BX update

Fourwheelsteer’s faithful if sometimes fallible Citroen BX has received some long overdue care from the good people of Preservation Garage Services (PGS) in Warwick. The same people who did such a good job of looking after my old BX performed a service and changed the cam belt and the car seems better as a result. There may be nothing measurable – it is too early to see if fuel economy has improved and I’ve not tried to measure acceleration or top speed – but the engine sounds sweeter and feels more willing.

A 1,360cc engine in a large-ish hatchback body might not seem like the perfect recipe for driving enjoyment but the BX only weighs 900kg so the 72bhp motor does not have to work too hard. The power unit is abetted in its task by a five-speed gearbox with ratios perfectly judged to make the most of the engine’s efforts. Although the overall gearing feels rather low – there is no rev counter to verify this assumption – there are no noticeable gaps between gears. The result is that there is always a gear that is right for the occasion.

Sadly, the merits of well-spaced gear ratios are being abandoned by manufacturers for the sake of fuel consumption and carbon dioxide figures. Several times this year I have read boasts of making the top three gears in a five-speed gearbox higher whilst leaving first and second alone – what can this do except leave a big gap between second and third gear? It probably fits the strictures of the standard test procedure perfectly but our roads are not standardised and on the road there will be times when the choice is stream or strain, neither of which is ideal.

This isn’t a new problem; the industry has been producing oddly geared cars for as long as it has been producing cars but it can make a big difference between enjoyment and frustration when driving. If you want a car with perfect gearing all the time surely you need some sort of continuously variable transmission.

What do you mean, no reverse gear?

Mitsubishi has announced some of the details that have gone into the Lancer Evolution X to make it the most advanced of the Evo line. These include the rather improbable fact that the Evo X has no reverse gear and spoilers in the wheelarches. Both these facts suggest someone is having a joke at our expense but, on closer examination might actually make sense.

The lack of reverse gear doesn't mean the Evo will only go forwards but it does mean that there is no dedicated reverse gearset. An idler gear on a separate shaft engages with 1st and 3rd gears to give reverse. Mitsubishi claim this saves weight.

Within the wheelarches Mitsubishi has incorporated a lip around the curve of the wheel to minimise turbulence. Given that the airflow within the wheelarches can cause serious problems with drag and lift Mitsubishi are to be praised for trying to address the problem.



Other aerodynamic tricks include vents behind the front wheelarches to allow hot air to escape, as do vents in the bonnet. There is also an air intake vent in the bonnet to allow the engine to breathe.



Clever details are something of a Mitsubishi speciality. Careful planning means lightweight sound damping foam has been employed only where necessary. The glazing is designed to reduce the transmission of solar heat by 60-100%. The glass also cuts out the transmission of ultra violet but does not reduce the amount of visible light entering the cabin. The headlights incorporate extra beams that come on when the steering is turned to light the way around corners.



Perhaps the most important detail, however, is the fact that Mitsubishi are offering a fixed-price deal for the Evo's first 3 services. Just £400 covers the cost and includes the initial 1,000 mile oil change. Given the high maintenance reputation of previous Evos that has to be a good thing. Unless, like the wheel arch spoilers and lack of reverse gear, that too is an elaborate wind up.