Like all other motor journalists, the emphasis is wrongly put on the ability of the suspension to "go up and down". This is just a side benefit, used for certain maintenance operations and tyre-changing. The main point is that it's a very soft, long-travel suspension but the suspension is self-levelling so if you have a near-empty car or full load of passengers and cargo, the ride-height is constant. So is the spring-rate: it won't wallow if the load is heavier because the nitrogen is compressed and the spring-rate increases so the natural frequency of the body remains the same. You also didn't notice the anti-dive front suspension geometry and centre-point steering. If you braked heavily even with no hands on the steering wheel, it will stop in a straight line. Never any bump-steer. I guess you can't tell much driving it around a car-yard.
And it is the first car in its category to get 4 disc brakes on 4 independent suspensions. This car's awesome, why did i sold mine, 1977 Pallas, green papyrus
Most of the GS owners today (around 90%, probably) have bought their current cars a number of years ago in memory of an older one that their parents had as they were children. I feel so fortunate indeed so as to still own the car (a 1978 GS Pallas) that saw me been born (currently under repair, though), so the bonds between us are unbreakable for real 🥰🥰 As for the car as such and its technical characteristics, people speak 95% of the time on the hydropneumatic suspension, but as I see it, that is just one of a number of strong points that it has: turning ratio, brakes, visibility from the interior and boot capacity are also quite good. On the negative side, however, engine shows a slight lack of power, mostly uphill, even in comparison with its contemporaries and of the same category. Acceleration is a bit lazy too, but who cares: the perfect car has never existed- all have their strong and weak points, and I love the GS as it is (well, with an extra +10hp it could be just the perfect car that never existed). As for the design of the boot door, some criticize it that you have to duck and even squat to introduce things into the boot or take them out. However, when it comes to voluminous and heavy cargo (a mowing machine, for instance) it is actually a blessing that the floor is so low and without that lower frame across the width of the car that most cars have.
We tend to purchase vehicles that evoke a positive nostalgic feeling also. We did this video early on in our CZcams career and still talk about how fun it was. We only had it for the day but that's all it really took. We love your breakdown of the car!
You need the hydraulic lever fully forward (lowest setting) for normal driving, i noticed it was in-between 1st and 2nd height when showing it to a camera 🙂 these are beautiful cars and being a mad Citroen enthusiast from the UK ive owned a few of these
Yes. You don’t drive far on the high setting, but do you really drive yours on the lowest suspension setting? I’m not letting you drive my GS or CX in that case then…..
@@acptelford1307 Normal ride height on a GS is the first setting i believe the CX os like the DS and has a lower setting but you never drive on that setting obviously,
I was going to say the same, the suspension lever should always be fully forward, here is where you get the softest and best damped ride, the middle setting is for increased ride height to clear obstacles etc and only for short distances the third highest setting is only for wheels change. Driving it in any other than the forward setting damages the suspension. I have owned 2 GS,s and wish I had never sold them
Actually, i think the speres are a bit hard when I see the way it hits that bump. The actual ride with ok speres and the lever set in the first position will probably leave you really amazed as to how much smoother the ride can still be! There is no suspension that is more comfortable and it keeps the car level under all weight situations (1 person, 4 person, trailer, it's just alwasys straight!)
No no no, you were driving in the wrong-higher setting of the suspension, which is not for normal driving and actually makes the ride quite firm. This higher setting is only meant for short distances at low speeds in order to overcome obstacles or just for maintenance eg tyre changing. You were supposed to drive in the lowest possible setting which gives a shorter travel to the suspension and is therefore suitable for normal driving and the soft ride it is known for.
@@bensonwarungu343 neither did I until quite recently, I do love Citroën's older cars. I think hydropneumatic suspension is amazing, I always remember being fascinated by next doors car, it was a black Citroën DS, the way it would hiss, click and gracefully rise up when started, it looked like nothings else and we had a crappy Ford Cortina estate (England in mid 70s). Also a friend of my Mum's had a Citroën GS in the early 80s. My Uncle had a Citroën BX diesel as his last car, it was so comfortable and it felt like you were Floating on a magic carpet.
