Strictly speaking, Citroen’s new C4 Cactus is not yet available, although orders are being taken. First deliveries to customers are expected to be made in October so it’s not far away, but Citroen brought one up to Scotland this week for journalists to appraise.
If you haven’t seen one in the flesh yet, there’s a surprise in store. It’s not as big as it looks in the photographs. That’s all down to its chunky SUV style looks and proportions, but it certainly isn’t a high riding, high stepping rock crawler. In fact, the roofline is lower than the C4 saloon car on which it is based.
For that same reason, a 100 hp engine is most certainly not underpowered for a car of its size. It’s even 55kgs lighter than the C4 and while it won’t break any speed records, the turbocharged, intercooled, 1598cc diesel provides all the performance a buyer of this car will need. It also has one other appealing factor. With CO2 emissions of 89 g/km there’s no Road Fund Licence to buy.
And because it’s not a sports car, the almost 11 second, 0 to 60 time will not be an issue for most buyers although the speed through the gears is quite impressive and that’s down to the 254 Nm of torque generated by the oil burner under the bonnet. Even so, given its head, the car will exceed 110 mph, but perhaps not on the M8 on a Wednesday afternoon.
Where the car really excels is in the ride quality. It’s so soft you’d think it was riding on air suspension, but it isn’t. It has MacPherson struts at the front and sprung torsion bar at the rear and although the set up is soft, it doesn’t wallow. Odd, but really nice. Admittedly, the odd sunken manhole cover or sharp edge pot hole will catch it out, but not as badly as some other cars with a less forgiving ride.
So far, so conventional, but it’s the ‘looks department’ that causes most comment. Some folk don’t like the ‘air bump’ panels on the sides, and think it’s gimmicky and unattractive, but I’m not so sure, I think the panels match the chunky looks. They also have one other rather appealing function, they will protect the paintwork from those shopping centre, multi-storey car park numpties who throw open their own car doors without any thought for the poor sod parked next to them. Each dent and scar not only detracts from the looks of your own car but also its re-sale/trade-in value.
And if the air bump panels do get scarred, replace them. You can even opt for a different colour, so that will save a trip to the paint shop.
For the same reason, the front ‘blisters’ under the headlamp units and the panels at the rear protect the headlamp units and tail lamp clusters from minor damage, while the plastic wheel arch mouldings provide an additional degree of protection from the rough and tumble of city centre driving and parking.
It’s not quite a fairground bumper car, but it is well thought out and well protected.
It’s also just a bit more comfortable inside than a bumper car, with room for 4 folk or 5 at a squeeze, in pleasant surroundings. The dashboard may not appeal to those who prefer dials and switches as it has a ‘floating’ central, touch-screen display panel for all the comfort and entertainment functions and another flat panel ahead of the driver with digital speedo and other essential driver information.
And it looks good too, with its flip-top glovebox and twin catch details (only one actually operates the opening mechanism) but the two look good together, and the leather door pull makes a welcome change from the traditional plastic grab handle.
There’s a lot to like about the Cactus and the price isn’t as prickly as you might think. Starting from £17,990 it will make a statement even sitting parked in your drive. Yup, I liked it, and I could live with one too.