Skip advert
Advertisement

Citroen C4 Cactus review - driver appeal of a different kind - Citroen C4 Cactus engine and gearbox

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

Engine choice revolves broadly around two separate units, a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol, and a 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel. The former, branded PureTech, is available as either a naturally-aspirated PureTech 75 or PureTech 82, or the turbocharged PureTech 110.

That’s 74bhp, 81bhp and 108bhp respectively, with 118Nm of torque for the naturally-aspirated pair and a more useful 205Nm from 1500rpm for the turbocharged car.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The diesel has just one power output, badged BlueHDi 100 and developing 99bhp with 254Nm of torque. All nice and simple so far, and it doesn’t get much more complicated after that – there are only three transmissions available. A five-speed manual is standard across the Cactus range, and on all but the 74bhp petrol there’s also a five-speed automatic. The diesel’s auto gets six speeds, and the top petrol is manual-only.

The manual’s shift is light and fairly precise, but not a tactile joy – like everything else on the Cactus, it’s more about ease-of-use than it is shifting just for the hell of it. It’s still a better option than the automatics though: badged ETG (Efficient Tronic Gearbox), it’s an automated manual rather than a dual-clutch or torque converter automatic, and like most non-sporting automated manuals it delivers fairly jerky, slow shifts.

A skilled driver can work around the gaps, but if you’re choosing an auto the main appeal is not having to adapt your driving style to work with the mechanism. A regular auto, or even a CVT, would be more in-keeping with the way the Cactus makes progress.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024
The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024