Cactus or Juke - advise me?
Discussion
my sister is toying with the idea of a new (to her) car is has settled on either a Citroen Cactus (with the bubble wrap) or a Nissan Juke - she's interested in practicality and reliability but isn't sure whether to spend £6/£7k or £10k. In other words is a newer one 'better' (build quality/toys/upgrades) and are the stereotypes relating to Japanese and French build quality valid here?
Any thoughts? I really don't know the first thing about practical cars
Any thoughts? I really don't know the first thing about practical cars
Can't help I'm afraid other than to share ignorance of such vehicles. Don't understand the Cactus - it's covered in bubbles to protect the pristine bodywork and presumably future resale value of... a Citroen Cactus (future 2nd hand value of most Citroens in pristine condition - thruppence).
Out of such things, the Kia Sportage looks reasonable (wouldn't go so far as to say interesting) and I'd probably have one over a Cactus or a Juke.
Out of such things, the Kia Sportage looks reasonable (wouldn't go so far as to say interesting) and I'd probably have one over a Cactus or a Juke.
Before the juke haters get here... (Too late)
My wife had a juke for a few years with the 1.5dci engine. It was a good little car, emphasis on the little. If you only need a Micra sized car then it's fine but if getting children in and out of rear seats then rear doors do hinder access and the boot as mentioned already is very small.
For our uses it was fine, it's great on fuel and goes well enough in diesel form. Apparently it's quite juicy in petrol guise, only negative I really had with it is that it does eat front tyres we could not get more than 8-10k out of a set. (4th set on at 30k miles).
As for the cactus we looked at these a while back and they seemed like a nice quirky car, definitely bigger / more practical than the juke.
My wife had a juke for a few years with the 1.5dci engine. It was a good little car, emphasis on the little. If you only need a Micra sized car then it's fine but if getting children in and out of rear seats then rear doors do hinder access and the boot as mentioned already is very small.
For our uses it was fine, it's great on fuel and goes well enough in diesel form. Apparently it's quite juicy in petrol guise, only negative I really had with it is that it does eat front tyres we could not get more than 8-10k out of a set. (4th set on at 30k miles).
As for the cactus we looked at these a while back and they seemed like a nice quirky car, definitely bigger / more practical than the juke.
I haven’t heard incredible things about nissans reliability. I haven’t driven either car but have been a passenger in both. The Cactus is noticeably more comfortable and spacious, it’s a nice airy cabin, juke is dark and gloomy. I think it looks better too, different to most cars but without being offensively ugly. The juke from a passenger perspective wasn’t particularly comfortable and boy did it feel tight.
We have a cactus, go for the petrol over diesel. Our diesel currently has a fairly common adblue fault that is £1k+ to fix....
Apart from that it's a great car, we found the interior and exterior very unique which was a plus. Very marmite though!
Ideally you'd go for a flair edition model. All the mod cons (climate control / dab radio / reverse camera / leather seats) as well as the glass roof which makes the interior very airy. The tinted rear windows are also a plus as it saves having tacky window blinds for the kids!
Apart from that it's a great car, we found the interior and exterior very unique which was a plus. Very marmite though!
Ideally you'd go for a flair edition model. All the mod cons (climate control / dab radio / reverse camera / leather seats) as well as the glass roof which makes the interior very airy. The tinted rear windows are also a plus as it saves having tacky window blinds for the kids!
Edited by WonkeyDonkey on Wednesday 15th July 12:35
irocfan said:
my sister is toying with the idea of a new (to her) car is has settled on either a Citroen Cactus (with the bubble wrap) or a Nissan Juke - she's interested in practicality and reliability but isn't sure whether to spend £6/£7k or £10k. In other words is a newer one 'better' (build quality/toys/upgrades) and are the stereotypes relating to Japanese and French build quality valid here?
Any thoughts? I really don't know the first thing about practical cars
I have been running a Cactus for the last few years. Overall I think that it is a great little car:Any thoughts? I really don't know the first thing about practical cars
Pros:
- Pretty roomy (passengers and boot) for a small car
- Goes well (1.2 turbo engine) and still gets great fuel economy (averages 44mpg per the computer)
- Comfy
- Has been v reliable so far and pretty cheap to service (v cheap RFL)
- Very well equipped - Flair has DAB, SatNav, Bluetooth, Aircon
- Personally I think that the "shortcuts/savings" are in the right places - I don't care that the rear windows don't wind down
Cons:
- the touchscreen to do everything approach I just don't like, but you can adapt and it works fine
- rear seat in mine doesn't split-fold which is a PITA - later ones do
A friend of mine is awaiting delivery of his new delayed Leaf and has had a new Juke as a courtesy car. He is simply not a petrol head but describes it as dull and soulless to drive. New one looks much better than the old one.
Haven't tried a Cactus but always get a C3 hire car on holiday. Again, perfectly capable but dull and soulless.
Personally, I would be looking for something with a bit more pizzaz but that tends to rule out most SUV types.
Haven't tried a Cactus but always get a C3 hire car on holiday. Again, perfectly capable but dull and soulless.
Personally, I would be looking for something with a bit more pizzaz but that tends to rule out most SUV types.
Watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmFATFRoOo
Then go and buy the Cactus. The Juke isn't all that reliable, the Cactus, they usually snap exhaust hanger brackets - as do all PSA cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmFATFRoOo
Then go and buy the Cactus. The Juke isn't all that reliable, the Cactus, they usually snap exhaust hanger brackets - as do all PSA cars.
I think I'm in the minority here, but I like the Juke and Cactus-not sure I'd buy either but that's mainly because I prefer coupes. My brother-in-law has a Juke Nismo and I like it very much although, as someone else said, the boot is absolutely tiny, and a funny shape. I wouldn't call it practical.
budgie smuggler said:
There's one other bad point about the Cactus, the radio/air con touchscreen is f
king slow to respond. Works fine just irritating.
Yes - if there was one thing I could change in the car it would be this. At the very least the heating controls should be separate - and I note that on the new C4 they are going to be.king slow to respond. Works fine just irritating.I drove a Juke through work for a couple of months, my main observations were:
Surprisingly small inside- probably no more interior space than a Renault Clio
Poor sight lines from the drivers seat, I thought it was awkward to judge where the bumpers ended, sensors obviously help significantly
Poor view from the rear window.
Not a bad car to drive but from a practicality view of the two I would go for the Cactus
Surprisingly small inside- probably no more interior space than a Renault Clio
Poor sight lines from the drivers seat, I thought it was awkward to judge where the bumpers ended, sensors obviously help significantly
Poor view from the rear window.
Not a bad car to drive but from a practicality view of the two I would go for the Cactus
ZX10R NIN said:
Tell here to buy a Kuga if she wants an SUV other wise if it has to be those two then the Cactus takes it.
I must admit my own thoughts would be Kuga or B-Max. If she can cope with something larger (limited parking room) an S-Max is reputed to be a great barge (though if practicality is massively important maybe a Berlingo or Kangoo)What about the Grand C Max with the 1.6T Titanium X 180 spec:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
Or Titanium 150
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
Or Titanium 150
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
We have been running a Cactus petrol for a good few years now, I can honestly say it's been 100%
reliable, enjoyable, relaxing and fun ( it barely weighs 1000kg).
It must be viewed by many motorists as a friendly car too, as I don't seem to encounter confrontational idiots when taking the Cactus as opposed to some of the other vehicles at our disposal.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff