1975 Citroën CX2200 Pallas - POV DRIVE & WALK-AROUND: One of the EARLIEST CXs in the UK! 

I'm one of those sad old men that drove CXs. I had three CX 25 DTR Safaris in the 80s - '90s the last one being a turbo. I didn't realise what an amazing car they were as I bought my first one purely on the super quiet and smooth diesel engine and only afterwards discovered the wonders of hydropnumatic suspension and diravi steering. I wasn't aware that they made a CX without Diravi steering, all mine had it but they were all 1980's. I wouldn't have liked them nearly as much without it. The last one I had was an '86 and turbo diesel and apart from the comfort and driveability gave over 50 mpg on a long journey. I had it for 7 years and covered over 150k miles in it. I repaired all of mine myself, it was a steep learning curve but well worth it. The Turbo 2 diesel which came out in about '86 was a trail blazer for its time, 120 bhp at 3600 rpm, top speed 120 mph and 0-60 in around 10 seconds and of course brilliant fuel consumption. After the CX I ran XM's for about 10 years, good but not as good as the CX, lack of diravi was one retrograde step and the loss of double wishbone suspension and central steering knuckles were others. I still think that the CX's were the best cars I ever had and that is out of all the cars I have had since I started driving in 1956. I think the next best ones was the Peugeot 406 diesels which I also drove for about 10 years, best cars Peugeot made in my opinion. I wasn't very impressed with the early C5's that was when I changed to the 406's but I now have the last C5's they made which are very nice, mine have steel springs but still ride better than practically everything else on the road. I also had BX's, the TZD estate being the best.

Remember when they used to use these cars (maybe later versions)at horse races for the cameraman to film along the horses when they ran. If that isn’t testament to the glorious suspension of these cars I don’t know what is.

What a stunning car, that interior is fabulous, can you imagine how amazing that must have looked in 1976?

I just clicked on the video and saw that CX dash and all the memories came flooding back. I grew up in CXs, my dad had 11 of them (some were parts cars, to be fair), and I still, to this day, think they're the default proper way to do cars. I'll probably prattle more after having actually watched the video.

The CX didn’t have PAS in the beginning because there were still DS to be sold, and the CX was supposed to be slightly more downmarket, while actually being much more modern. So they left out the Diravi for the first year. During the preparation of the press launch operation, which was held in Finland, the lack of PAS was felt on the tarmac of the parking lot in front of the restaurant where test drives were to be interrupted for a lunch break. So to address the risk of bad reviews criticising the heavy steering during manoeuvres, the Citroën press department bought a few lorry loads of fine gravel to dress up the parking lot with natural roller bearings... After the demise of the DS, power steering became standard on the CX right away.

The manual steering CX with 4.5 turns lock to lock versus the DIRAVI power self centring had 2.5 turns lock to lock is very tedious. I had a 1978 CX 2400 EFI 5 speed Prestige with leather RHD for Paris delivery new and imported to Australia in mid 1979. It was an amazing drive... very quick touring car and could be hustled through the bends quite rapidly. The CX Prestige and Safari has the longer wheel base of 123 inches the same as the DS. The ride was particularly fabulous. The CX GTI Turbo 2 was a real hoot.

What s great looking car and colour. As for that interior and dials, I could spend all day in there watching these dials and wafting about in that gorgeous interior.

What a pity no manufacturer would dare offer a car so different as this nowadays!

I love the CX!

Really unusual car, but sleek and hood looking. The interior is out of this world… even now!!

SERIOUSLY COOL! one of the earliest cars i ever drove and DEFINITELY at 14 i will never forget... i want one soooo much .

Brilliant video took me back to the 70's Trips to France in my CX Famiale CMatic Just love the memories you have opened up today. Keep them coming. Cannot think of a boring Citroen that I have owed or driven, (Reference to my comments on boring Phaetons etc)

My dad had a couple of CX in the late 70s. This video reminds me of sitting in them on the path waiting to be old enough to drive. Cheers fella.

The best Citroën. 🇵🇹

What a really lovely old car, and a tremendous video Rich. Thanks for sharing 👏👏

Love it! A fine example in the same spec and colour my uncle used to own when I was a boy.

Mid seventies (and onwards) I used to stay with my uncle, aunt, nephew and niece at least once or twice a year for a week or so. My uncle always had the latest CX Pallas. I remember those days, and those cars... hhhmmmm ... nice, everything about these was awesome.

The CX reminds me of my high school days as a car mechanic. We drove with five classmates with the oldest who already had a driver's license, he regularly took his parents' CX 2400 diesel with him, which was a nice experience.

