Citroën delivers Cactus after dry spell

After seven years in the realm of concept the Cactus has finally blossomed into production and is proving to be one of the pleasant motoring surprises of the last six months. And it’s timing could not have been better for the struggling Citroën brand.

Citroën has been forced to reassess its strategy and justify itself to the new raft of investors in the troubled PSA Group, in particular the Chinese Dongfeng group and the French government. Le grand plan now is as follows. Peugeot will take on the big-name mainstream rivals like Volkswagen and Ford. The DS range is being taken out of Citroën to become a stand-alone brand sitting above the mainstream market with the ultimate ambition of turning it into a valid premium brand to rival Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Think Volvo. Finally Citroën is to become the more youthful, quirky and value-based proposition.

Contrary to some reports, there are no plans to make it a low-cost brand in the shape of Dacia, but it will connect more with its roots as an affordable family-orientated but innovative brand. Think 2CV, GS or XM of old. More recently, think of the success of the brand’s Picasso range. All were relatively affordable but in their own way quirky, strong design-led models.

Will it work? The jury is out on that. The good news is that for all the financial woes at Citroën, design is increasingly a key sales factor for many buyers, ahead of performance. The French brand also has a strong heritage it can tap into for marketing purposes. Finally, it boasts a strong sales presence in China.

That said, attempts to base the firm’s future on strong design has not always led to sales success. Consider the less than illustrious sales of the stylish C6 for example.

Innovative design

Citroën’s design director

Alexandre Malval

was on hand in Dublin when we picked up the test car. The genial Frenchman has been part of a small group of designers who have rebuilt the brand’s reputation for innovative design and has led the drive to push the Cactus from concept to production.

“The future of Citroën design can be summed up in a few key words,” he says. “Comfort, simple, honest, natural and sympathetic. We have always had a link to the pure forms of car design and that should continue.”

Much of this simplicity is meant to come from the interior charm. And there are some admirable retro-features on the Cactus, like the leather strap interior door handles that replicate those of early 2CV and Dyane models. Similarly the dash-styling aims to reflect a sense of a sittingroom comforts, with the glovebox acting like a drawer and the driver’s touchscreen similar to photos that would sit on the sideboard in a home.

Such design features are not easy to transfer from concept to production, so Citroën’s team deserves credit. The quirky airbump feature on the sides, and softer plastics on the exterior, meant quite a lot of research had to go into ensuring the plastics didn’t fade or stain with age. Similarly, the new dashboard design meant the airbags had to be housed in the roof lining, a first that required a monumental amount of R&D.

In keeping with the aim to be more funky and youthful, the Cactus will come with the option of pop art colours, giving it some real character on the road. For €150 you can change the colour of your airbumps as you see fit.

Performance

Two engines are offered: a 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre diesel. The diesel is tried and trusted and will be the big seller in

Ireland

, but I would seriously recommend suburban buyers to take a drive in the 1.2-litre petrol.

Its perky performance is ideal for suburban driving and, although it costs €10 extra a year in motor tax, petrol is proving to be the less costly option for long-term servicing and running costs for many lower mileage motorists. It’s also up to €3,100 cheaper on the list price.

There is also a six-speed auto version available in the mid-level specification in Ireland, but I’d give it a wide berth. The French car giant developed this auto box with fuel economy as a priority and, while it’s slightly smoother than the previous incarnation, I have always found it to be too lurching and sluggish.

The ride and handling of the Cactus is a bit of a curate’s egg. It’s got some of the comfort traits that Citroën is eager to highlight in the brand, but it lacks a certain assuredness in its steering feel. It’s not the eager supermini that you might expect from its looks, nor is it the dynamic family hatchback which the C4 moniker might suggest.

Funky dash, weary gear stick

The biggest boon for the Cactus is the price. Coming in at €17,795 it’s a pretty basic package on offer, with clips on the rear windows rather than either manual rollers or the luxury of electric power. The dash looks really funky but then the gear stick looks like it belongs in a large family saloon from the last decade. The touch screen system is smart but some of the menu structures and the location of some controls within the system are a bit hit-and-miss. This is more about programme architecture than car mechanics.

On initial impressions, the Cactus could be a viable rival to the likes of the Skoda Yeti, the Nissan Juke or even other quirky models like the Kia Soul. While it’s slightly smaller than a regular family hatch, the interior space is akin to the regular C4 in terms of legroom and headspace.

The Cactus is a clever conception and in design terms it’s well executed. The spacious cabin means it’s a proper family car while the price is closer to supermini territory. It could be a better drive, but what it lacks in driver invigoration it makes up for in cheerful character.