Citroen irons out C4 Cactus ISOFIX issue

Citroen's small SUV, the C4 Cactus, will go on sale in Australia around January or February next year, following an 11th hour engineering change to its rear seat that will give it the best possible chance of local market success.

In its original specification – already on sale in New Zealand – the Cactus came with a one-piece folding rear seat that housed two ISOFIX mounting points for the outboard positions. While the car was only available with two ISOFIX mounts – and no child safety seat anchorage for the centre/rear position – the Australian federal government would only approve the Citroen as a four-seater.

To sell it as a five-seater, Citroen was forced to re-engineer the Cactus rear seat so that it could seat three. While the Cactus is an unlikely choice for a family with three small children, the change to the rear seat means that owners can legally transport three adults in the rear when the car arrives locally.

The fix required Citroen to drop the car's one-piece rear seat in favour of a 60:40 split-fold seat with additional bracing in the centre position and all the hardware, including the top tether, to hold an ISOFIX safety seat in place. From November production, which is the commencement for Australian-specification cars, all Cactus production will feature the new rear-seating arrangement.

In addition to the extra seating capacity, those parents with just one child in the family can locate the safety seat or capsule in the (safer) centre position. The split-fold arrangement also aids practicality.

"We were devastated when we realised that the specification would preclude the C4 Cactus from being sold in Australia," said Citroen Australia General Manager, John Startari.

"Upon discussing the issue with engineers and designers, they realised the unique requirements Australia presented also offered the opportunity to increase the utility and practicality of the C4 Cactus and commenced development of a split fold rear seat.

"We are thrilled we have been able to engineer a factory-based solution for such an important and ground breaking vehicle.

"This specification, along with local evaluation of specification and features, will be pivotal in ensuring we offer the best possible product to Australian customers," Startari was quoted saying in a press release.

Pricing for the C4 Cactus is yet to be revealed, although it's now established that the new car will start somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 in Australia.

Two drivetrains will be offered from launch: a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder coupled with a five-speed manual transmission or a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with a six-speed automated manual. Peak output is 81kw/205Nm for the petrol engine, or 68kW/230Nm for the diesel.