Citroën Saxo
Encyclopedia
Supermini car
A supermini is a British term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as subcompact in North America....
produced by the French manufacturer Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
(PSA) from 1996 to 2003. It was also sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson. It shares many engine and body parts with the Peugeot 106
Peugeot 106
The Peugeot 106 is a supermini produced by French automaker Peugeot from 1991 to 2004.-Phase I:The Peugeot 106 was introduced on 12 September 1991, as the French marque's entry level car slotting in beneath the 205 - although it is now largely considered the 'true' replacement to the 205. It was a...
(which itself was a development of the Citroën AX), the major difference being interiors and body panels. It was replaced by the Citroën C2
Citroën C2
The Citroën C2 is a supermini-class car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since autumn of 2003, replacing the Citroën Saxo, it was built at the Aulnay plant on the outskirts of Paris. A different model, based on the Peugeot 206, is sold in China as the C2...
in the autumn of 2003.
Engines and performance
All engines were from the PSA TU enginePSA TU engine
The PSA TU engine is a family of small four-cylinder engines used in the Peugeot and Citroën range of cars. It was introduced in 1986 with the Citroën AX, replacing the X family, although it shared many components with its predecessor...
series that powered the Peugeot 205 from 1988 and the Citroën AX, and had their roots before that with the OHC PSA X engine
PSA X engine
The PSA X engine is a family of internal combustion engines used in Citroën, Peugeot, Talbot and Renault automobiles. The X family was mainly used in superminis and the entry level models of midsize vehicles. It is commonly called the "Douvrin" engine....
various other PSA cars used, such as the Citroën Visa
Citroën Visa
The Citroën Visa is a supermini that was produced by the French car marque Citroën from 1978 to 1988.-Development History:The Citroën Prototype Y to replace the 2CV based Citroën Ami that dated back to 1960 in the early seventies, was originally developed in co-operation with Fiat...
, Peugeot 104
Peugeot 104
The Peugeot 104 is a supermini motor car designed by Paolo Martin and produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1972 and 1988.- Production history :Saloon launch 1972...
and early Peugeot 205
Peugeot 205
The Peugeot 205 is a supermini produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1983 and 1998. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990. The 205 won 1984 What Car? car of the year.-History:...
. The range included five petrol engines and one diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
, all naturally aspirated.
Although the power outputs seem low in modern terms, even the range-topping VTS had a kerb weight of just 965 kg (2,127 lb), giving all models quite a 'nippy' feel around town.
The 1.0 was quite underpowered, the 1.1 was much better, since it was nearly 200 cc larger, and had roughly 30% more torque.
There were 3 sport models of the Saxo:
- The Westcoast, later replaced by the Furio which featured a 1.4I 8V 55 kW (75PS/75BHP) engine with a top speed of 175 km/h (109 mph), and a 0-62.5 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 11.2 seconds.
- The VTR MK1 (1997–1999) featured a 1.6I 8V 66 kW (90PS/89BHP) engine with a top speed of 187 km/h (116 mph) and a 0-62.5 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 10.0 seconds. The VTR MK2 (1999–2003) featured a 1.6I 8V 72 kW (98PS/97BHP) engine with a top speed of 193 km/h (120 mph) and a 0-62.5 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 9.4 seconds.
- The VTS 16V featured a 1.6I 88 kW (120PS/118BHP) engine with a top speed of 205 km/h (127 mph), and a 0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds. The VTS MK1 (1997–1999) and MK2 (1999–2003) shared the same performance.
These models included 247 mm (9.7 in) vented front brake discs, with the VTR and VTS also having rear brake discs (solid 247 mm (9.7 in) discs). Also, a different style of control arms and struts was used for the suspension. The VTS had a 22 mm (0.866141732283465 in) master brake cylinder, and the VTR and Westcoast/Furio had a 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in). The VTS had a 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in) front anti-roll bar and 22 mm (0.866141732283465 in) rear anti-roll bar, while the VTR and Westcoast/Furio had a 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in) front and 21 mm (0.826771653543307 in) or sometimes 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in) rear anti-roll bar.
In addition, all the sports models featured a different bodykit to the other models, commonly known as the "VT" bodykit.
In 1997 the Saxo's 3 Speed Automatic Gearbox was combined with the 1.6i 8V 88 kW (90PS/89BHP) engine which was available on the Saxo SX and VSX. Then, in late 1997, the 1.6i automatic was replaced with a 1.4i 55 kW (75PS/74BHP) engine. The 1.6i was more powerful with a top speed of 176 km/h (109MPH) compared with the 1.4's top speed of 103 mi/h.
Citroën carried on using the 1.4i engine on the Facelift Saxo Automatic in 1999. Due to the C3 having a 1.4i Automatic Gear Box the Saxo Automatic came to an end in March 2002, whilst the manual models were still sold right up to the end of 2003.
- 1.0 L (954 cc) TU9 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 50 PS (49 hp/36 kW) and 54 ft·lbf (73 N·m)
- 1.1 L (1124 cc) TU1 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 60 PS (59 hp/44 kW) and 69 ft·lbf (89 N·m)
- 1.4 L (1360 cc) TU3 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 75 PS (74 hp/55 kW) and 89 ft·lbf (121 N·m)
- 1.5 L (1527 cc) TUD5 dieselDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 58 PS (57 hp/42 kW) and 86 ft·lbf (117 N·m)
- 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 90 PS (89 hp/66 kW) and 95 ft·lbf (135 N·m)
- 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 96 PS (98 hp/70 kW) and 97 ft·lbf (135 N·m) (Later VTR Models)
- 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 120 PS (118 hp/88 kW) and 107 ft·lbf (145 N·m)
Interior and equipment
The equipment list was generally sparse, with budget models having drivers air bag, seat belt pre-tensioners, cassette player, heated rear screen and tinted windows, and early mk1's with keypad immobilisers and a clock in place of a tachometer and 3 stud wheels, much like the AXAX
AX may refer to:*Ax * AX register, a general-purpose 16-bit X86 register* .ax, the Internet country code top-level domain of the Åland Islands* Axe, tool and weapon* Åland Islands, ISO 3166-1 country code* Akrotiri and Dhekelia, FIPS 10-4 code...