@@jennydonne8946 merging with peugeot was a big mistake. Peugeot insisted that the Citroën hydroneumatic system was very expensive and would abandon it
I really enjoyed watching this video. I used to own several of these GS's and GSA's. They were way ahead of their time in the early 70's. You should thry to drive the Rotary engine version of it. Out of this world.
This car is also getting inboard disc brakes on front (+2 discs for each wheels), all the 4 wheels get their own independent suspension, and there'r whishbone ones for front wheels. The car is also self levelling, and when you brake, the back of the car is going down instead of up with modern cars. This is to avoid the front of the car to pitch down, but also the fluid in the brakes is more under pressure when the car is fully charged in the boot for example, so more pressure = more brakes. Moreover, and i don't know the words in English to explain, but the steering wheel of the car is connected in a special manner with a special angle so even if you have a big stone or gap on the road, the steering wheel will stay straigh. And one other between so much, the car is steering so precisely, it is even too much sometimes when you cruise quitly, but when you have some mountain roads for example, it is si good and precise. A car to keep for ever, so unique. (European car of the year 1971 just a few months after beeing released).
I had 4 of these and it is a boxer motor and if it had a parkingheater one of the sparkplugs was pretty much impossible to replace. The heating system sucked big time too. It rust very easy so I have welded a few square meter to patch them together. But it was a cool ride for sure oh yes I loved them. Funny brake though just a button in the floor. The hydraulic pipes/lines for the suspension and brakes could be hard to find a dealer for and the system itself broke easy.
You will notice that long journeys appear a lot shorter in these cars, those crush distances not by horsepower but by lack of outside influence - just by comfort.
The unique cyclops eye speedo and fan tacho is amazing on LHD cars. The brakes are full power discs off the suspension hydraulics and the car squats front & rear under heavy braking. Car rides so much better on the correct driving height with lever fully forward. Intermediate height is for rough roads with extra clearance. And you thought the ride was great on that setting! Imagine... softer Top height is for changing tyres or driving modest distance on 3 wheels (rear passenger's wheel removed).
This was Citroen's compact from 1970 to 1986. The similar looking but much bigger CX is the midsize, a little narrower than a US midsize but more legroom, almost like full size legroom really in that one. I actually prefer the dash in the lower trim G Special -- a little more race-car like (though the engine certainly isn't in that trim) as it was all dials. The heavier padding and full head restraints on the Pallas though look really nice. One other comment -- I'm just astonished at how little rust. It's in really good shape. You actually should have the car driving on its lowest hydraulic setting; the medium and high are just for issues such as rough roads, snow and loose dirt.....or for the GS party trick of changing a tire without really needing a jack.
This is loads of great information! Thank you for sharing. We really didn't know much about the car when we drove it but found it to be a complete blast to drive. The area Daryl was driving in was loose gravel but he just liked how plush the highest setting felt.
@@JustDriven I actually did a little more looking and it seems the sportier dials on the dashboard came in across the line including the Club and Pallas in a refresh around 1976, not just on the G Special. We (I was much too young ever to drive it) had a 1977 G Special estate (wagon) in England; woefully underpowered because of the 1015cc engine rather than the 1220 which itself could have stood a bit more oomph, but ride, handling and space were high points. In 1979 for the 1980 model year and beyond they updated to the GSA, which meant the sedan turned into a hatch/liftback. The dashboard in the GSA is frankly kind of ugly but this introduced bigger engines, better designed door handles, the hatch option of course and better bumpers.
The first (lowest) height position is the most comfortable and the actual normal driving position/heigjt. The midle one is higher and stiffer, to negotiate road where higher ground clearance is needed. The top / highest position is totally stiff for slow driving only. The car can go on three wheels in that position, without one of the rear wheels.
