Citroën ZX Volcane – Driving Test – From the Old Box

The Citroën ZX was a car that received quite a bit of attention in AutoWeek in the early 90s. After all, it was not only a terribly important model for Citroën, but also one that made an almost un-French impression. We hardly stopped talking about it. The ZX stood out because of its almost German-looking down-to-earth appearance and tight handling. Because of those two things, he felt like a car that didn’t quite fit in line with the other Citroën models, although that was not necessarily something negative. The French had simply launched a very serious attack on the Gulf, Astra and Escort.

The ZX also deserved potent power sources with its sporty handling, and he got it. It started with the 119 hp Volcane 1.9, which was followed in 1992 by the Volcane 2.0. We tested the second exactly thirty years ago, because we were curious about what this quick change of the 1.9 meant in practice. On paper, the difference didn’t seem great. The 2.0, a XU engine that Citroën also supplied in the top model XM, with its 122 hp was hardly better endowed than the 1.9, which not only disappeared from the ZX from the entire Citroën range. However, there was an important difference in torque. The 2.0 delivered a maximum of 176 Nm at 2,750 rpm, the 1.9 did not go beyond 150 Nm at 3,000 rpm. With the renewed Volcane you clearly had more torque, which was also available earlier.

The 2.0 clearly provided some ‘more elasticity’, we concluded when we took it on the road. The ZX Volcane kept it with the familiar, so that meant, among other things, that it had alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, sports seats, power windows and lots of red accents. Citroën already focused on the Volkswagen Golf GTI, although the 155 hp ZX 16V that appeared just a little later would really put the Golf GTI on the fire. In any case, the Volcane 2.0 was a car where you could be on the road quite smoothly and comfortably: “With more power at the bottom, the Volcane is considerably smoother than before. The ZX Volcane’s great strength lies in the combination of sportiness and comfort. The Volcane isn’t really stiff and hard-sprung compared to the other fast troopers in this class, so it’s definitely not GTI-like in the truest sense of the word.”

So it wasn’t very hard, but thanks to the basically capable chassis of the ZX, you could also steer the Volcane nicely, partly thanks to the co-steering rear axle: “Yet you can go through the bend with this ZX terribly hard. It stays on. behave in an exemplary manner for a very long time and only indicate very late with a slight understeer reaction that the cake is finished.” The ZX did not feel too ‘safe’, however. A somewhat loose ass when accelerating in a fast corner provided a playful element. We were of the opinion that the power steering took a little too much experience out of the steering. Any more downsides? Yes, in terms of finish, the almost German-looking ZX was a bit more French than the real German cars and the price for a car that still had to prove itself in terms of residual value was a bit on the burly side. That last one probably bothered me the most. The Volcane was not really a hit.