed with the feature.

The 19TRS I sampled was fitted with a fourspeed ZF automatic transmission. Although it fits into the 2-litre category rather than the 1.6-litre class of the 16RS, having automatic transmission, it is not strikingly more performance oriented, although it will hold its own more than adequately in

mainstream traffic. It is the sort of car I would like for the family. They would find it ideal when I was not using it The ZF gearbox is delightful, it even downchanges without human intervention when the need arises. In fact, the

changes are so smooth as to be virtually imperceptible.

However, to be honest, the GTi is the car I'd have to choose for myself. In this case the 1905 cu cm engine is fuel-injected, a Bosch LE3 Jetronic unit being employed, whereas the other cars are fed by carburettors. This one develops 93 kW at 5500 rpm and it is said to be capable of around 200 km/h, while it will -accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in less than 9s. Those figures place it well and truly in the high performance category.

A rear-mounted spoiler that obstructs the view through the large rear window is the only feature that indicates that this particular BX is a very competent low flyer. In the North Island, where the roads are inhabited by tarmac-pound-ing and often tardy fullyladen trucks, as well a never-ending stream of road-users who, seem-

ingly, would come out in rashes if they could not travel in the centre half of the highway and at other than funeral speeds, a car that is capable of accelerating smartly is a decided asset, especially if it handles well, stops smartly and does not look like a street racer. In the South Island, where the road inhabitants are similar but fewer in number, the GTi could be the ideal touring car. Moreover, by virtue of the fact that its suspension can be raised and lowered it could be comfortable on alpine roads and off the beaten tracks.

To put it mildly, I was most impressed with these Citroens and although the Palmerston North distributor’s immediate plans appear to be quite modest, I believe that the BX range can look towards a good future in this country, particularly if Japanese car prices continue their upward trend.

As I have said previously, European cars are becoming more attractive by the day. Certainly the cheapest BX, the 16RS, is at least the equal of the best Japan has seen fit to let us have to date. That is, of course, in its class. Although these BX saloons are perhaps a

little noisier than one might expect, their other features are so endearing that noise pales to insignificance. In the main, we motorists are a conservative lot and so most of us should welcome the concessions to conformity that are newly evident in the. 1987

BX line. That on its own should secure the New Zealand future of the marque. Apart from everything else, they are handsomely appointed family-size cars, the prices ranging from $43,995 for the 16RS to $53,995 for the I9GTL