DON 2 TESTS A 1988 CX GTI AUTOMATIQUE
October 18, 2011Model: CX 2500 GTi
Year: 1988
Years active: 1988->
Engine:
2500cc Serie ‘M’, 138 bhp (DIN) 150bhp (sae)
Transmission: 3 Speed Automatic
Colour: White
Test duration: 09 July 2011
For: Refined, quiet, effortless high speed cruising with impeccable road holding, handling and brakes
Against: Doesn’t have
swivelling headlights. (in other words, not a ‘D’, & I had to find
something - but that is only being nit-picky as is also an amazing car)
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Would you believe it- after months of inactivity (which I am constantly admonished for) – here is a Road test!
Aside from a four-year relationship
with Triumph Heralds and a brush with GS’s and a Dyane 6, I was brought
up in, under and around DS’s. This may make me a little biased, but then
what would I be doing associating with this website if I wasn’t!
I remember as a child of between 8
& 9 years old, visiting a warehouse somewhere in Auckland to view
the very first CX that came into the country. I can’t remember the
colour – I think it was either blue or white, but we were surprised to
find that there was a lack of turning lights, that it had a standard
brake pedal, was only 4 speed and even though it had electric windows at
the front, the door panels still had the recess for the manual window
winders.
Remember, this was the mid seventies.
No Internet & we had never even seen a picture of one of these cars,
save a very poor quality black & white photocopy of the side
profile only and maybe the dashboard, so the ‘details’ I mention above
were not obvious to us before the first viewing and as D fanatics we
probably had pre-conceived ideas about what a Citroen should look like,
so any of the CX’s good points (it’s good looks, and imposing profile
for example) were overlooked. A test drive was not offered so we had no
idea how it rode, handled etc.
Whatever way you looked at it though, the aerodynamic profile was amazing - and that dashboard!!
Some memory hunting and a bit of
information I stumbled across last night while hunting for something
else has revealed whose car it was. Alby Matthews! Yes, he imported the
first CX into New Zealand in 1975 and it must have been this we went to
see.
Over the next four years, we heard
stories about poor build quality, faulty transmissions (especially the
first 5 Speeds and Autos) and other generally negative feedback about
them. A CX did not interest us. (We were biased, apparently!) Alby,
however had a great run out of his CX and enjoyed it for 25 years. I’ll
have to check with Kevin what happened to it...
In 1979, Mum & Dad decided they
would “upgrade” and buy a brand new GS 1220 Pallas, which of course
would mean trading in The DS21. I remember feeling excited about getting
a new car (I still have the GS/CX brochure, the colour and upholstery
swatches from this temporary period of delusion), but could not
understand why the DS had to be replaced and was not at all happy about
the idea. Then one weekend a few weeks down the track, it was announced
that the plan was not to go ahead. I am not sure why – Mum now can’t
remember the plan at all – but I am eternally grateful that it did not
eventuate!
Anyway, the point is that it was a GS
it would have been replaced with and not a CX - probably partially a
financial decision, but also a lack of interest in a CX at the time but I
also mention it because of the CX/GS brochure I still have. I have to
admit that by the early eighties I did look at the photo’s of the
beautiful CX 2400 Pallas and dribble a little. What actually happened
was that Mum’s Dyane 6 was sold and replaced with a 1974 GS 1220 Club
which she had until 1984.
In the 80’s our attitude changed
towards the CX somewhat, although not enough to own one, but that was
more to do with a love of D’s than a loathing for CX’s. It was generally
opined that if you wanted a CX, you should get a 1979 model year or
later, as from this time the teething problems had been ironed out and
it had become a respected addition to the Citroen family. Dad’s friend
for many years, the late Stan Ireland, owned an immaculate metallic
green 1979 model and Dad drove it down to Hamilton and back one day. He
was quietly impressed, but did state that “It’s not a D”
When the later CX’s – the GTI and
Turbo models came out a little later, we were definitely impressed
however, and one of those would definitely have to be in my stable one
day, I thought.
Roger however still had mixed feelings
regarding CX’s and although an interest in them has always been there
(will I buy one, won’t I?, as he puts it), he was not a CX convert, and
the only Citroens he would ever own would be DS’s & BX’s. (He was
very impressed with the Xantia last Saturday however (Insert a Tui’s ad
here- he is worried my front struts will fail in moment)).
About 2 months ago this changed. He is now not only the owner of a 1985 CX 2500 GTI Auto, but a proud
owner – a totally fanatical convert who has a DS23 IE Auto sitting in
the carport gathering dust with a sulky look on its front bumper. She
growls every time the CX rises up beside her and glides off with the
driver grinning from ear to ear.
I was slightly sceptical and a number
of argumentative and comparative emails were exchanged. Sceptical, that
is, until I was handed the keys and drove from Bombay to Papakura. This
was not what I suspected. This was niiice!
A few weeks later I was given the keys
again and drove to Hamilton and back. Asked what I thought near the end
of the trip, I replied “I want one – an Automatic one, just like this.”
Well, I have digressed enough now, so – here is my report:
PERFORMANCE/HANDLING
This is the category which I was
probably the most impressed. We all know the virtues of the mighty D
(Yes I am allowed to compare, as a) I am biased, and b) this is a DS
website, non?). Once mastered, it is sure footed and has road holding
abilities that still surprise and can get out of some sticky situations
as long as the driver keeps cool. The key term here is “Once mastered”.
The D can & does take a bit of getting used to for most (unless the
skill was inbred), but the CX seems to be a car that the driver can
adapt to and feel very at home in rather quickly.
The steering, while ever so sensitive
in its application in the SM (although I have no complaint about it in
that vehicle either (maybe inbreeding again)) is almost perfect in its
lower-geared form in the CX. Once you are used to it, the Varipower, or
more accurately “DIRAVI” system is a pleasure to use and the car can be
thrown around the countryside with a lot of enthusiasm quite
controllably. Naturally, understeer is present, although this is masked
to an extent by the steering. Only occasionally coming out of a bend
could an unusual situation be sensed, but this was more getting used to
the powerful self-centering action of the system, rather than any loss
of traction.
The performance is impressive. This is
a big car, but can certainly out-perform many of its fellow road users.
Remember – this car is nearly a quarter of a century old, but feels
just as refined as a modern car. It is smooth, quiet and tends to glide
past other fast moving objects with its nose in the air, with still
plenty of horses to spare.
The Automatic box (and yes, this is me
talking) is also impressive, with on the whole smooth, imperceptible
changes. This is a far cry from a certain C5 I used to drive, which
either refused to change, or when it did, it was so harsh I thought
something might break!
The ride seems to be just right – the
right level of firmness/softness yet also very quiet with little road
noise compared to a D, which not only adds to the comfort, but also the
controllability and overall handling.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
I
am not sure whether this is the correct category for this comment, Or
whether this is a complaint, but I found it entertaining how the speedo
would go up beyond XXXkm/h. I would notice this, then go Oh F###!,
then button off, only to find that the speedo would only drop by 5km/h.
I found the car very difficult to keep under XXXkm/h. See next section
on what to do about this.
BRAKING
Excellent.
Powerful, progressive and very useful. Application of this pedal did
finally provide the ability to retard the GTi back down to XXX km/h. She
is a very naughty girl.
RELIABILITY:
So far, so good, but I can’t see any
problems other than Don1’s neglected DS23 getting harder and harder to
start owing to disuse and being generally ignored.
I was thoroughly impressed. I want one!
Posted by Roger Simpson. Posted In : The Don's Blog