The Citroën ZX was launched early in 1991 as the French marque's competitor in the Ford Escort class. It was available as a three- or five-door hatchback (a five-door estate was added to the range in 1993) with 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines as well as a 1.9 diesel. Although the 2.0 petrol unit gave strong performance matched to a finely tuned chassis to give good handling, the real star of the ZX range was always the diesel. Interior space and value for money were also good.

The downsides to the ZX range were the lack of quality feel in comparison with the VW Golf. The interior plastics and body panels felt tinny and took cheap. The petrol engines were hardly the last word in reliability but the diesel engines lasted far longer.

Specification was good though, with most models getting power steering, electric windows, a driver (and sometimes passenger) airbag and antilock brakes as either optional or standard equipment.

The Citroen ZX chassis spawned the Peugeot 306 in 1993, and ironically the 306 was a more successful car than its twin.

By 1997 the ZX was being overtaken by newer rivals like the MK4 VW Golf and Citroën felt it was time for a replacement. So the Xsara was launched and ZX production grinded to a halt during 1998.