Ooh, those series 1 CX's are so cool! I've only had the pleasure of driving a Series 2 CX 22TRS on various occasions. Still a lovely car to drive of course.

That was another lovely POV drive. Thanks for having us along! I was shouting at the monitor "Pull the wiper switch back!" when you were wondering where the screenwash control was.

Very very nice car, stunning colors. One of the best color combinations. I would pay good money fot that one but a CX needs DiRaVi steering. But wat a car! I have a GtiT2 and a CX Tissier.

My mum had a cx safari, same colour with blue velour seats and black vinyl top. It had a 3 speed c-matic gearbox. I remember the advertising for it had a baby elephant in the back. Suprised the french military didn't use it as a troop carrier to invade a small country. Fond memories of the speedo and tacho which to a kid where mesmerising. Great video.

l owned a ‘82 diesel CX estate in same style and dash and later a petrol CX estate. Both great rear space and leg room, comfort and for towing. Costly when suspension failed which could also affect brakes and power steering. l would love one again today! They were space-age looking and amazing. Note your brilliant concave rear window!

Love the CX. I almost bought a used CX Athena back in the mid 80s, really liked the self centring steering and that fantastic ride. At the time they had a high insurance grouping, probably because of the cost of repair. Anyway because insurance premiums were high I decided not to buy the CX. Always regretted that decision and I’d definitely have one now if I could find one.

Driven several models of the cx , wonderful cars .

I was a serial CX2400 Familiale owner, both Mk1. The first was Cmatic and the second auto. Running the aircon really hammered the fuel consumption. The DS that my wife used at that time is still in our fleet and is now Bleu Delta. Whilst I had the Cmatic a friend let me drive his manual saloon and complained that I didn't use the clutch when shifting gears. Never crunched though.

Sweet ride love it

That was great, and you are really good at this!

These cars are way before my time, but I gotta say the more I see of old school citroens, the more I'm gaining an appreciation for them. In a lot of ways they seem way ahead of their contemporaries.

Great car in great period colors!

That colour looks very much like the 'bleu de Bregancon' of my SM.

That moveable lamp seems quite useful, a bit like the built in rechargeable torch in some modern PSA products, our 2010 Berlingo's at work had them (but not the 2015's) and so did my Step-mums 3008.

Smashing video - thoroughly enjoyed the ride and commentary mixed in with a bit of background marque history. ( It was the Imp videos that got me subscribing by the way )

Nice, can't wait till i have mine TRS back on the road😁

Very cool car！

one of the best car at the time👌

In 1975 this was _THE_ space car ..complete with the sputnik ashtray missing in later updates The twin tumbler lights looking back at me kinda remind me of the twin portholes in the house in Mr Hulot's Mon Oncle.

Lovely car . The design is timeless . The ds and sm are beutifull cars too cx seats are like armchairs so comfy . Lovely colour too . Hope ur keeping well . Great channel .

I do have a soft spot for the later estates, especially a 'cooking' one.

Grew up in a 1977 R registered CX diesel estate, my Dad bought it as a 1 year old car.. Was a great car to tow a heavy trailer.

Woah I thought this was going to be a HubNut video haha What a lovely CX! I love those dials so much

My 1975 Peugeot 505 is the same way with speed- I never feellike I'm going fast, but it will maintain 80 mph up hills with ease.

I was behind this in Bishops Waltham the other day.

Iconic Dashboard, Wish they would bring it back the PRN system with the Stationary Needles and Rotating Drums was absolutely superb to use and beautiful to look at especially at night.

Another great video, I only remember the back seats of a CX and being travel sick as a kid 🤢

Crying out for an electric conversion! Smooth and powerful 😃

It is still an item on my bucket list to drive a 1970s Citroën. Have been a passenger but never in the driver's seat.

They did not much to hide the manual operated side windows version🤣🤣🤣Awesome car with an awesome cluster! My Audi 100GL5E type 43 avant also had no power stearing. Hard work but precise stearing!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

What a beauty! Talking about the BX. This reminds me in more then one way of my fist car, An early white BX14E with a beige interior. Off course there is the interior connection, like the great satellites. Then the lack of power assistance, which I never missed though. It was an equally cheap, low spec version with the crude engine (70 bhp). That motor was ancient? It even had the gear box running in the engine oil. You could feel from the gear box when was about time to change the oil! I still loved it to death though. In many ways it was the ideal Citroen. Enough character and that great suspension system but nothing much extra to break down. It was pretty rust prone though, although most of the problem spots where well hidden. By the way: The road holding of this CX seems to indicate it needs new spheres.

