My week in Citroën C4 Cactus
Here is the first episode of my week in Citroën C4 Cactus. The weather conditions do not allow a video presentation to be made. However, here is my report after 250 kilometers at the wheel.
Citroën therefore entrusted me with the test of the new C4 Cactus sedan in 1.2 PureTech 130 hp version and 6-speed manual transmission in Shine finish.
Very eager to get on board and finally tested these famous new suspensions, it's another element that gives me the first Wow effect: the seats! What mellow! How sweet ! Citroën is clearly the brand of automotive well-being. After this first effect, motor and action ;-)
First remark: the motor does not shake, does not vibrate. While on the C3 Aircross and the C3 the engine vibrated a lot (characteristics of the 3 cylinders), in this new C4 Cactus the vibrations are completely attenuated, it is really very pleasant. It is therefore gently that the Cactus sets off and where we can see the first effects of the new suspension. It is located between the C4 (already very comfortable but which sometimes suddenly goes up the bleeds) and the C5 which erases the small bleeds and waves with padding on the large bumps. The new suspension filters small bleedings much better than the C4 without erasing them and reproduces the classic Citroën fleece on large bumps. We are totally transported to a world of comfort and well-being and all of this makes driving very pleasant.
In town, the lightweight Cactus has no trouble slipping through traffic. The engine, powerful and smooth, allows you to set off well and the compactness of the car would almost make it a queen of the city. Only small downside: the box hangs a little when changing from 2nd gear.
Having driven little in town, it is especially on the motorway that I can give you a good report. And there: what a pleasure ... The C4 Cactus has no trouble reaching 130 km / h and maintaining them regardless of the gradient of the road. The ribs are absorbed without any slowing down. It is on the highway that the second Wow effect occurs. In fact, the suspension, without being as efficient as the hydraulics, provides simply remarkable ride comfort. The small bleedings are very well filtered, the ripples are gently erased, it's just impressive to offer such comfort with simple non-piloted suspensions. Traveling in a Cactus gives the impression of being transported in a bubble of well-being where all the vagaries of traffic are, if not erased, in any case very attenuated.
After 250 kilometers swallowed at good speed and nearly 3 hours on the road, I got out of this C4 Cactus as if I had just moved into it. No fatigue. No back pain. Really, this C4 Cactus amazes me.
However, not everything is perfect in this Cactus. Several two things bothered me:
- The windshield is small. It particularly struck me after getting out of my C4. I was afraid that this would interfere with the visibility but, in the end, it is good even if a windshield going higher would have been more appreciable. Certainly a consequence of the installation of the passenger airbag on the roof.
- I'm going to curse the start and stop button that I find implanted too low and too far. It is certainly a habit to take.
Finally, the consumption point: an average of 5.9l over these 250 kilometers compared to the 5l of my C4 HDi 90, I find that this is a very good result.
Tomorrow, episode 2, the new C4 Cactus takes on the city.
After a long motorway journey yesterday, the city is today's favorite terrain. On the way to the small streets of Old Lille ...
So it was in the narrow streets of the Capital of Flanders that I took this new C4 Cactus, just to check its handling, its behavior in town, the Start and Stop, etc.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
A. Maneuverability
If the compactness of the C4 Cactus can be a handicap in terms of livability, it is undeniably a great strength in the city. The new C4 Cactus is agile, precise, playing with narrow passages without having to worry about hitting the front or rear bumpers.
Well protected by the plastic elements surrounding the body, the city is not a trap for the new C4 Cactus. Especially since on this shine finish equipped with front and rear parking aids, the Cactus is ready to get out of town without the slightest sore.
In the narrow streets of Old Lille, the C4 Cactus does everything to make your stay pleasant. Its very flexible steering at low speed allows for effortless maneuvering. Its short overhang doors allow you to pass through very narrow passages with disconcerting ease.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
B. Behavior
Even if the city is not the ideal ground to test the behavior of a car, the Old Lille offers the advantage of cobbled streets which undermine the suspensions and make it possible to measure the behavior of the car.
Equipped with the new suspensions with hydraulic stops, the new C4 Cactus perfectly absorbs shocks, bumps or various bleeds. The new suspension plays an excellent score, which makes traveling extremely comfortable and allows you to stay zen.