That noise from the front rotors are probably oil on the surface, can make a hilarious sound 😩 Wonder who got that GS to California, could it be Jaan Hjort at Eddinsmoto? He's in San Fran and a genius. Owns several GS/GSA.
Had one of these cars in the UK. Superb car but in the UK they all rusted to dust. Regarding the noise it looks to me like the handbrake (parking brake) lever is snapped off and still pulled on. The parking brakes were pretty poor TBH and its probably theses small separate pads you can hear complaining in the video.
Lots of great information and tips in here. Thank you for sharing. They seem like great cars. More of a novelty to own in the US than a daily driven vehicle.
@@JustDriven Thanks! Would loved to have gotten it to be a garage mate for my SM near Seattle - my family’s first Citroen was a ‘75 GS (we lived in Spain at the time).
Keep your Corola you would not believe the hussle it could be when they break. Nobody nows how to fix them no longer either so thats another reason to stay away. I once owned the complete original workshop manuals in english amd I tell you would need them to own one.
as more info, hand brake in hydros citroen do their job on front wheels instead rear ones like most cars. Safety in case hydro system, that supports brakes also, fails@@danielbliss8014
@@JustDriven it was a very popular car in France in the 1970s. We thought it was quite pretty and very comfortable. My father's was dark blue. I liked this car. Alas the car body was fragile and rusted quickly.
@@JustDriven Well..... Driving the car at that speed in the upper position like nothing and leaving it just like that.. Back in those years, apart of "rallying" the car, using the suspension the way it wasn't intended, ended up damaging the suspension.... So people were refilling the system with brake fluid instead of lhm and so on breaking seals and inner membranes inside the spheres. Finally, added to the incipient service network across the US and owners, with not so much aknowledge about hidropneumatic suspension and usage, taking the car to a Petrol Station with mechanics with just a wrench and a little more for a supposedly specialized service.... ended up killing the brand and its reputation.
Knowledge is power. It would be hard to maintain a vehicle like this unless the owner cared for it themselves instead of relying on a mechanic. This would severely limit the amount of potential owners however and would ruin sales numbers. So, yah, makes sense. It's too bad really, we loved this thing!
Like all other motor journalists, the emphasis is wrongly put on the ability of the suspension to "go up and down". This is just a side benefit, used for certain maintenance operations and tyre-changing. The main point is that it's a very soft, long-travel suspension but the suspension is self-levelling so if you have a near-empty car or full load of passengers and cargo, the ride-height is constant. So is the spring-rate: it won't wallow if the load is heavier because the nitrogen is compressed and the spring-rate increases so the natural frequency of the body remains the same.
You also didn't notice the anti-dive front suspension geometry and centre-point steering. If you braked heavily even with no hands on the steering wheel, it will stop in a straight line. Never any bump-steer. I guess you can't tell much driving it around a car-yard.
The citroen GS has powerbrakes. They share the circuit of the hydropneumatic suspension
Yes. If you mistakenly think it doesn't and use all your force on the pedal, you'll go through the windscreen! And put flat-spots on the tyres ;P
And it is the first car in its category to get 4 disc brakes on 4 independent suspensions. This car's awesome, why did i sold mine, 1977 Pallas, green papyrus
Most of the GS owners today (around 90%, probably) have bought their current cars a number of years ago in memory of an older one that their parents had as they were children. I feel so fortunate indeed so as to still own the car (a 1978 GS Pallas) that saw me been born (currently under repair, though), so the bonds between us are unbreakable for real 🥰🥰
As for the car as such and its technical characteristics, people speak 95% of the time on the hydropneumatic suspension, but as I see it, that is just one of a number of strong points that it has: turning ratio, brakes, visibility from the interior and boot capacity are also quite good.
On the negative side, however, engine shows a slight lack of power, mostly uphill, even in comparison with its contemporaries and of the same category. Acceleration is a bit lazy too, but who cares: the perfect car has never existed- all have their strong and weak points, and I love the GS as it is (well, with an extra +10hp it could be just the perfect car that never existed).