Wow lovely early CX noticed the disc in the right side window was Car of the year 1975👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Just got a CX25 ie Pallas and find the torch useful for temp gauge reading, have the lights gotten dimmer in the 30 years since my last CX? Nice to get behind the wheel again after a long break Enjoy the videos. and the BX time trial, still makes me smile

No DIRAVI!? That would practically make it apostasy! Great video and CX.

The oldest family car I remember us having was a CX. My sister and I cried when my dad got a new company car (Mazda...). The plates were EVL, and we called her 'Evelientje', Dutch for 'little Evelyn'.

Lovely car. From someone who has owned a series 1 CX for many years I can confirm they do not like sharp crests! You are spot on re the steering. You need to do a video on a Diravi CX for comparison 😊.

WOW! That's an early CX finished in one of my favorite colors, Blue Delta metallic, and with a wonderful interior! Given the left-hand-drive configuration and bright indicator lenses, I'd say it's a French market car... Am I right?

I owned 3 of those, one was a Pallas 3 gear automatic.

Great video on the CX.👍 One of my favourite Citroens of all time. I've never even sat in one never mind driven one. I will have to drive one one day. That was a classic you getting in the wrong driver's seat.😂😆 I'd probably do the same thing if I rented a car abroad. When are we going to see video content on the C6?

Appreciate you pointing out the Alfa GT - I have one as my current main car! Interesting to learn how these things drive. Like you I would have assumed they were superior to the BX in most ways but I guess the BX is a much cleverer car than it (or its price tag) would suggest. I'm still on-and-off hunting for an XM because I desperately want to own a hydropneumatic Citroen at some point. Such incredibly cool cars.

Nice car 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Hydro Citroens always feel odd without PAS. Not a fan of non-PAS BXs and even after almost two years, I still get caught out by the heft needed to steer a GSA.

Lovely Jubbly video, definitely a motorway cruiser rather than a back road basher.

Having a car like that without powersteering will build your shoulder and arm muscles. Not a bad thing. It also kinda forces you to steer precisely without the need to adjust your line while in the corner. I agree with you that a car like this really deserves an automatic gbox. Lovely car, specially the interior. I think the competition against this early CX would have been the Peugeot 504GL/Ti, Renault 16TX , Volvo 244GLE, higher spec Opel Rekord/Vauxhall Carlton, Mercedes w123 200 and 230, bmw 518/520, Audi 100 5S/5E, Triumph 2500, BL Princess, maybe even the NSU RO80. Lots of choice in the late 1970's!

Great video. Honestly how can you not love an old Citroen? Always loved Citroen seats, soft, comfortable, but some how still supportive. You can easily sit in them for long trips and not feel any aches. But most of all, that design. So pretty, and timeless. The colour so suits it. Never seen one that colour. Not sure I have seen another Citroen of that era that colour actually? So very pretty, but I would still opt for an Ami 6, DS Safari, or SM. Do you know anyone with an SM? Once again, great video. Thanks.

I remember the Grace Kelly Ad for the GTi . It drives out her mouth and it looked like a spaceship from outer space. My dad nearly bought one from an auction in Manchester, but bottled out because he heard they are hard to work on!

Having driven both a very ropey late CX Athena and an extremely early and meticilously kept CX2000 i'd say the Diravi steering is what makes that car. Obviously the early car's steering is very heavy at super slow speeds but ok when you get moving, the problem i found was when navigating longer curves the force needed to turn the steering seemed to increase drastically at a certain point and made the car feel rather pondorous and unwieldy, there was also a savage self-centering force even without diravi, which makes it hard to exit a corner smoothly as the wheel unwinds the 15 billion rotations you've made just to make the thing turn. At motorway speeds it's great as all CXs but around town i found it annoying. Unless the one i drove had something wrong with it, i'd say diravi is >50% of the driving experience of that car. Makes it feel so much more playful and laid-back at the same time and the feeling of being able to flick around this boat of a car without much movement or effort is awesome.

