RE: Citroen C4 Cactus: Review

[s3fella]

Shows how far ahead of it years the Rover Streetwise was. And it was better looking

[LasseV]

This is somehow interesting car for a lease daily driver. I wouldn't buy for my own money, but i could lease it. It has a lot of good ideas and in generally it is just different. I somehow like it.

[timmeh2k]

Looks funky as st, all the new citroens are starting to look like something out of star trek and I for one can't help but like that

[Clivey]

Nousernamesleft said:

Interesting, how none of you are already informed about the Cactus and all you know is from this confusing review.
For myself, this is one of my favorite automobiles for 2014. It is inovative,doesn't look like 16 other cars already on the market, light (big plus for me, since all cars today are pigs) and it has character. You can also change those side plastic guards with ones of a different color when they get banged up or you just feel like today is purple. It is called the Cactus because of how it is made and what it represent; scarce resources, uses as little as possible. It uses "new" materials and tries to break the mold up a bit by getting rid of all the annoying crap that most cars are clad with today. I hardly see how that statement with the vents will stand in court, but yes, it can be annoying I guess, seeing how our family car (1993 Polo 1.0), has only 2 vents (always closed)
I love the car, I love the idea, as well as Citroen, the only brand that still has design left in it

They could save even more weight/cost by ditching the naff fake iPad thing. - Give me single or double DIN any day. What I would want though would be a rev counter (it seems a bit strange to omit one in a car supposedly full of tech), preferably with something similar to the fixed-hub steering wheel arrangement from the original (pre-facelift) C4.

[anonymous-user]

Qwert1e said:

I've seen those advertised - really don't understand who's going to buy it.

Me. As a replacement for my C3 Picasso which is a far more interesting option than a Yeti or any other mini MPV for that matter - brilliant ergonomics, funky interior, quirky styling (approved of by both my Citroen SM driving friend and my 280 TE/911 SC owning neighbour) - it's actually been one of my favourite cars and I like to think have owned some interesting machines.

Good effort Citroen.

[Nousernamesleft]

@Clivey
Yes, those pesky RPM's are a kind of apain in the butt, I do hope they put an optional extra at least, like with the C1/107/Aygo, for a top mounted gauge and I honestly hope the seat issue will be gone after customers complain once or twice. These aren't hard to fix things at least, I hope they will be adressed by Citroen.
As far as the iPad thingy, I despise ALL new cars for their big screens and daft interiors. Maybe it's because I am a minimalist or the fact that I would buy a car for the sheer joy of owning it and the love of driving.
I fell in love with this weird little thing for a couple of reasons. First it looks like nothing else on the market, second it is unique,original,interesting, third, it's a mould breaking Citroen and we all know how cool that can be I don't know, that thing just makes me smile.

[Clivey]

Nousernamesleft said:

@Clivey
Yes, those pesky RPM's are a kind of apain in the butt, I do hope they put an optional extra at least, like with the C1/107/Aygo, for a top mounted gauge and I honestly hope the seat issue will be gone after customers complain once or twice. These aren't hard to fix things at least, I hope they will be adressed by Citroen.
As far as the iPad thingy, I despise ALL new cars for their big screens and daft interiors. Maybe it's because I am a minimalist or the fact that I would buy a car for the sheer joy of owning it and the love of driving.

Wholehaertedly agree with all of that! You would have thought though that if they've gone to the effort of having a digital speedo, big screen etc., they'd at least integrate a tacho - it's not as if it'll add weight as the hardware has to be there anyway. Plus, at least with the original C4 (models without navigation), the trip computer, speedo etc. were independent of the headunit, so it could be replaced. I fitted an Alpine (full iPod control) unit in mine, the iPod connected in the glovebox via USB...a handy little opening meant I didn't have to drill or otherwise modify the dash to get the cable through, so I returned ti to standard before I sold it and the headunit now resides in my Discovery.

Nousernamesleft said:

I fell in love with this weird little thing for a couple of reasons. First it looks like nothing else on the market, second it is unique,original,interesting, third, it's a mould breaking Citroen and we all know how cool that can be I don't know, that thing just makes me smile.

That's exactly why I bought the C4 in the first place!

