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
RRP
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

Bristol Fighter review – Britain’s troubled 210mph answer to the Ferrari 599
Bristol Fighter
Reviews

Bristol Fighter review – Britain’s troubled 210mph answer to the Ferrari 599

The 200mph British supercar with gullwing doors and an 8-litre V10 was conceived to challenge accepted supercar norms, and now it's made an unexpected…
2 Sep 2026
Government goes undercover to clamp down on loud car exhausts, not just emissions
Exhaust
News

Government goes undercover to clamp down on loud car exhausts, not just emissions

As the government explores new legislation to keep emissions in check, the DVSA has fined a firm for creating loud exhausts 
1 Sep 2026
Best electric cars – these EVs deserve the attention of car enthusiasts
Best electric cars
Best cars

Best electric cars – these EVs deserve the attention of car enthusiasts

There's a huge variety of electric cars on sale in 2026, and we've picked the best of the breed for those looking for performance
3 Sep 2026