As for the design of the boot door, some criticize it that you have to duck and even squat to introduce things into the boot or take them out. However, when it comes to voluminous and heavy cargo (a mowing machine, for instance) it is actually a blessing that the floor is so low and without that lower frame across the width of the car that most cars have.
We tend to purchase vehicles that evoke a positive nostalgic feeling also. We did this video early on in our CZcams career and still talk about how fun it was. We only had it for the day but that's all it really took. We love your breakdown of the car!
how could you like driving in this wrong hydraulic position?? Unbelievable :-)
You need the hydraulic lever fully forward (lowest setting) for normal driving, i noticed it was in-between 1st and 2nd height when showing it to a camera 🙂 these are beautiful cars and being a mad Citroen enthusiast from the UK ive owned a few of these
Good tip, Thanks!
Yes. You don’t drive far on the high setting, but do you really drive yours on the lowest suspension setting? I’m not letting you drive my GS or CX in that case then…..
@@acptelford1307 Normal ride height on a GS is the first setting i believe the CX os like the DS and has a lower setting but you never drive on that setting obviously,
I was going to say the same, the suspension lever should always be fully forward, here is where you get the softest and best damped ride, the middle setting is for increased ride height to clear obstacles etc and only for short distances the third highest setting is only for wheels change. Driving it in any other than the forward setting damages the suspension. I have owned 2 GS,s and wish I had never sold them
Actually, i think the speres are a bit hard when I see the way it hits that bump. The actual ride with ok speres and the lever set in the first position will probably leave you really amazed as to how much smoother the ride can still be! There is no suspension that is more comfortable and it keeps the car level under all weight situations (1 person, 4 person, trailer, it's just alwasys straight!)
No no no, you were driving in the wrong-higher setting of the suspension, which is not for normal driving and actually makes the ride quite firm. This higher setting is only meant for short distances at low speeds in order to overcome obstacles or just for maintenance eg tyre changing. You were supposed to drive in the lowest possible setting which gives a shorter travel to the suspension and is therefore suitable for normal driving and the soft ride it is known for.
We had no idea what the settings were when we drove this! It was still fun though!
I think they were capable of near the 100pmh top speed because of their great aerodynamics, despite their modest power output.
A 100mph? We were not willing to attempt to break that record!
Yes, this one has got the 1200 engine and has a 160 km/h top speed wich would be around 100 mph before the revcounter goes into red 😅
1220 cc , 151 km/h
The higher setting is for matanence only like changing a tyre, it's not meant to be driven in highest suspension setting
Oh didn't know that
@@bensonwarungu343 neither did I until quite recently, I do love Citroën's older cars. I think hydropneumatic suspension is amazing, I always remember being fascinated by next doors car, it was a black Citroën DS, the way it would hiss, click and gracefully rise up when started, it looked like nothings else and we had a crappy Ford Cortina estate (England in mid 70s). Also a friend of my Mum's had a Citroën GS in the early 80s. My Uncle had a Citroën BX diesel as his last car, it was so comfortable and it felt like you were Floating on a magic carpet.
@@jennydonne8946 merging with peugeot was a big mistake. Peugeot insisted that the Citroën hydroneumatic system was very expensive and would abandon it
@@bensonwarungu343 I think it was the worst thing for Citroën to ditch the hydropnumatic suspension
A beautiful car, nice ride 👍🏻
I really enjoyed watching this video. I used to own several of these GS's and GSA's. They were way ahead of their time in the early 70's. You should thry to drive the Rotary engine version of it. Out of this world.
WHOA! A rotary version!? We are going to keep our eyes out for one. Thanks!
This car is also getting inboard disc brakes on front (+2 discs for each wheels), all the 4 wheels get their own independent suspension, and there'r whishbone ones for front wheels. The car is also self levelling, and when you brake, the back of the car is going down instead of up with modern cars. This is to avoid the front of the car to pitch down, but also the fluid in the brakes is more under pressure when the car is fully charged in the boot for example, so more pressure = more brakes. Moreover, and i don't know the words in English to explain, but the steering wheel of the car is connected in a special manner with a special angle so even if you have a big stone or gap on the road, the steering wheel will stay straigh. And one other between so much, the car is steering so precisely, it is even too much sometimes when you cruise quitly, but when you have some mountain roads for example, it is si good and precise. A car to keep for ever, so unique. (European car of the year 1971 just a few months after beeing released).