CX's must have seemed like space ships when they were introduced, funny thing is, I don't recall seeing any when they were contemporary! I do remember seeing alot of DS's though, and to this day my favourite is the Safari version. However, I did have a CX, as a tax dodging company car , in the mid 90's. Bought it from that CX specialist dealer, can't recall the name. It was an early Pallas 2400, dark blue, manual, 77 or 78 I think. I was doing alot of mileage back then, mainly motorways, and it was fantastic for that, and notably good in bad weather, in particular heavy rain. That map light, shown in this vid, was so cheap and tacky that I thought it was aftermarket! In fact, the trim generally let the car down, poor quality and looked nasty. Eventually, it was finished off by two issues, the dreaded hydraulic gremlins, pretty terminal on those early cars as the hydraulic system was all assembled around the steering column, so to fix it the car had to be virtually disassembled at massive cost. The other problem was the engine started to smoke badly from the exhaust, meaning a rebuild. So, all that combined doomed it to beyond economic repair. So, I parted it out and recovered some of it's cost, more than scrapping it anyway. Had a go in an 80's CX turbo D, back in the early 2000's, that was an excellent car, very quick and all the issues sorted, good on fuel too. My main Citroen experience though, has been Xantia's, have had 6 of those, including an Exclusive HDI 110, loved that car. I still have 1, a pov spec Forte HDI 90, but it needs a clutch, so its been sitting for 4 years waiting for me to be bothered to do it! It's in quite good nick, so I really should sort it, Xantia's are getting difficult to find now.

I think this CX is a model 1976 or later because the model 1975 had a specific spheric ashtray. In that times was the debut from the model year not the 1 january, but the date from the "salon de l'automobile" of Paris end october...I had a model 1976 built in november 1975...

I'm considering to buy a Cx (I had a DS 20 years ago); I love the earliest one, but I concerned about the lack of Diravi and the 4 speed engine.. thanks for sharing

Beautiful car, such a shame that Citroen lost their way with design and just plain weirdness, it was so cool and refreshing.

Nailed it, driving and commentating like a pro. Was that a Citroen 100 sticker? I shall have to go back over HubNut's video from the Coventry meet to see if it was there. Couldn't help noticing the door cards are so obviously for hand winders but...what the hell, just put a blank in the hole. Thanks for that, very enjoyable.

Wow !!! . Its got Air Con also ... (i think) ?? . I noticed the slider switch by the map reading light ! . Cool car !

Those door cards are in a great condition. At least he in the land of the missing ozone layer the door cards start warping and are eventually only attached from the middle. Otherwise the interior holds up quite well.

I'm surprised that this car didn't have diravi as in the early 80's I had a 1976 CX2000 base model ie no electric windows no tinted glass cloth interior no rev counter small center hubcaps ect but it did have diravi ! I've also owned a 1980 CX 2400 GTi, 1981 CX 2400 Pallas IE, 1984 CX 25 auto and the best was a 1985 CX 25 GTi turbo 1

It was 1977 I was 20 years old, my car was a Lancia Beta, pre rust scandal and no power steering, my Dads new car was a CX with power steering, he let me borrow it, First corner was a 90 degree junction, I slowed to give way and turned left, I almost hit a brick wall on the nearside after driving over the pavement, I had just found out that 2 turns lock to lock needed a different driving style to 4 turns.

This always struck me as a modern interpretation of the DS. In the 1980s I used to peek into cars to see the interior appointments (and dream) and when I came across one of these CX cars and saw their yellow compass instruments, I thought it was an early electronic digital dash until I finally saw what went on thanks to Hubnut. It seems a travesty such a luxury oriented car has a four pot, albeit a decent capacity one. A V6 option would have been ideal, although I don't think there were any transverse V6s in existence then.

I miss when Citroen made cars like this

😍😍😍

You swapped the Activa with me! It came to live with me in Suffolk and then I sold it to a man from Plymouth. He brought his whole family to pick it up and his wife looked livid!

You're right about how the CX compared to contemporary rivals in the mid 70s. The Granada mk1 was very comfortable but not exactly a handler and likewise PAS was an option on lesser models. Then there was the ancient,tank-like Volvo 144, the similarly ancient Rover 2200 and Triumph 2000, the bouncy, unreliable Princess, the chintzy, wallows Datsun Laurel, the dull as dishwater Opel Rekord and the totally hopeless Vauxhall VX.

One of my company cars in the 80s was a new CX Athena so it wasn’t the top spec but I adored every second of that car and was a bit disappointed when I was told it was being swapped for a year old Rover SD1 3500S manual which ok was a fair bit zippier due to the great old Buick V8 but a dog to drive by comparison, horrid in snowy conditions where the CX was excellent. The dreadful clutch and gear box matched the awfulness of the ancient old iron up front and that triad was the Achilles heel of an otherwise epoch-making car. When I first took delivery of the CX, I nearly wiped out a bollard at Shepherd Bush as I let go of the wheel exiting a side road briskly and hadn’t yet been acclimatised the weird self-centring function. Once one adjusts to the suspension, the roadholding was actually not bad, the car never fell off the road when thrashed along winding B roads. At the next set of traffic lights while stationery, I put the car on full lock to explore the weighting and was gobsmacked to see the wheel return to the straight ahead instantly. Oh, roll on Euromillions, I’d happily have a Light 15, DS, CX, BX, even a C5 and C6 in a collection. I’d bring them all along to Mr UpnDown and pay him to restore the lot.