. Further up the list sunroofs, PAS, Electric windows, ultrasonic alarm, passenger airbag, CD player, tachometer, front fog lights, bodykits, colour coded mirror caps and alloy wheels were added, to name a few.
The 1.6L VTR and VTS Saxo's were the best equipped, with both gaining rear disc brakes as opposed to drum brakes, and ABS as standard for the VTS and an optional extra on all other 1.6L models.
Few special models were released throughout the Saxo's life, most notably the "Open Scandal", a Saxo with a full length sliding canvas roof. Other special editions added certain extra's to the lower end model, such as sunroofs or PAS. Notable models are the Westcoast up to 1999 and the Furio to 2003, as they incorporated the standard Saxo bodykit found on the VTR and VTS with a more insurance friendly 1.4L engine.
Air-conditioning was never an option on right-hand-drive Saxo's because the blower motor was mounted in the bulk-head on the drivers side. As a result, there was insufficient space available to accommodate the evaporator, except by first ducting the air flow to the passenger side and then at the expense of the glove-box. Although an after-market kit was available that did exactly this, the resultant pressure loss made the system noisy and ineffective. The blower motor could also not be easily relocated, since the windscreen wiper motor was mounted in the passenger side space.
As with many other small cars of the time, the standard stereo system included 5.25" drivers mounted low in the front doors and 4" drivers mounted in the rear quarter panels (5 door models had 5.25" drivers all round) This set-up could be easily improved upon by mounting separate tweeters in the A-panel trims, similar to many VW models of the time. The very thin door cards and metalwork did however leave the system very 'thin' sounding, with very poor output in the upper-bass ranges.
Facelift
The Saxo received a style makeover at the start of the year 2000, commonly branded as a MK2, with the major differences being more modern styled headlights, bonnets and grilles to replace the square style on the MK1 and Multipoint injection replacing the single point on the 1.1L engines.PAS became standard on all but the very basic models. More subtle changes were alterations to the rear lights (the indicator sections are more "white") and the engine control unit
Engine control unit
An engine control unit is a type of electronic control unit that determines the amount of fuel, ignition timing and other parameters an internal combustion engine needs to keep running...
moved from a single plug to 3 plugs. The old 3 stud wheel layout was also dropped.
There was also a minor facelift during the MK1 phase of the cars production in line with the then current releases by Citroen, moving towards a rounder look.
To the eye, there are stark differences between the MkI & MkII Saxo. However, they were still not the most modern of cars. In fact, very little changed inside the vehicle and some would argue that they were driven straight out of the ark! The dashboard and glovebox arrangment remained the same with the possible addition of a passenger-side Airbag in some high range models.
By 2003, some buyers were more attracted to the spacious and practical five-door C3. However, the 1.6 VTR and VTS models remained popular. The Saxo finally finished production in late 2003 when the three-door C2 was launched. Its twin, the Peugeot 106, also ceased production at this time. By the end of the Saxo's production life it's design was 7 years old.
It was a sufferer of poor performances along with its twin, the 106
Peugeot 106
The Peugeot 106 is a supermini produced by French automaker Peugeot from 1991 to 2004.-Phase I:The Peugeot 106 was introduced on 12 September 1991, as the French marque's entry level car slotting in beneath the 205 - although it is now largely considered the 'true' replacement to the 205. It was a...
in a 2000 EuroNCAP
EuroNCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme is a European car safety performance assessment programme based in Brussels and founded in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport and backed by several European governments.-History and activities:Euro NCAP is a...
test.
Limited Edition
There were never any limited edition Saxo's ever made by CitroënCitroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
.
There were 30 'special' models of the Saxo VTS that were made by an independent company in Morecambe,Lancashire called LAD Motorsport. This included 10 San Remo models and 20 Tour De Corse models.
The Tour De Corse models were built in 1997 and had a choice of championship white paint with white alloy wheels or dark blue paint with gold alloy wheels with a rear spoiler.
The San Remo models were built in 1998 and came in championship white paint with white alloy wheels only with a rear spoiler.
All of the ‘special’ models were only available on the mark1 version of the Saxo. LAD Motorsport claimed that all of the 'special' models had a power output of between 160 - 180bhp and could do 0-62mph (0-100km/h) in around 6.24 - 6.37seconds, this was without any forced induction such as a turbo/supercharger and LAD Motorsport claimed it was from ‘minor headwork’. All power claims and figures were proven to be wrong by over 30 different companies throughout the United Kingdom over a number of years and as a result (of the false figures) LAD Motorsport closed down in 2008.
There are many individuals that believe the gold colour and two-tone paint on some VTR and VTS models were a limited edition, Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
declined this and suggested it was nonesense. There was also a series of Open Scandal and VTR models (mostly of X Reg) that were created in a bright yellow called Zest Yellow. Only 500 cars carry this livery but it is still not classed as a limited edition.
Drag
The Saxo has a drag coefficientDrag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water. It is used in the drag equation, where a lower drag coefficient indicates the object will have less aerodynamic or...
of 0.340. In addition its frontal area is 1.83m2. Giving it a CdA ft² just 6.68.