Car Review: Citroën C4 Cactus
Every now and then a car comes along and you wonder what on earth the manufacturer is thinking. I remember when the Nissan Juke launched, people couldn’t decide whether they loved or hated the looks. The Citroën C4 Cactus falls in to the same category. But like everything in life, you need to give it a chance before you judge.
It falls in to the C-segment hatchback category, but resembles an off-roader…even though it is in no way capable of off-road driving. It ‘competes’ with the likes of the Juke as well as the Renault Captur and Kia Soul.
So the Cactus is an interesting little fella! Not just in looks, but let’s start there. It is rugged looking, although it doesn’t have a raised ride height and like I mentioned, no 4X4 capabilities. It has weird-looking rubberised panels down the side, but these ‘airbumps’ are actually there for good reason. It’s to stop your car getting scratched by other car doors or shopping trolleys and so on. And close up, they look pretty cool.
Step inside and things get even more interesting. The word that comes to mind is “minimalist.” There is merely a 7-inch touch screen in the middle of the console and one row of buttons. The door handles are leather luggage straps and because the airbag is mounted in the roof, the facia is left smooth and uncluttered. This airbag is a world first and creates more space and storage for the occupants.
There is also no rev counter, which probably won’t bother too many people, especially considering there is a shift indicator to prompt you on when to change gear. My main issue is with the back windows that don’t roll down but rather pop out, I hate these windows in any vehicles (think the big vans) as they just don’t supply enough air flow and can make things feel very claustrophobic.
My other main issue, even though it looks clean and sleek, is the lack of buttons for things such as air conditioning. After a long day standing in the sun, I hopped in to the car and had to wait for the touch screen to load before I was able to turn on the aircon…this is infuriating. Then when I climbed in early one morning having left the aircon on full blast the day before I almost froze to death waiting for the screen to load before I could turn it off. It is something that would turn me off purchasing the car, but it may not bother others all that much.
The Cactus is very generous with standard spec, you can expect satellite navigation, a reverse camera, bluetooth, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and hill assist.
The Citroën C4 Cactus is powered by the same engine found in the Peugeot 208 1,2 GT Line which produces 81 kW of power and 205 N.m of torque. It’s a punchy little engine and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Fuel consumption is another plus at just 4,7l/100 km.
Safety is another thing to boast about with six airbags including front driver, the roof-mounted front passenger ‘bag, as well as dual side and dual curtain ‘bags. Also included in the standard safety features is ABS with EBD, emergency brake assist, electronic stability control, isofix child anchorage points, electronic child locks, remote central locking and tyre pressure monitoring.
The Citroën C4 Cactus is certainly not your every day car when it comes to looks and feel, but who wants mundane anyway? Well I probably do, but only because I am a creature of comfort. I don’t like change all that much and the few things that irk me about this car would be the deal breaker. But for others, it might be exactly what you are looking for. It’s spacious, well-priced and frugal and overall a really great drive!
Priced from R259 900