Who knew a Cactus could be comfy?

Published date27 November 2020
Date27 November 2020
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
The C4 Cactus that came out in 2014 sorted all that in one fell swoop, with the kind of comfort that every car maker should be aiming for, and it led the way for the latest C3, the C3 Aircross, the new Cactus and other models.

Our roads are no longer smooth and pothole free - they're in an awful state. Even some motorway slip roads now have holes in urgent need of repair. The Cactus counters this with by far the best ride in the class, and probably for two classes higher.

But its plastic "airbump" clad exterior and minimalist, pared-down interior will not appeal to all.

Power comes from a choice of three 1.2-litre petrols and two 1.6 HDi diesels, all of which are capable of more than 60 miles per gallon in government figures. The three cylinder 1.2 is available in 73 and 82bhp outputs, both of which take 12.5 seconds to reach 60mph from rest.

The top-performing turbocharged 1.2 PureTech has 110bhp and covers the sprint in a very creditable nine seconds thanks to excellent weight saving over most similar-sized cars, which also aids the economy.

The e-HDi diesel has 90bhp and gets to 60mph in 11 seconds and the BLUEHDI has 100bhp and brings that down to 10.3 seconds. Both have government economy figures of no less than 80mpg.

The superb suspension system smooths out every pothole and blemish in the road surface with complete disdain, and I would say it takes speed humps better than most cars on the market.

It doesn't use the excellent Citroen Hydropneumatic system but conventional springs and dampers, and it simply wafts over bumps and undulations like a magic carpet.

There is a fair amount of body roll but, if you keep your nerve, it nonetheless grips superbly and very safely even when...

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