When the Citroen C4 Cactus takes a bow at the Geneva motor show next month, we predict this innovative yet no-nonsense machine will capture the attention of a lot of folk delighted that Citroen is back to its quirky best. We'll explain why we think the Cactus will be PH-worthy when it goes on sale late summer. For a start this rival to Ford Focus or Nissan Qashqai weighs just 965kg. That's 200kg less than a comparable Citroen C4 hatchback.
Adventure edition for Geneva looks like fun
So far we're told this is down to a lightweight platform with aluminum elements as well as weight saving inside such as a single fold-down bench and pop-up (rather than winding) rear windows, the latter addition saving 11kg. As you've gathered this isn't a complicated car. It's not quite at
Dacia Duster
level in terms of cost with an expected start price of around £15,000, but this goes beyond merely budget to offer some interesting but still useful quirks.
Chief among those quirks are the Airbumps which are exactly that - air-filled capsules within a plastic skin to absorb light impacts like car park door dings. It also gives the car the appealing look of a old US 'woody' in contrasting colours. The inside is interesting too - the front seat is done as a bench, albeit without the ability to stick a third person in the front. The passenger airbag is in the roof to free space on the dash and there are some nice details, like the luggage-strap inspired door pulls. The boot's not huge but okay at 358 litres.
Standard car even more appealing in reality
The engine line-up so far we're told is frugal, with the diesel managing 91mpg, at least officially, and both the petrol and diesel going under 100g/km of CO2. The petrol engine isn't confirmed but we think it's the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo making a peppy 130hp that Citroen has already said is going in the C4. In the much lighter Cactus we reckon it'll be a great fit.
At 1.5 metres high, the Cactus is not quite SUV lofty compared to the Qashqai's 1.6m but it's definitely got that crossover chunkiness. Citroen has emphasized that with a concept it'll have at Geneva called the Aventure that pumps up the looks with some BF Goodrich mud terrains, bull bars and urban camo paint. But the car doesn't really need that and anyway, unlike the Duster it probably won't be offered with four-wheel-drive.
We love the idea of it and reckon the looks of the standard car are pretty much spot on. If it can drive with a nimbleness that its low-weight and zippy little petrol turbo suggest it should, then we might have a PH hit on our hands. Or have we lost our senses?