The welcoming and very comfortable seats contribute to this wonderful feeling of well-being. They allow, while being soft, excellent support. I found the lateral support at the height allowing it to become one with the car. Comfortable, flexible but dynamic, the Cactus delivers a really nice service in town.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
C. A Technophile C4 Cactus
Evolving in the city also allows you to gauge the various technologies with which the Cactus is equipped. The most used of all in town will necessarily be the Start and stop. I found it very responsive to restarting, but the shutdown is a source of vibrations and is not immediate, a small second is necessary before the engine stops, second during which the vibrations emerge.
The reversing camera is it effective. It makes it possible to take into account the rear environment of the car and to appropriate the distances through the guide lines. Everything is accompanied by traditional beeps, thus offering everything you need for perfect and smooth slots. A small downside anyway: in humid weather (long live the North ...), the image may be slightly blurred with not totally optimal visibility.
The GPS shows itself, fast, efficient and precise. The instructions are clear and understandable with no possibility of making mistakes. In addition, when turning, an image appears on the screen of the central console showing very precisely the lane to take. Only small regret: in the C4, the GPS reminder is integrated into the instrument cluster which avoids taking your eyes off the road. A reminder in the Cactus screen would have been helpful.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
Assessment of the test:
The new Citroën C4 Cactus is very comfortable in the city, where it plays with all possible traps. Its technological arsenal takes care of the grain and brings all its help not to be caught in the various possible traps, all in a cozy cocoon where the excellent seats and the wonderful suspension are accompanied by top soundproofing that completely isolates us from various noises. . For a bit, the C4 Cactus would make city traffic pleasant.
Kilometers traveled: 52
Average consumption of the test: 6.3 (6.2l after the highway yesterday) is a very reasonable consumption.
My week in Cactus: The comparison with my C4
After 3 days of testing on the motorway, city and country roads, it's time to compare the new 4 Cactus with the C4 it replaces, a car that I own.
I will not judge the design here since it is subjective.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
The seats :
On roads that I take regularly, I was able to compare the Cactus with my C4. And if I find my C4 comfortable, withstand bleeding or speed bumps without flinching, I must admit that the C4 Cactus is still a cut above. The seats greatly contribute to comfort and those of the C4 Cactus, with their specific foams, are really more comfortable than those of my C4. I like the seats of my C4 because they maintain well and I had a little concern with those of the Cactus but it is not. For me, lateral support is equivalent without the sides of the seats hindering entry or exit.
Cactus Advantage.
Soundproofing:
Regarding soundproofing, my C4 has a high quality and a big defect. I can't hear the diesel engine on my car so sometimes I have to look at the tachometer to check that the engine is running and I really appreciate that. Likewise, vibrations due to diesel are non-existent. On the other hand, the rolling noises are high not to mention the raindrops that can be heard very well. Not all of this in the new Cactus: on the contrary! As I could point out, the soundproofing of the new Cactus gives the impression of creating a bubble between the passengers and the outside world. The engine, gasoline, is naturally discreet and no vibration disturbs us.
Cactus Advantage.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
The driving position:
The driving position of my C4 is very rewarding. The foamed plastic on a large part of the dashboard has a lot to do with it. Everything is very well done, the assemblies are precise and no nightingale is heard. It's a very serious dashboard, very well finished. But also very ... black. Quite the opposite of that of the Cactus. The low, horizontal dashboard is almost forgotten. And if the plastics are harder than those of my C4, the assemblies are also precise, the whole does not suffer criticism and no furniture noise is present. The whole of the Cactus is more harmonious because it is simpler, more readable, easier. When I think that on my C4, there are 3 different ways to hang up the phone ...
Cactus advantage: but the C4 defends itself very well.
Road behavior:
If my C4 does not of course have the new suspensions, it remains a Citroën and is therefore very comfortable. Only the bleeding can go back sharply to the back but the rest is swallowed with formidable efficiency. Efficient suspensions that offer road behavior that I find dynamic. And it is certainly on this point that my C4 takes the advantage over the new Cactus. This must be due to the superior comfort of the Cactus where everything is more flexible because the Cactus does not move, it stays firmly planted on its wheels and is very pleasant to drive. But the slightly firmer suspensions of my C4 must participate in a feeling of increased dynamism for my C4.
Equality
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
The engine - gearbox - consumption:
I own a Citroën C4 Hdi 90 box 5 that many consider limited in terms of performance. I must admit that I have nothing to reproach him with. The raises are immediate, the recoveries excellent. Only the engine seems hollow before the Turbo kicks in.