This is all great information none of us here even knew when we took it for a spin or even now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I had 4 of these and it is a boxer motor and if it had a parkingheater one of the sparkplugs was pretty much impossible to replace. The heating system sucked big time too. It rust very easy so I have welded a few square meter to patch them together. But it was a cool ride for sure oh yes I loved them. Funny brake though just a button in the floor. The hydraulic pipes/lines for the suspension and brakes could be hard to find a dealer for and the system itself broke easy.
Haha. Should have put a cam on the dog.
That really should be for any video right? "Cam the dog!"
You will notice that long journeys appear a lot shorter in these cars, those crush distances not by horsepower but by lack of outside influence - just by comfort.
Yah, we enjoyed the comfort and wish we had one for some road trips.
The unique cyclops eye speedo and fan tacho is amazing on LHD cars.
The brakes are full power discs off the suspension hydraulics and the car squats front & rear under heavy braking.
Car rides so much better on the correct driving height with lever fully forward.
Intermediate height is for rough roads with extra clearance. And you thought the ride was great on that setting! Imagine... softer
Top height is for changing tyres or driving modest distance on 3 wheels (rear passenger's wheel removed).
We read about a lot of the specs after driving the car. Very cool car.
One of the most underestimates cars. I love mine.
That's so cool that you own one!
@@JustDriven yes, a 1978 Pallas
@@mcmillanjoe Just like mine, and the one that saw me been born, not one bought over the recent years in memory of another one we had in the past.
This was Citroen's compact from 1970 to 1986. The similar looking but much bigger CX is the midsize, a little narrower than a US midsize but more legroom, almost like full size legroom really in that one. I actually prefer the dash in the lower trim G Special -- a little more race-car like (though the engine certainly isn't in that trim) as it was all dials. The heavier padding and full head restraints on the Pallas though look really nice. One other comment -- I'm just astonished at how little rust. It's in really good shape. You actually should have the car driving on its lowest hydraulic setting; the medium and high are just for issues such as rough roads, snow and loose dirt.....or for the GS party trick of changing a tire without really needing a jack.
This is loads of great information! Thank you for sharing. We really didn't know much about the car when we drove it but found it to be a complete blast to drive. The area Daryl was driving in was loose gravel but he just liked how plush the highest setting felt.
@@JustDriven I actually did a little more looking and it seems the sportier dials on the dashboard came in across the line including the Club and Pallas in a refresh around 1976, not just on the G Special. We (I was much too young ever to drive it) had a 1977 G Special estate (wagon) in England; woefully underpowered because of the 1015cc engine rather than the 1220 which itself could have stood a bit more oomph, but ride, handling and space were high points. In 1979 for the 1980 model year and beyond they updated to the GSA, which meant the sedan turned into a hatch/liftback. The dashboard in the GSA is frankly kind of ugly but this introduced bigger engines, better designed door handles, the hatch option of course and better bumpers.
One more for the album -- Citroen UK marketing of the base trim GS in 1978. czcams.com/video/P2xLM91NUMs/video.html
Our first family car when I was a kid
Hopefully you had fond memories.
The furry cargo is the best 🐶
The first (lowest) height position is the most comfortable and the actual normal driving position/heigjt.
The midle one is higher and stiffer, to negotiate road where higher ground clearance is needed. The top / highest position is totally stiff for slow driving only. The car can go on three wheels in that position, without one of the rear wheels.
Thank you for the information!
That noise from the front rotors are probably oil on the surface, can make a hilarious sound 😩 Wonder who got that GS to California, could it be Jaan Hjort at Eddinsmoto? He's in San Fran and a genius. Owns several GS/GSA.
