The test car that Citroën agents Pavlides and Araouzos gave me for the weekend, so that I could test it in real life situations over a few days was bright yellow (I later discovered that Citroën calls it ‘Hello Yellow’) and I ended up fondly referring to it as ‘the banana’ – which was perhaps unfair, because the Citroën C4 Cactus is no banana!
It is, rather, a bold response to the changing needs and priorities of today’s car owners, and it’s great to see the French car-maker return to its quirky roots: Citroën have always been unafraid to buck motoring trends, and to find innovative solutions for motorists – and the Cactus certainly does that.
It is eye-catching, to say the least: I noticed several people in the supermarket car park taking a few minutes to inspect it, which is hardly surprising, bearing in mind that it doesn’t look very much like your average motor.
It has concept car looks and crossover styling cues but really it’s just a very friendly family vehicle.
Citroën says “simplicity and efficiency combine with practicality and low ownership costs in a unique blend of form and function to offer more of what really counts to new car buyers” – and they’re right.
How many times have you returned to your parked car to find bumps or scratches caused by other motorists? That’s less likely for cactus owners because the car has been sort of bubble-wrapped in the areas most likely to sustain such damage: revolutionary Airbump® technology is fitted to the doors, and at the front and rear. The tough, air-filled TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) capsules protect against minor bumps and scrapes; they need no specific maintenance and reduce the stress and expense associated with car park dings and dents, which of course cuts service and repair costs over the lifetime of the car.
Inside, the first thing you notice is the wide, sofa-style front seats – and they are very comfortable! The feeling is one of simplicity and space. There’s plenty of leg, elbow and headroom, too, for up to five adults. The boot is a generous 358-litre capacity, which can expand to 1,170-litres with the rear seats folded.
The simplified dashboard creates more space for the front passenger and on ETG (Efficient Tronic Gearbox) versions like the test car, the gear selector is replaced by a neat ‘Easy Push’ system with ‘Drive, Neutral and Reverse’ push-button control, which makes room for the bench-style front seat layout.
Fitted as standard, the fully digital Touch Drive interface features a 7-inch touchscreen to control all the main vehicle functions, including air conditioning, media (radio, audio streaming, music and photo storage), driving aids like cruise control, which is standard across the range, and, on higher spec versions, reversing camera and Park Assist), telephone (hands-free via Bluetooth®, contacts, call management – only on the top two trim levels) and vehicle settings.
All these controls are grouped on a single screen but there are convenient shortcut keys on either side of the main screen.
On the passenger side of the dashboard, Top-Box is a large and easily accessible storage compartment made possible by new and exclusive ‘Airbag in Roof’ technology. This innovation delivers a roof-mounted front passenger airbag for the first time; it deploys from the roof and inflates correctly regardless of the passenger’s position. The 120-litre volume also ensures it covers the touchscreen area.
The Cactus shares the same platform as the DS3 and makes extensive use of the latest weight-saving materials: the bonnet is aluminium, there are pop-out, rather than wind-down, rear windows (which some people might say is a minus point) and a single-piece folding rear bench (no split rear seat). Weighing from just 965kg, the car is some 200kg lighter than an equivalent Citroën C4.
As a result, Citroën has been able to adopt smaller engines to improve efficiency – without compromising driveability. Combined with ultra-low rolling resistance tyres, the latest-generation petrol and diesel engines offer a responsive (although, it must be said, not exhilarating) drive – whilst delivering impressive combined fuel economy figures of up to 91.1mpg and CO2 emissions from just 82g/km.
The weight-saving measures also reduce wear on other consumables, like tyres and brake pads.
Overall, Citroën says the ‘design to value’ approach employed with the C4 Cactus reduces running costs by around 20 per cent compared with conventional models in the compact hatchback segment.
Other innovations include ‘Magic Wash’ windscreen wipers that dispense the washer fluid from the wiper blades – so there’s no more spraying your roof and the car behind you when you want to wash the screen! The system also reduces washer fluid consumption and reservoir size by 50 per cent.
Three variants are available in Cyprus: the 1.2 litre petrol engine with either manual or automatic transmission, and the 1.6 diesel automatic. All have stop-start technology so you’ll save a significant amount of fuel if you do a lot of driving around town.
Customers can also choose one of four Airbump colours to go with their preferred paint colour, so they can be pretty sure that their car will be a little different from others on the road. Further personalisation is possible by specifying red or white (instead of the standard black) for the door mirrors and rear quarter-panel inserts.
There are three trim levels – Live, Feel and Shine – with prices starting from €15,500 for the 82 hp 1.2 petrol variant with manual transmission, rising to €20,500 for the 92hp ETG6 automatic diesel version like the test car.
