Showing posts with label cactus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cactus. Show all posts

Friday, July 25, 2014

Citroen C4 Cactus

The Citroen C4 range once has a hatchback, the Picasso minivans, and the Aircross compact SUV. Now, the C4 family has expanded with a new member and what's this? C4 Cactus? The Cactus is a crossover, just like the Aircross, but there's more to this story than that.

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus

You see the Citroen C4 Cactus isn't more of a crossover nor a compact in its own right. It was made for those who can't really afford a regular C4 hatchback because when you look at their prices, the C4 Cactus starts at 13,950 Euros TTC, which is 5,250 Euros less than the normal C4 hatchback. That's a good merit for the Cactus, but what can you expect from the C4's lesser sibling?

Judging by its looks, it can be somewhat too cheeky in design terms. The front face looks as if it has the headlamps of the new Jeep Cherokee while the paneling on the side view feels like when steel and chocolate got accidentally fused. Oh my goodness. It looks like a mutated chocolate bar on wheels and if anyone has a craving for chocolates, look away now because you've just chased a moving piece of chocolate bar. Ha ha ha...

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus interior

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus interior

What about the interior? Well, I was expecting good things and it is but only just. When fully equipped, you can enjoy what's inside the Cactus and you'll get the same experience as you would expect from a cheap girl's car from Japan. Yes, Toyota Passo reference. But this isn't a Toyota Passo for some unknown reasons. This is a budget car loaded with some premium stuff such as a digital instrumental panel, touch screen for climate control, navigation, radio, and some thingamabobs, and for the first time, the airbag was displaced to the roof. Sounds clever but what about driving.

It behaves like a normal and civilized car. There's no complicated wizardry involved and driving one of these is incredibly easy, although you might be experiencing some understeering but never mind about that. The C4 Cactus is a simple car made for novice of drivers because thanks to its low cost of ownership, almost everyone can afford this simple machine made of simple stuff.

For a car so simple, the Cactus is available with the choice of three petrol engines and two diesel engines. The top-of-the-line is the one with the BlueHDi 100 engine mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It will do 0-100kph in 10.7 seconds and a top speed of 184kph. It's not what you call quick but as a city car, the Cactus tries to be content with what it has but is the car content even though it doesn't have a split-fold rear seat or a wind-down back windows? Even though it doesn't have those like you would expect in a typical Citroen, it's natural.

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus

So would you buy one? Even though it costs less than a normal C4, you should go for it if you're new to the world of motoring but if you want something even more affordable than the C4 Cactus but sacrifice its sizing for something else, get yourself a new C1.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen