The Citroën Saxo was a supermini produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1996 to 2004. It was sold in Japan as the Citroën Chanson, because Honda had registered the "Saxo" name. The Saxo was a badge engineered variant of the Peugeot 106 (which itself was a development of the Citroën AX), the major difference being interiors and body panels. Production ended in 2004, when it was replaced with the Citroën C2 and Citroën C3.
Overview
Engines and performance
All engines were from the PSA TU engine series that powered the Peugeot 205 from 1988 and the Citroën AX, and had their roots before that with the OHC PSA X engine various other PSA cars used, such as the Citroën Visa, Peugeot 104 and early Peugeot 205. The range included five petrol engines and one diesel engine, all naturally aspirated.
Although the quoted power outputs are low in comparison to modern small hatchbacks, or even to other hatchbacks of the time, the kerb weight was generally very low, with even the range-topping VTS having a kerb weight of just , with other smaller engine models (except the diesel) being around 100 kg lighter than this.
This meant a high power to weight ratio resulting in decent acceleration and made the car suitable for city driving. Aside from the VTS which had 16 valves, all engines were the older SOHC units which meant relatively low city MPG figures. Even the popular 1.1i engine would struggle to achieve more than 35 to 40mpg in town when driven carefully.
The real world consumption between the smaller engines and the nippy 1.4i Westcoast/Furio variant was hardly noticeable, however the insurance premiums were. The early 1.0i was quite under powered, with the 1.1i being considered much better, since it was nearly 200cc larger and had roughly 30% more torque.
There were three sport models of the Saxo:
The Westcoast, later replaced by the Furio which featured a 1.4I 8V 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 fuel injected, 1.6-liter 8-valve 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 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 engine with a top speed of 205 km/h (127 mph), and a 0 to 60 mph time of 7.8 seconds. The VTS MK1 (1997–1999) and MK2 (1999–2003) shared similar performance, although the MK2 was slightly slower due to it being marginally heavier. These models included vented front brake discs, with the VTR and VTS also having rear brake discs (solid discs). Also, a different style of control arms and struts was used for the suspension. The VTS had a master brake cylinder, and the VTR and Westcoast/Furio had a .
The VTS had a front anti roll bar and rear anti roll bar, while the VTR and Westcoast/Furio had a front and or sometimes rear antiroll bar. In addition, all the sports models featured a unique bodykit to the other models, commonly known as the "VT" bodykit.
In 1997, the Saxo's three speed automatic gearbox was combined with the 1.6i 8V engine which was available on the Saxo SX and VSX. Then, in the end of 1997, the 1.6i automatic was replaced with a 1.4i 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 .
Citroën carried on using the 1.4i engine on the facelift Saxo Automatic in 1999. Due to the C3 having a 1.4i automatic gearbox, 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 I4, and
1.1 L (1124 cc) TU1 I4, and
1.4 L (1360 cc) TU3 I4, and
1.5 L (1527 cc) TUD5 diesel I4, and
1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4, and
1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4, and (later VTR models) 1.6 L (1587 cc) TU5 I4, and
Interior and equipment
The equipment list was generally sparse, with budget models having drivers airbag, seat belt pre tensioners, cassette player, heated rear screen and tinted windows, and early Mark Ones with keypad immobilisers and a clock in place of a tachometer and three stud wheels, much like the AX. 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.