Had one of these cars in the UK. Superb car but in the UK they all rusted to dust. Regarding the noise it looks to me like the handbrake (parking brake) lever is snapped off and still pulled on. The parking brakes were pretty poor TBH and its probably theses small separate pads you can hear complaining in the video.
It is a pity that people who know so little about Citroens always end
up reviewing Citroens. The car has the wrong tires! At least he admires the GS.
Yah, this isn't much of a review as it is a fun drive with some friends. We don't have many Citroens here in the States.
Wonderful cars. I had a 77 GS when in Germany. Rust was its enemy. I always thought it would be a great car in the US, although no A/C.
Nice! We had a lot of fun with this thing. These would be fun as a more modern car but a similar concept. Great little commuter vehicle.
Oh I forgot all the finethreaded metric screws and bolts are very hard to find. I still have some down im my garage
Lots of great information and tips in here. Thank you for sharing. They seem like great cars. More of a novelty to own in the US than a daily driven vehicle.
Where in California is this GS located? Will it be put up for sale somewhere?
Located in SoCal but the car however has already been sold
@@JustDriven Thanks! Would loved to have gotten it to be a garage mate for my SM near Seattle - my family’s first Citroen was a ‘75 GS (we lived in Spain at the time).
Keep your Corola you would not believe the hussle it could be when they break. Nobody nows how to fix them no longer either so thats another reason to stay away. I once owned the complete original workshop manuals in english amd I tell you would need them to own one.
The high mode is only for flood water ffs. Lol
It's like hiking your pants up when stepping in a puddle.
So what happened to it?? Did you sell it??
We had it auctioned off and it sold not long after filming this video.
It all comes from the Citröen DS from 1955.
Thanks for the information! We had a blast driving this thing!
It looks like my dad's Chevy Citation.
haha...Sorta! The hatch area on the Citroen are a little more rounded. And the steering wheel on the Chevy could never be as cool as the Citroen!
what happened with the hand brake??🤨
It's in the middle of the dashboard; you pull it straight out toward you. Sort of camouflaged with the trim when it's not in use.
as more info, hand brake in hydros citroen do their job on front wheels instead rear ones like most cars. Safety in case hydro system, that supports brakes also, fails@@danielbliss8014
A GS in the USA? 👍
Yah, it's been here for a while too. It was a fun car to drive!
Last time I drove in a Citroen I got seasick. Ride is super smooth but it really does sway all over the place.
If Daryl was driving this does not surprise us!
Never experienced any swaying in all the hydrpneumatic Citroëns I drove (and will be driving after I finished refreshing my GS)
i just bought one, but mine was made in yugoslavia💪
That's awesome!
my father had the same car in 1975 (i'm french)
Yah? Did you have fond memories of it growing up? It seems like it would be a fun car despite it not being very pretty.
@@JustDriven it was a very popular car in France in the 1970s. We thought it was quite pretty and very comfortable. My father's was dark blue. I liked this car. Alas the car body was fragile and rusted quickly.
That's too bad about your dad's old car rusting. It really is the enemy of many cars sadly.
If you wonder why citroen stopped selling cars in usa, this is why.......
What exactly?
@@JustDriven Well..... Driving the car at that speed in the upper position like nothing and leaving it just like that.. Back in those years, apart of "rallying" the car, using the suspension the way it wasn't intended, ended up damaging the suspension.... So people were refilling the system with brake fluid instead of lhm and so on breaking seals and inner membranes inside the spheres. Finally, added to the incipient service network across the US and owners, with not so much aknowledge about hidropneumatic suspension and usage, taking the car to a Petrol Station with mechanics with just a wrench and a little more for a supposedly specialized service.... ended up killing the brand and its reputation.
Knowledge is power. It would be hard to maintain a vehicle like this unless the owner cared for it themselves instead of relying on a mechanic. This would severely limit the amount of potential owners however and would ruin sales numbers. So, yah, makes sense. It's too bad really, we loved this thing!