Citroen C4 Cactus (2014-2020): Opinions, Pros and Cons

He Citroen C4 Cactus was a hit in showrooms with its eccentric design, very unusual interior and simple technology. But does it prove to be an equally big target on the secondary market? Here the appearance of a used Citroen C4 Cactus is polarizing, as there are those for whom the car looks gloomy and there are those who completely fall in love with it.

One thing is for sure. This car, which combines the concepts of the city car, compact and crossover, has its own style. It doesn’t follow the usual patterns and it shows. Especially in the pre-facelift variant carried out in 2017.

The car has great looking rubber Airbump cushions, heavily scratched headlights and a lot more character from the watered down model to the modernization. So, if you want to know much more about this striking car, here we will tell you everything about it.

Comfort

The French like to talk about their cars in a very flowery language and it was no different in the case of the interior of the Citroen C4 Cactus. As part of the sales philosophy, representatives of the PSA concern talked a lot about the fact that the glove compartment is large and opens like a classic trunk, and comfortable sofas became the model for creating armchairs.

Also, although, as a driver you can enjoy a large compartment, it is different with the seats. Some will appreciate the comfort that the Citroen C4 offers, and some soft armchairs can only intensify the pain resulting from spinal diseases.

you can feel savings at every step. Rear windows? These don’t go down; they just go up. In addition, there is no control panel for the air vents, the option has been hidden in a slightly slow tablet, and the interior is poorly soundproofed, so you can hear the work of the suspension loudly.

The used Citroen C4 Cactus is also pretty average in terms of material quality. Many plastics are hard, and seat upholstery is generally not very durable. But is it a disadvantage? Certainly not in this type of car. Especially since the low price is the basis of the model’s philosophy!

Tasteful Additions

Of course, the Citroen C4 Cactus also has some advantages. Although the car was built on the PF1 platform (as were the C3 and DS3), it offers a fairly spacious cabin. Likewise, passengers have a trunk with a capacity of 358 to 1,170 liters, assuming they manage to swallow the high loading threshold.

And the style? This one takes a little getting used to. But then as a driver you will begin to discover a series of elegant accents in this spartan interior. The list may include a nice strip that appears in place of the standard door handle or a set of fancy buttons below the touchscreen.

On the other hand, the French focused mainly on gasoline engines when designing the Citroën C4 Cactus. The core of the offer was the 1.2 PureTech engine: 75, 82, 110, 130 HP of power. Perhaps the base crossover weighs only 1,070 kilograms, but 75 or 82 horses are still insufficient.

In addition, running to the first hundred of a car configured in this way takes about 13 seconds. The base 1.2 PureTech petrol, however, has some advantages. They are naturally aspirated, but also have multipoint injection. And MPI technology significantly reduces, for example:

• The cost of installing LPG installations.
• The 110 and 130 HP direct injection variants offer much better dynamics.

Mainly pay attention to timing!

The 1.2 PureTech engine has a number of advantages. Yes, it runs quite characteristically due to the use of only 3 cylinders and it shakes a little when starting, on the other hand it can be really economical! Achieving a result of just over 5 liters in the combined cycle is not complicated at all. Furthermore, the design is already tested and quite durable.

Weak points?

This one really only applies to the timing belt. An element working in an oil bath begins to break off quite quickly and the resulting impurities clog the dragon. As a result, its replacement may be necessary after 50 thousand km, not 180 as declared by the manufacturer.

Problems with timing should not be ignored, as cases of belt breakage have been known. The French, of course, did not forget about diesel units when building the Citroen C4 Cactus engine palette.

The offer includes a 1.6 HDI diesel with 92 and 100 horsepower. Perks for units that allow you to reach the first hundred in about 11 seconds, and can ride a drop. Combustion in a combined cycle rarely exceeds 5 liters of diesel fuel.

And durability is an undeniable advantage of the Citroen C4 Cactus 1.6 HDI. The engine has piezoelectric injections, a diesel particulate filter and an SCR catalyst that allows you to travel up to 300,000 kilometers without failing.

Manufacturer specifications

Engine	Can	Torque	Acceleration 0-100 km/h	Maximum speed	Average fuel consumption in liters per 100 km
1.2 PureTech	75 HP	118 Nm	12.9 seconds	166 kilometers per hour	4.6
1.2 PureTech	82 KILOMETERS	118 Nm	12.9 seconds	167 kilometers per hour	4.6
1.2 PureTech	110 HP	205 nanometer	9.3 seconds	188 kilometers per hour	4.7
1.2 PureTech	130 HP	230Nm	8.1 pages	208 kilometers per hour	5.0
1.6 e-HDI	92 KILOMETERS	230Nm	11.4s.	188 kilometers per hour	3.5
1.6 BlueHDI	100 KILOMETERS	254 Nm	10.7 seconds	188 kilometers per hour	3.4

This is a budget car. Furthermore, the floor platform is derived from the B segment. And these two factors largely determined the simple structure of the suspension. The front wheels are damped by McPherson struts, and there is a torsion beam at the rear.

The stages are definitely comfortable because the suspension works noisily, but dampens most of the unevenness well. Also, the French design has one more advantage: the parts are really cheap to replace.

Few breakdowns

The list of Citroen C4 Cactus accidents is neither long nor scary so far. The first thing is that the design is relatively young and two that it is also well developed. However, the most serious problem is the 5-speed gearbox.

In this case, fifth gear may disappear. But it usually happens when the transmission probably comes with a factory defect, however it has already been modernized during the useful life of the model. On the forums we also found a case of problems with the comfort computer.

On the other hand, one of the car users described a case where the screw unscrewed from the ground in the BSI module. Which caused serious starting problems, but it is easily solved, you just have to tighten the screw to get the correct diagnosis.

Summary

There are a few things about a used Citroen C4 Cactus that need to get used to. This point is certainly about the exterior and interior styling, the quality of the finish and, for example, a high loading sill.

On the other hand, the eccentric Frenchman is able to reimburse his owner mainly due to the low breakdown rate. The main concern of owners should be the timing belt of gasoline vehicles. The rest of the design is tested and, despite the years, works better than just fine. And this only adds to the charm of the original style crossover.

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