The new C4 Cactus I'm testing is a PureTech 130hp BVM6.
If, inevitably, the performances are there since the C4 Cactus is very light, I expected more times compared to my C4. Certainly the higher torque of the HDi compensates for the lack of power.
Consumption level, I run at 5.3L average on my C4 with a mixture of city, highway and departmental. I find this consumption very reasonable because on a full 60 liters, it allows me to do more than 1000 km. And on the highway, consumption is more than reasonable. For example: after 250 kilometers to get to Paris, the range of my C4 had dropped by ..... 60 kilometers. Rather strong.
For the Cactus, on a gasoline engine, I am currently at 6.4l on average, counting the 250 kilometers of highway. I also did a lot of town and a lot of departmental roads. It is therefore a completely reasonable consumption for a gasoline engine of this power. The featherweight that is the new Cactus helps a lot.
Regarding the gearbox, my C4 is in manual gearbox 5 and the Cactus in manual gearbox. The deflections of my C4 are large and can be troublesome especially when switching to reverse gear. On the other hand, the box of the Cactus with shorter deflections but is catchy especially on the 2nd and 3rd report. The reports are also very long on that of the Cactus while those of my C4 are just perfect. At 130 km / h, in 5th gear, I turn at 2000 rpm.
Advantage C4
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
Habitability:
For the moment, I do not feel any problem in terms of roominess. At the front, we are not tight and the rear, with my seat adjustments, the legroom is quite satisfactory for my height and very satisfactory for my children. There is only the width that could challenge but again, nothing really embarrassing. The advantage is that the console of the Cactus is narrower than that of my C4 so the few centimeters lost in width on the car are not necessarily felt inside. Maybe at the back it is more problematic and the test was not done. But who always drives 5 in a car? As for the trunk, on the races of the week, the trunk of the Cactus is sufficient, smaller than that of my C4 certainly, but quite appropriate. Rest on a departure on vacation where there indeed, it may be too fair.
Cactus advantage: very light advantage due above all for its compactness. I find that the benefit in compactness makes up for the accuracy of the rear roominess and the trunk volume.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I really like my C4. She bluffed me down the 250 kilometers to get to Paris. It's a car that satisfies me every day, it's fun to drive, comfortable, efficient and economical. It's a great car and I'm very happy about it. However, to choose, my preference would go to the Cactus for a simple reason: It is a real Citroën. Not that the C4 is not, but it does not have the extra soul that the Cactus offers by its quirky style (even if it has been very calm). The new Cactus certainly has the advantage of youth for it but its freshness, its cheerfulness, its difference mean that it is for me more “Citroën” than my C4.
After having traveled the motorway, faced the city, taken advantage of the small country roads, the new C4 Cactus will now challenge roads that are bumpy to say the least ... paved roads.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
After around thirty kilometers alternating between motorways, expressways and regional roads where the C4 Cactus confirms all the good felt at the wheel since the start of the week, here we are in front of the Carrefour de l'Arbre, champion of the cobblestones of Paris Roubaix.
Ideal ground for pushing back the limits of suspensions, the paved sectors also allow to check the finish and the assembly of the interior furniture.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
Already won over by the new hydraulic stopper suspensions since the start of the week, trying the new Cactus on this type of sector finally convinced me of the excellence of this suspension. Beautifully cushioned, the Cactus absorbs bump, hollow with surprising ease. The cobbles are not erased but so well absorbed that I had to be careful not to accelerate too much. Well helped by a slightly raised ground clearance, the Cactus demonstrates excellent abilities in ... any road, irony of fate.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
Inside, nestled in the seats, you can enjoy top-notch comfort. Passing through these cobbled sectors would become almost pleasant, especially since, despite the tremors, the interior furniture does not move, no noise, no squeaking is heard. The assemblies are really excellent and the finish impeccable.
In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.
In the end, this little excursion on difficult paths was a real treat. The C4 Cactus absorbs bumps and cobblestones with ease and in excellent comfort. So excellent that we find ourselves dreaming of adventures, of discoveries. The C4 Cactus remains a sedan, limited by its ground clearance and it is not designed for this type of road, but the capacities that it demonstrates there raise, if necessary, the excellence of this new suspension. and the validity of the Citroën Advanced Comfort program.