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  • Citroen used to be known for giving us outlandish cars. From the svelte DS to the

  • quirky Citroen 2CV, and C4 Cactus, first launched in 2014.

  • Trouble is, it wasn't that popular with buyers. So, fast forward four years and

  • the C4 Cactus has had its styling readressed and it's repositioned to compete

  • with the likes of the Skoda Octavia, and

  • It's a vast improvement!

  • It's trademark paint protecting air bumps have shrunk

  • and most of the grey plastic cladding that

  • adorned the previous car has gone too. On the inside there are still some unusual

  • touches, such as the square bottom steering wheel, bulbous air vents, and strange

  • shaped handbrake lever. Keep watching to see if the C4 Cactus

  • has the dynamic ability to match it's more mature looks, and remember if at the

  • end of this review you are thinking about buying one. Then head to Whatcar.com

  • and go to our New Car Deals section, where we can help save you thousands!

  • First though, let's take it for a drive.

  • There's a choice of either a 1.6 diesel or a 1.2 petrol with 3 power guises.

  • There's the least powerful, which is the 82 PureTech petrol model, and it's quite

  • weedy so it's definitely not our first choice. Then the most powerful is the

  • 130 PureTech petrol model and although that has a lot more power it's

  • quite expensive to buy. So our favourite is the 110 PureTech

  • petrol, which is what we're testing today, and it has the right blend of

  • performance and economy.

  • It's turbocharged, so picks up well from low

  • revs, and it's got enough oomph to hold its own at motorway speeds. All three petrol

  • engines are quieter and smoother than the diesel too.

  • You can have the 110

  • PureTech with either an automatic or manual gearbox, we prefer the manual because it

  • offers better acceleration, and the automatic can be a tad slow to change

  • gear. If you're really after an auto, then you'd be better off with the dual clutch

  • system in a Volkswagen Golf or Skoda Octavia.

  • The C4 has been given fairly

  • soft suspension which is intended to give the car a comfortable ride over

  • broken surfaces, so it might come as a surprise to learn that the Cactus isn't

  • all that comfortable

  • Over large imperfections, it crashes and shimmies

  • and even under light acceleration the setup causes the body to just pitch back

  • and forth, which, ultimately if you want to be comfortable a Volkswagen Golf and

  • Skoda Octavia are definitely more capable in this department.

  • The seat comes with adjustable lumbar support, which at What Car?, we love.

  • Although there's plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel, not everyone

  • will find a comfortable driving position because the seat base is so soft, it kind

  • of puts your legs into an elevated position, you almost feel like you're

  • trying to drive while sitting on your sofa, if you get the picture. In terms of

  • visibility, forward visibility is excellent, and it's only really

  • obstructed by the ‘A’ and ‘B’ pillars, depending on where your seating position is.

  • Out the back, not quite so good, which is not uncommon for a family hatchback.

  • Great news though, you do get parking sensors as standard, and if you go for

  • the range-toppingFlaremodel, you also get a reversing camera. Although the

  • Cactus interior does have some neat touches, such as this flip up glovebox

  • lid. What we can't overlook though, is the hard scratchy plastic which just

  • doesn't match rivals interior quality. Whichever C4 Cactus you go for, you do

  • get this smart looking 7-inch touchscreen, which although is not the

  • most responsive we've tried, you do get DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

  • The C4 has arguably one of the most striking interiors in its class, but it

  • is perhaps, not as practical as you might expect. We do have some useful storage

  • compartments including this flip up glovebox, which I can pop a banana and

  • some healthy snacks in, and a lot more, because it's a decent size. We've got

  • two cupholders, and a fairly decent-sized door bin, and some more storage here, and in

  • terms of head and legroom. Well, it's fairly average in class, but let's check

  • out the back seats.

  • The rear bench is more narrow than both the Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia, so

  • to fit three adults side-by-side in the back is going to prove quite cramped.

  • In terms of headroom, well it's quite squishy and I'm only

  • 5ft 4 1/2in, so six-footers will feel really quite squashed in the

  • back here, and then when you combine that with these very old-fashioned opening

  • windows which I remember on my Citroen AX GT many years ago, rear seat

  • passengers might feel that they are keen to escape, and not do a long journey. On

  • a plus point though, there is plenty of storage here because the door bins are

  • really good size.

  • Not only that but the back seats don't slide backwards and

  • forwards, they just fold on a standard 60/40 split, and when they do, there's

  • quite a sizeable step. There's also no false floor, and if there was it would

  • eradicate this large load lip, which can make loading heavier bulkier items in

  • and out quite laborious. In terms of overall size it's reasonable, but the

  • Skoda Octavia is bigger. We managed to squeeze 6 suitcases into the C4 Cactus

  • and a whopping 11 in the Octavia.

  • The Citroen C4 Cactus is affordable to buy, it's good value, and Citroen dealers are

  • giving generous discounts. In terms of running costs even the 110 PureTech

  • petrol model we're testing today will return 50mpg if driven

  • considerately. All trim levels come with a generous amount of equipment

  • including air-con and cruise control. You'll have to stump up the most cash

  • forFlairtrim, but this does add a built-in sat-nav, and important active

  • safety systems such as Automatic Emergency Braking, and Lane Departure Warning.

  • However the Cactus interior, trim, and infotainment system, aren't up there

  • with alternatives from SEAT, Skoda, and Volkswagen, and it doesn't match them for

  • handling and driving experience either. That said this car will appeal to those

  • whose priorities are: an affordable price, low running costs and, avant-garde

  • styling. Just make sure you can live with its foibles before committing to buy one.

  • For plenty more on the Citroen C4 Cactus, including our full online review,

  • head to whatcar.com, and remember we can help save you thousands, if you are

  • thinking about buying one, just go to our New Car Deals section at Whatcar.com.

  • But before you go anywhere, hit subscribe and never miss another video!

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