Sailers use to say: 'The more fenders, the worse the shipper'
Welcome onboard the Citroën C4 Cactus, the first car with fenders.
Rubber buffers all around, to protect paintwork...
... that will never ever see the sunlight.
I think the rubber is very useful for marketing purposes...
... and looks, the main reasons for this cars exictence.
And it does look very well, robust and big.
It looks like a car from the C-segment, just what Citroën wants.
That's why it's called 'C4 Cactus': the C4 is a C-segment car.
The brand proudly announced it's 200 kg lighter than the normal C4.
No wonder: it's based on the B-segment C3.
The chassis of that car is 175 kg lighter than the one of the C4,
so it actually only lost 25 kg extra.
Those kilo's were lost by these simple pop out windows,
and the 'smartwash'-system, which uses less fluid.
This saves 1,5 kg.
I think it's a good idea to visit the toilet before driving,
saving another 2 kg.
By losing weight, Citroën also saved costs to make the car cheaper.
Problem is: the missing equipment isn't even optional.
A rev counter, for example, is not available.
Citroën says you don't need it, but I think otherwise.
The dashboard, however, is very nice and looks like good quality.
The display is way better than the one in the CLA I drove earlier.
Nice materials, clever storage space, a nice steering wheel..
This is all very good.
The dashboard gives it the premium experience you want in this car.
Citroën might fake us by claiming it belongs in the C-segment,
but for a B-segment car, it drives very well.
It's quite comfortable to start with,
The electronic, speed sensitive power steering is a bit artificial.
However... it is quite direct and accurate.
The gearbox is also nice to work with.
This 3 cylinder, 82 PS engine is...
just sufficient. The 110 PS-version is a better choice.
It is clear Citroën had to save money on this car,
but that doesn't really matter.
It's just a nice, special and eye-catching car.
Citroën offers a lot of colors, to make it even more special.
It's also relatively cheap,
and cars like Mini and Fiat 500 are very successful.
Enough reasons to know the Cactus can be so as well.
+ Original and bold; Nice use of materials
- Much equipment not available; Narrow in the back