We review the Citroen C4 Cactus from price to economy and all its features
THE Cactus is synonymous with the Wild West. Now Citroen are hoping their version will gun down their rivals in the crossover shoot-out.
That won't be easy up against the likes of Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, Kia Soul and Ford EcoSport.
You really need to stand out from the crowd and Citroen have certainly done that with the C4 Cactus. It gets the Air Bump spongey side panels, modern shape and a revolutionary re-think of approach in build.
Citroen have ditched the luxuries that they have researched that buyers of crossovers aren't fussed about. The rear windows pop out instead of wind down and the back seats fold as one long bench instead of the usual 60/40 split.
Not only does that keep the price down to under £13,000 and lower than chief rivals Juke, but the weight loss throughout the car means that fuel economy is high and CO2 emissions are low.
It's a radical but clever approach and I think it works. This is now the must-have crossover.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
IT looks like a lovechild of the Citroen C4 Picasso and Kia Soul. But it has all the classic Citroen innovative chic they are famed for.
It's square but with curved corners and the Air Bump may seem like a gimmick but in the long run will save dents and dings from the school run and tight supermarket car park spaces.
The DS3 raised eyebrows when Citroen said they were creating a premium division of the brand and it has been an outstanding success, the Cactus could do the same.
DRIVE TIME
Super-spacious … dancer Lauren Hair shows off the boot
WITH the emphasis seemingly on economy you would expect the driving dynamics of the Cactus to be fairly dull. It's surprisingly not bad at all.
Even the most powerful petrol version - the 109bhp 1.2 turbo - kicks out just 107g/km, while the 99bhp 1.6 Blue HDi diesel, which I drove and is expected to be the biggest seller, emits as little as 87g/km.
Citroens have always been famed for their plush suspension and hovercraft-like smooth ride but recently that's been undermined by the harder DS4 and DS5.
The Cactus is somewhere in between. The soft suspension comfortably deals with most of our road surfaces although some sharper holes and bumps do hit hard.
More importantly the steering is light and it's undemanding to drive which is so vital for the sort of driver of this car.
Even though fuel economy is high there's plenty of power thanks to such a light body of car to pull about. The only downside is I wish the gearbox was a bit more taut and less vague.
INSIDE STORY
Fresh … simplistic interior design
It's minimalistic but works well.
There's plenty of room for four six foot adults and the boot is on a level with the Kia Soul and space enough for at least 10 supermarket shopping bags. Lauren even fitted in three folded small trampolines.
Citroen have stripped out the fancy stuff to keep down cost and wright but you really don't notice. The materials are well designed to look upmarket and the dash is dominated by the 7in colour touchscreen.
This controls almost all the functions and is easy to live with thanks to the shortcut buttons on each side.
Perhaps the only niggly issue was that the heating is also controlled from the screen which means switching menus a lot just to change temperature. That is maybe something you'd get used to after owning the car a while.
Three trim levels are offered: Touch, Feel and Flair. Every C4 Cactus gets the touch-screen, a DAB digital radio, a USB socket, cruise control and six airbags, but you have to step up to mid-spec Feel trim for air-con, Bluetooth, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, plus an smarter exterior with gloss black accents and body-coloured door handles.
There are plenty of other ways to customise your Cactus, too, including 10 exterior colours and five different seat fabrics. All versions get the Airbump plastic side strips (available in four colours), which help protect the paintwork against scrapes and dings.
Key Facts
- Price: £12,990
- Power: 1.6litre turbo diesel, 99bhp
- 0-62mph: 10.7 seconds
- Top speed: 114mph
- Fuel economy: 83.1mpg
- CO2: 87g/km
more motors
Lauren bounces back
Boogie Bounce … trampoline fitness instructor Lauren Hair loves the Cactus
STUNNING Lauren Hair has found happiness as a trampoline fitness instructor - after a high-speed car crash almost wrecked her dancing career.
Pretty blonde Lauren, 20, was left with several broken ribs and severe bruising after a hit and run car smash which left her Ford Ka wrecked in January.
It also meant she had to turn down dancing jobs in the UK and Middle East and put on a stone in weight as she recovered from the rib injuries.
But plucky Lauren discovered she could still keep fit by doing trampoline exercising called 'Boogie Bounce'.
Not content with that she started her own business 'Booty Bounce' in her home town of Greenock and now has regular classes.
So we gave Lauren a car with its own 'bounce', the new Citroen C4 Cactus complete with its springy and unique Air Bumps, to use for her business for a few days.
She admitted: "The crash was a big blow because the other car that hit me just drove off. So I had to rely on my insurance and the replacement car was a Mini but it's not the most practical for the business.
"Sometimes I have to move the trampolines to difference venues and the Mini just isn't big enough.
'Ideal choice' … spacious Cactus is perfect for Lauren
"I was quite surprised how big the C4 Cactus was because I got four trampolines in the boot and could get another six in the back.
"I love the design of it, there's nothing else like it on the road and that appeals to me. I like things to be individual.
"But perhaps the most important aspect was the fuel economy. I can't believe it can do over 80mpg. I would hardly ever have to fill up and fuel is one of the biggest costs that hits my cash flow - for business and personally."
Lauren started dancing when she was just 11, learning freestyle dance before moving on to ballet and jazz.
The talented performer, who was a finalist in the 2011 series of SKY 1’s Got To Dance, bought 40 mini-trampolines and found a place to teach her classes. But she has also kept up her dancing too.
“I was really upset I had to miss out on some dance opportunities that I had in the UK and the Middle East.
“I couldn’t do anything for six weeks after the accident which meant I put on weight and even when I went back to my normal routine I couldn’t get rid of the weight.
“Nothing was working, but then my friend told me about this class where you work out and dance while on a trampoline.”
Within weeks of her sessions Lauren began to see the weight drop off, and decided she could teach the aerobics-style class herself.
Booty Bounce … Lauren teaches trampolining classes
She said: “It’s boosted my confidence again and helped me lose weight when nothing had before.
“The class has been great - one woman lost nine pounds within a few weeks and another one lost 10 pounds.
“I was frightened about starting the business at first because it was a lot of money to pay up front for start-up costs.
“But it’s been a big help for me on a personal level because it gave me something to focus on.
“It also gives you a buzz when women come up and say thanks because they’ve not exercised for so long and you’ve helped them get back into it.”
As well as running her own business, Lauren still travels around the world with girl group Gurlesque and tributes with The Kittycat Dolls.
And next month she will travel to Bahrain and then it’s on to Dubai in October followed by a trip to Paris after winning Miss Scotland Perfect last Sunday.
She added: "I really have bounced back thanks to trampolines. Hopefully I'll earn enough money to get a new car - the C4 Cactus seems the ideal choice!"
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