I had a CX 2.4 prestige long wheel base bi-turbo. Was an experience,,, my local garage loved it, my wallet not so much…

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts from a later DIRAVI equipped car. Perhaps even an auto as you suggest. I have a late GTi (2.5, auto) which was my first CX but really stunned me for the first few months of ownership, it still does, especially if I get into it after driving anything else for a while. I certainly get the 'shrinking around you' sensation you describe from it when you get a move on, or when sitting on the motorway where she just feels ready to lift her skirts and fly any time it's asked.

I know this CX. It really was in Greece! Cyprus has right hand drive so it's not from there. Our 1976 CX 2000 Super has mechanic steering too and my grandfather who owns the car hates it. We too have the car since new and my uncle had another one bought together with the one we still have. Unfortunately his was scrapped...

My dad had a 1977 CX Safari with the DIRAVI steering. I'm certain it had less than 2 turns lock-to-lock, more like 1½ turns (about 3/4 turns to each side) - it was really weird to use the first 5 minutes especially since it would straighten the wheels when you let go the steering even when stationary. Quite a change from my own MGB. But you soon got used to it and it was great for handling the car. But I guess the SM is even better (my dream car when it came out)

Yes its basically the same engine as in the DS. The valve cover gasket fits from a DS, I found out when my CX was loosing oil forward, right down on the exhaust, a smoky stinky affair. Owned 2 CXes, but only have my '67 DS now. CX understeer is worse than on the DS, probably due to the Audi engine placement.. There must be something wrong with the spheres. It's supposed to just "eat" everything, like any other big Citroën.

I see that CX all the time, I'm one of those country men that stare at it lol

I wnat one. I want one now! Is the suspensoin right? I really don't remember the two that I have driven being like that at all. Sloppy handling, sure, but the ride was composed over just about any bump.

It sounds like the rear spheres are too soft; maybe they need changing out or maybe the owner likes it that way. I had a CX20 as my first car. It rocked; a 300 pound car with a dodgy gearbox and a fuel filter that kept on getting blocked up...and dodgy electrics too! I loved it though. Miss the style and sophistication of a CX. Would own another in a heartbeat if I had the garage space. The 2.2l engine was always gutless. The 2.0 much better and the 2.4/2.5 was always great (although very complicated). Thanks for the review.

As a Cx owner,driver for many years...they can certainly be hustled down the back roads...taking crests and dips with total aplomb...the car your driving....definitely needs a suspension check up...seriously...these cars have GRIP

I used to know a bloke with the estate version, it was huge! Pity this one has illegal number plates by several years.

I think the DIRAVI makes all the difference. I never drove a CX without one, so I can't compare. The steering is quite direct: 2.5 turns from lock to lock (SM: 2, DS, BX, Xantia about 3). I'm not sure it handles that badly (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oZfB2sNEsU0.html interesting from minute 9 on...). I had a CX 25 GTi after my trusty BX 19 TZD and I called it my personal business jet :-)

That's made me yearn for my old CX 25 Pallas Injection Electronique Automatique. B648 NGY last mot'd 2007, so probably dead?

LHD in the UK: the secret is to hug the hedges. There will always be enough space to fit. Take it from someone who once wrestled a French Smax through Devon and Cornwall. Those stone walls are no joke. Edit: Cyprus is RHD. Most likely that car was Greek, not Cypriot.

Yap yap yap

I wish Citroen would be allowed to return to this design language. A small local garage staffed by assholes refused to work on my Alfa after letting me do the MOT there saying they would work on it.

A32?

Who orders a CX whitout power steering?

A clear-eyed recognition of all the faults and limitations, and a strongly felt attachment to the vehicle. Makes me think of the notion of being auto-romantic: feeling affection for a car, without actually wanting ownership. BTW, "auto-romantic" is based on the way asexual people talk about being hetero- or homo-romantic; attraction and affection without desire. Some may be sceptical about the idea of asexuality, but I reckon I've met quite a few asexual people in my time. The alternative to that belief would be to acknowledge that I'm even less attractive than I thought.

Only 5 % citroen cx no have power stering with power stering diravi system is amazing but with out is so bad

I thought Pallas was the luxury spec? How can it not have a Diravi? Wasn´t Athena the poverty spec? On the other side I saw a GTI with 120hp......Citroen is strange.