Skip advert
Advertisement

Citroen C4 Cactus review - driver appeal of a different kind - Citroen C4 Cactus performance and 0-60 time

Not an 'evo' car in the traditional sense, the Cactus is nevertheless quite a likeable car

Evo rating
Price
from £12,990
  • Interior design, comfort, light weight
  • Overly light steering, quirky styling may put off some

There’s not a lot to see here, performance fans – even the quickest Cactus, the PureTech 110 with a manual gearbox, takes 9.3 seconds to reach 62mph and eventually runs on to a modest 117mph. Next past the post is the manual-equipped diesel, which covers the 0-62mph run in 10.7sec and hits 114mph.

Advertisement - Article continues below

For some clue as to how much the automatic ‘box hampers progress, the ETG6 diesel is half a second slower to 62mph than its manual equivalent.

No Cactus feels particularly rapid on the road either, though in the PureTech 110 that’s partly as a result of how quiet and refined the thrummy little three-cylinder is. At idle it’s nearly silent and crawling around town it hardly intrudes either. Use all the revs (guessing when to change gear, with no tachometer to observe) and there’s a little more din and vibration, but there’s not the sporty exhaust note you get with some threes.

The diesel is a little more vocal but not excessively so, while the naturally-aspirated petrol models do require a few more revs and a little more noise as they scoot down the road. It goes without saying that it’s the turbocharged three-pot that we’d recommend – with a kerb weight of 1020kg, it can be bundled along quickly enough.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Cupra Leon 2025 review – the Golf GTI you want wears a Spanish frock
Cupra Leon review front
In-depth reviews

Cupra Leon 2025 review – the Golf GTI you want wears a Spanish frock

The Cupra Leon has a new face and gnarly bucket seats for 2024. There’s more appeal over its German counterpart than ever
19 Dec 2024
BMW 230i 2025 review – a BMW coupe of the old school?
BMW 2-series front
Reviews

BMW 230i 2025 review – a BMW coupe of the old school?

BMW’s 230i has been refreshed. Is it still BMW’s undercover driver’s car?
20 Dec 2024
BMW i8 – the car world's greatest misses
BMW i8
Features

BMW i8 – the car world's greatest misses

A bold concept with a visionary powertrain, but the i8 was too far ahead of the game for its own good
20 Dec 2024