Citroen introduced the ZX range in 1990 as a replacement for its aged GS, built between 1970 and 1994.
Judging according to those times values, the ZX was a compact-size vehicle, even though it was among the shortest in its class. That affected its market image, and it might be called either a long small class or a short compact-segment vehicle. It was available in three shapes and sizes: 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback, and a station wagon named Break. The latter was a very interesting choice since it offered a big loading area for a small segment vehicle or short for a compact-sized station wagon. Citroen introduced the ZX in 1990 and, in 1994, it unveiled an upgraded version.

Bertone signed the ZX design, and that helped the car gain plus points for its exterior styling. Even though it was built on the same platform as the Peugeot 306, it looked way different. Its narrow, horizontal headlights and slim grille resembled its smaller brother, the AX. The angular lines were far from the curved ones used on the GS, but they were in Bertone’s trend. Unlike its 5-door hatchback version, the Break (station wagon) featured a longer rear overhang to accommodate the bigger trunk.

Inside, Bertone’s cubist styling continued on the dashboard with a squared instrument cluster fitted with a few buttons on its sides. There were comfortable seats in the front and a 60/40 split-folding rear bench seatback. The trunk could hold between 488 liters (17.23 cu-ft) and 1580 liters (55.8 cu-ft).

Citroen installed four engine choices under the hood: two gasoline and two diesel paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox. For selected markets only, the 1.8-liter version could have been paired to a four-speed automatic transmission.