[dukebox9reg]

Clivey said:

Nousernamesleft said:

@Clivey
Yes, those pesky RPM's are a kind of apain in the butt, I do hope they put an optional extra at least, like with the C1/107/Aygo, for a top mounted gauge and I honestly hope the seat issue will be gone after customers complain once or twice. These aren't hard to fix things at least, I hope they will be adressed by Citroen.
As far as the iPad thingy, I despise ALL new cars for their big screens and daft interiors. Maybe it's because I am a minimalist or the fact that I would buy a car for the sheer joy of owning it and the love of driving.

Wholehaertedly agree with all of that! You would have thought though that if they've gone to the effort of having a digital speedo, big screen etc., they'd at least integrate a tacho - it's not as if it'll add weight as the hardware has to be there anyway. Plus, at least with the original C4 (models without navigation), the trip computer, speedo etc. were independent of the headunit, so it could be replaced. I fitted an Alpine (full iPod control) unit in mine, the iPod connected in the glovebox via USB...a handy little opening meant I didn't have to drill or otherwise modify the dash to get the cable through, so I returned ti to standard before I sold it and the headunit now resides in my Discovery.

Nousernamesleft said:

I fell in love with this weird little thing for a couple of reasons. First it looks like nothing else on the market, second it is unique,original,interesting, third, it's a mould breaking Citroen and we all know how cool that can be I don't know, that thing just makes me smile.

That's exactly why I bought the C4 in the first place!

If its anything like the speedo/dash unit in the Picasso you can have the rev counter next to the speedo, or the nav, or a compass or even a photo.

Only takes a roll of a thumb wheel on the steering wheel to change.









Not really difficult in the slightest.

[Clivey]

dukebox9reg said:

If its anything like the speedo/dash unit in the Picasso you can have the rev counter next to the speedo, or the nav, or a compass or even a photo.

Only takes a roll of a thumb wheel on the steering wheel to change.

Not really difficult in the slightest.

If it turns-out to be the same system (if Mr. Mahoney didn't realise you could make it display a tacho), then that's fine...though personally, for the sake of clarity, I prefer having my "infotainment" separate from my gauges.

I know...hard to please.

[LancerG]

FYI

The edges of the doors are also the airbump plastic, so you wont dent the car beside you either.

The plastic panels may be interchangeable with 4 colour options.

The dash tablet also has mobilemirror tech in it, you plug in your iphone & use the app's from your phone in your car...like maps. New C1 has this too, due in July.

Cactus is due in October

Ive seen one on the road in Portugal last week, looked great compared to all the boring looking cars.

Dacia - Just try and buy a duster for £9.5k - You cant. You will spend 15k on it once youve chosen the package you want. Its a myth that the Dacia range are ultra cheap. Like for like, they are the same price and worse quality. Just walk up to a Dacia Sandero and grab the thin bendy plastic door handle, the first touch of the car is enough to walk the other way.

This is a car for modern motoring, nippy, cheap, no RFL and different looking. Just look how many Juke, countryman type cars are being bought.

Well Done Citroen

[Dion20vt]

LancerG said:

FYI

The edges of the doors are also the airbump plastic, so you wont dent the car beside you either.

The plastic panels may be interchangeable with 4 colour options.

The dash tablet also has mobilemirror tech in it, you plug in your iphone & use the app's from your phone in your car...like maps. New C1 has this too, due in July.

Cactus is due in October

Ive seen one on the road in Portugal last week, looked great compared to all the boring looking cars.

Dacia - Just try and buy a duster for £9.5k - You cant. You will spend 15k on it once youve chosen the package you want. Its a myth that the Dacia range are ultra cheap. Like for like, they are the same price and worse quality. Just walk up to a Dacia Sandero and grab the thin bendy plastic door handle, the first touch of the car is enough to walk the other way.

This is a car for modern motoring, nippy, cheap, no RFL and different looking. Just look how many Juke, countryman type cars are being bought.

Well Done Citroen

How long have you been working for Citroen???

I Agree with you on the Dacia's... Was 95% sure on buying one 12 months ago, just before the Logan was released. I'm glad I didnt now. No discounts and everything was an option... Radio/cd player, option! Electric windows, option! Color other than white, Option! By the time I'd speccd the bare essentials (that standard on the base models of all their rivals), It wasn't such a cheap car after all!!

Plus, I waited for 3 weeks just to get a test drive in the Duster as the car was "in the garage being serviced"...

[Clivey]

Dion20vt said:

How long have you been working for Citroen???

