Citroën certainly think so as they lay claim that the C4 Cactus “delivers a futuristic blend of form, function & low running costs, offering a bold response to the demands of today’s motorists.”
It’s not exactly startling news that the expectations of the driving consumer are changing, so Citroën has tried to address these with the new C4 Cactus with its substantial design, greater comfort and useful technology – all of which certainly deserve a bit of an investigation.
DESIGN
Aaah. The Airbump®: A Citroën Exclusive that combines style and practicality seamlessly along the smooth bodylines of the car, fitted to the sides of the car and the bumpers. Airbump® is available in four colours (Black, Grey, Dune & Chocolate) that can be matched with the ten body colours and three choices of interior trim (Stone Grey Ambiance, Habana Highlight & Purple Highlight) so that the C4 Cactus can truly become a driver’s choice.
Size-wise, the New Citroën C4 Cactus has been created so that the car is optimised for style, space and comfort, being the same dimensions as a compact hatchback.
COMFORT
The dashboard is set low but still manages to offer generous and easily accessible storage, mainly down to the fully-digital interface that has its own place in the optimised dashboard layout, but there are other space-saving ideas too, including the passenger airbag being in the roof rather than the dashboard; a 7” touchscreen that covers all main vehicle functions (see below) rather than buttons; and an ‘Easy Push’ system instead of a gear lever (on Efficient Tronic Gearbox (ETG) versions.)
(The latter allows ‘Drive, Neutral, Reverse’ (D,N,R) selection control to be situated on the lower fascia with steering wheel paddles letting the driver change gears manually.)
In the back, passenger legroom is similar to that of the Citroën C4, but adding in leather strap door handles and an on-top storage compartment in the dashboard, along with the relaxing upholstery colours means that the comfort enhancement just doesn’t stop at space.
TECHNOLOGY
Realising that consumers these days are looking for “ease of use, connectivity and accessibility,” Citroën have made sure that the real needs of today’s motorists are looked after, especially with the fully digital & intuitive touchscreen interface that is fitted as standard.
All these controls are grouped on a single screen, ensuring they are always easily accessible.
The Citroën Multicity Connect application portal is something that Citroën are very pleased with as it offers the driver a range of apps that can help make his or her life a bit easier, including; a ‘Fuel’ app so that the nearest and/or cheapest service station can be found; ‘Yellow Pages’ & ‘Trip Advisor’ apps, to help find hotels & restaurants; the ‘Michelin Traffic’ app that provides live traffic information; and the ‘Coyote’ app that alerts drivers to problems on high-risk roads. And all of these apps anticipate what the driver needs when he/she wants it, and gives it to them at an appropriate time by taking into account the driving circumstances such as position, speed, route, fuel level, etc.
The new Citroën C4 Cactus has also managed to cut down on fuel consumption with its weight loss (in comparison to the Citroën C4) thanks to a smaller engine and high-performance construction materials, meaning that the diesel version of the C4 Cactus offers 91.1 mpg with CO2 emissions of just 82g/km (with the petrol version offering less than 100g/km too!)
The future? Maybe. WE shall have to see!