After a four-year gap between the models, Citroen introduced a replacement for the GS range in 1990: the ZX.
Like most carmakers, Citroen didn’t reveal all its plans, and while it started with the five-door hatchback version in 1990, it waited another year to introduce the three-door version. Later on, in 1993, it added the station wagon. For some reason, the three-door was more important. Citroen built a rally-raid version on its base and won the Paris-Dakar race in 1990. Then, the customers started to ask, “where is the three-door version?”.

With a styling signed by Bertone, the ZX looked special compared to other hatchbacks from the market. Its angular headlights resembled those installed on the BX lineup, and there was no grille between them. Still, the carmaker needed to cool the engine, placed a small gap between the hood and the front bumper, and added a grille on the apron. A black stripe protected the car’s front and sides from minor scratches. The B-pillar was probably its most noticeable design signature, with a sloped lower line at its bottom. Behind it, a pop-out rear side window helped to ventilate the interior.

Inside, Citroen installed low-mounted front seats with almost no bolstering for the base models and sporty ones for the 16V version, its full-spec model. The squared-looking dashboard featured a raised, rectangular instrument cluster that sported side-mounted buttons. It was a reminiscence from the Citroen Visa. At least, they installed a turn-signal stack.

Under the hood, the carmaker offered the 3-door ZX with a choice of six engines, both gasoline, and diesel. A turbo-diesel was also on the list and provided decent performances for those times and excellent fuel efficiency.