I Agree with you on the Dacia's... Was 95% sure on buying one 12 months ago, just before the Logan was released. I'm glad I didnt now. No discounts and everything was an option... Radio/cd player, option! Electric windows, option! Color other than white, Option! By the time I'd speccd the bare essentials (that standard on the base models of all their rivals), It wasn't such a cheap car after all!!

Plus, I waited for 3 weeks just to get a test drive in the Duster as the car was "in the garage being serviced"...

I thought the whole point was to buy with the absolute minimum level of options you needed? There's no point in adding £'000s worth of non-essentials to something like a Logan/Sandero...it's a car intended for being bumped about in an urban environment, something you can park anywhere without worrying about others opening doors on to it or scuffing the bumpers.

...though personally, I'd buy £500's worth of old base model Peugeot 206 or small Fiat for that sort of thing, then drive it everywhere bouncing off the rev limiter.

[pSyCoSiS]

Just go out and buy an old sub-£1k luxo barge!

[Dion20vt]

Clivey said:

Dion20vt said:

How long have you been working for Citroen???

I Agree with you on the Dacia's... Was 95% sure on buying one 12 months ago, just before the Logan was released. I'm glad I didnt now. No discounts and everything was an option... Radio/cd player, option! Electric windows, option! Color other than white, Option! By the time I'd speccd the bare essentials (that standard on the base models of all their rivals), It wasn't such a cheap car after all!!

Plus, I waited for 3 weeks just to get a test drive in the Duster as the car was "in the garage being serviced"...

I thought the whole point was to buy with the absolute minimum level of options you needed? There's no point in adding £'000s worth of non-essentials to something like a Logan/Sandero...it's a car intended for being bumped about in an urban environment, something you can park anywhere without worrying about others opening doors on to it or scuffing the bumpers.

...though personally, I'd buy £500's worth of old base model Peugeot 206 or small Fiat for that sort of thing, then drive it everywhere bouncing off the rev limiter.

But surely in 2014 you'd expect a new car to come with a radio/cd player as standard?? And at least a choice of colors???

[rogerhudson]

smilo996 said:

Comment of the article:

Indicator of the times
Citroen says Cactus owners can will rely instead on the upshift indicator for economy driving, I of course relied on the sudden, but sure intervention of the rev limiter

It is great to see PSA not trying to compete with the seas of grey, black and three letter systems brigade to the East. Put character back into people's motoring.

So this Citroen is so quiet you can't hear the engine ?, i doubt it. In a 2CV you can hear and feel exactly what the engine is doing and drive accordingly.

[Bill]

Dion20vt said:

But surely in 2014 you'd expect a new car to come with a radio/cd player as standard?? And at least a choice of colors???

Isn't that the point he's making? FWIW I'd have a radio.

[Dion20vt]

Bill said:

Isn't that the point he's making? FWIW I'd have a radio.

IIRC - to have a radio or choice of colors, you have to spec the next trim level up. It's not as simple as choosing the base model and adding the odd extra. Dacia might have changed it by now, but that was the way they did it 12 months ago.

[Clivey]

Dion20vt said:

But surely in 2014 you'd expect a new car to come with a radio/cd player as standard?? And at least a choice of colors???

A CD-what?

Oh, yes...I remember those from the '90s. I'd rather it came with speakers but a DIN-sized hole/blank in the dash ready for my own headunit. As for "basic" (solid) colours: Yes, only having white (on a car with huge unpainted black plastic bumpers) is an obvious attempt to persuade you into ticking option boxes but, to be honest, sod the colour. - It's never going to be a looker anyway, is it?

[Dion20vt]

Clivey said:

Dion20vt said:

But surely in 2014 you'd expect a new car to come with a radio/cd player as standard?? And at least a choice of colors???

A CD-what?

Oh, yes...I remember those from the '90s. I'd rather it came with speakers but a DIN-sized hole/blank in the dash ready for my own headunit. As for "basic" (solid) colours: Yes, only having white (on a car with huge unpainted black plastic bumpers) is an obvious attempt to persuade you into ticking option boxes but, to be honest, sod the colour. - It's never going to be a looker anyway, is it?

I agree but there might be some warranty issues with people plugging in their own headunits??? Its the age we live in where any little excuse can void the warranties

[Bill]

I've just looked, and while it's true you can't get a radio from the factory without upgrading the trim level, the base model comes wired for a stereo.