Citroen hasn't put as many new cars on the market as Peugeot, but it more than makes up for that with its latest creation, the C4 Cactus. This car is a really small crossover that changes your perception about what motoring should be like. After making its way across many European markets, it's now making the trip over the English channel, arriving in UK showroom with prices ranging from £12,990 to £18,190.
The first think you need to know about the C4 Cactus is that it has nothing to do with the C4. This is more of a jacked-up supermini and as such weighs a massive 200 kilograms (441 lbs) less than the compact hatchback we mentioned. And although it's a crossover, you can't have all-wheel drive as an option, like on the Nissan Juke.
The base price model is called C4 Cactus Touch and comes with a petrol PureTech 75 3-cylinder engine and a 5-speed manual gearbox. You can also get a 1.2 82 hp petrol with either a manual or an automatic and two 1.6-liter diesels. One makes 92 hp and comes exclusively with an automated manual, the other is cheaper, makes 100 hp and comes with a six-speed manual. That's right, you know which one we'd pick!
What we like about the new Citroen is the diversity of colors. The funky-looking Hello Yellow is a no-cost option and even the more expensive shades are under £500. The Aurbumps, which are the car's trademark rubber protectors, are also standard.
Unfortunately, launch prices don't make the C4 Cactus competitive with the Dacia Duster crossover. However, it's still quite reasonable considering how much innovation you're getting. The base Cactus starts at only £12,990, which is marginally cheaper than Nissan's locally-built Juke offered from begins from £13,420.
This new crossover will compete against many more models, including the 2008 from sister brand Peugeot and the Renault Captur. In some areas, such as the powertrains, it falls short of these rivals. However, we're confident it will become the best-selling Citroen by the end of the year.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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