Citroen C4 Cactus 2015 Review

Citroen expects to relaunch its own brand with the C4 Cactus when the small SUV arrives during the first quarter of 2016. To do so, the Cactus will have to cut through entrenched consumer apathy towards the Citroen brand. The French marque's excellent Grand C4 Picasso people mover has sold just 205 units so far in 2015. That's less than a 10th the number of Odysseys Honda has sold during the same period, and nearly a hundred units less than even the SsangYong Stavic!

So Cactus has its work cut out for it in this market, but happily for Citroen in Australia, the Cactus sits within a rapidly growing segment that appeals to buyers wanting all the hallmarks of a soft-road SUV, but in a small- or light-car footprint.

We reviewed the Cactus not all that long ago but the local importer had arranged for the Australian motoring press to fly to France for the first drive of the new, improved Cactus – now with a split-folding rear seat and officially ADR-approved for five passengers.

This time around we were also given a chance to drive the diesel version with standard automated manual transmission, which is the closest thing to an automatic in the C4 Cactus range. As was the case in our earlier review of the C4 Cactus, the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder is coupled to a five-speed manual only. The diesel's six-speed robotised manual transmission works sort of like an automatic or a dual-clutch transmission... but with just the single clutch. From having driven both cars on their native soil, it's fair to say the drivetrain of the Cactus leaves potential buyers between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The three-cylinder engine, which returned a fuel consumption figure of 6.9L/100km during the drive program, is a beaut little engine. Given it produced just 81kW and 205Nm – the same engine in the Peugeot 308 peaks at 96W – the petrol engine was flexible and delivered plenty of torque where it was needed. Power did tail off higher in the rev range, not helped much by the very high gearing of the five-speed manual transmission. A sixth gear would lend the petrol Cactus the moonshot ratio needed to pull down frugal fuel consumption figures without stretching the friendship on the performance side of the equation. In most markets however, the lack of a sixth gear will be almost academic. The Cactus, while it is a competent tourer, will likely spend most of its time in the suburbs.

Things might be different with the diesel variant, however. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder produces an even lower level of power than the three-pot petrol engine, but there's a little more torque available. And with the benefit of an extra gear, the diesel certainly feels healthier in a straight line and returned a better fuel consumption figure – just 5.2L/100km in the real world. Both engines were quiet at speed, but there was some driveline grumble from the diesel at times.

In common with other products from the PSA stable (Peugeot as well as Citroen), the manual gear shift was not of the highest standard, with a shift action that was ponderous and slow. In Australia the engine that comes with a self-shifting transmission – the diesel Cactus – would normally be the volume seller in the range. But the problem there is the local importer is not yet revealing just how much more consumers will pay for the diesel. And whatever that price premium might be, any virtue in the diesel is offset by the automated single-clutch transmission that comes with it.

This type of transmission has had its day. It's better than the SensoDrive system pioneered by Citroen's C3 in Australia over a decade ago, but it's still inadequate for drivers who lack experience and frustrating for those who don't. The gear changes are slurred and slow with anything more than a very light application of power. As it stands, the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol is the preferred Cactus choice, provided the driver can cope with manual shifting.

In terms of vehicle dynamics, the Cactus is a competitive product. On the road, the little Citroen steered and handled well by the standards of its type. Respectable feedback through the wheel was complemented by good grip and there was no torque steer in evidence.

But the Cactus also rode worse than expected. There was some initial impact harshness that was at least soaked up by the particularly comfy seats. Tyre noise was apparent on some of France's country roads too, but it was hard to offer fair judgement on NVH generally, due to the blustery conditions prevailing for the drive programme.

Where the Cactus will pull in the buyers is its combination of visual presentation and packaging. In typical Citroen fashion the Cactus looks unconventional, but it's arguably not unattractive. It's also a practical car with plenty of storage space inside. The petrol Cactus was trimmed inside like a fashion-forward suitcase, with mock straps and buttons to set it apart from the plainer style off the diesel tested. Cactus buyers can choose from over 20,000 optional features to personalise their car.

Entering the Cactus was made easier by the high H-point in front, but the roof was too low for me to take a pew in the rear without potentially clouting my head. Rear-seat accommodation was fine for adult-level headroom and kneeroom, with plenty of toe room under the front seats, but I wouldn't care to be the one in the centre/rear position.

There were no face-level vents in the rear, which seems an oversight of considerable magnitude in a car with flip-out rear windows and clearly reliant on climate control for the comfort of passengers. Why the flip-out windows? More storage space, and less weight in the rear doors. Incremental weight savings mean the Cactus weighs up to 200kg less than the C4, according to Citroen.

Occupants will sink into the wide and cushy front seats, which feature roll-top squabs that might remind some of the seats in an Austin 1800. They might be better still with adjustable lumbar support, for what that's worth. The driving position was diminished by the lack of reach adjustment in the steering column, and the clutch take-up was too high in the manual (petrol) model.

For the diesel Cactus, Citroen has invested the time and money into developing an exclusive handbrake lever, whereas the petrol Cactus gets a conventional lever. That's possible due to the automated transmission's user-friendly operating buttons (D-N-R) in the dash, rather than a shift lever jutting out of the centre console. It complements the style and layout of the diesel Cactus inside, but it does amount to a point of difference for the sake of being different.

Instruments and controls were easy enough to read and use, but there was no tachometer to display engine revs and both the instrument binnacle and the infotainment screen sat proud of the dash and looked a little like a design afterthought. And gaining a clear line of sight to the instrument binnacle required the steering wheel be adjusted higher than I would prefer, unlike the Peugeot 208 that's built on the same platform.

Nevertheless, the C4 Cactus is a car that promises to draw in plenty of new Aussie buyers to the Citroen brand. It's a car for those who want to stand out from the crowd – and judging it by any other criteria will be futile where those buyers are concerned.

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus petrol pricing and specifications:
Price: TBA (above $25,000)
Engine: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder
Output: 81kW/205Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 4.6L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 172g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)