New Citroen C4 Cactus is anything but prickly and is the perfect ride for comfort
Lauding the interior of the car normally suggests there is not much else to shout about but the Citroen C4 has it all
WHEN a car brand starts hammering on about how good the seats are in a new model, it is usually a sure sign the car’s a sack of spanners.
It is like telling your mate his new girlfriend has “a great personality” — if there was something more complimentary to say, you would say it.
But in the case of the new Citroen Cactus C4, fancy new seats are part of a wider picture.
Citroen has recently come up with a number of new slogans to deliver a fresher image of itself, and one of them assures us that “comfort is the new cool”.
It sounds like a DFS advert but these words set out one of three legs propping up Citroen’s new market stall: Firstly, it aims to become the brand most associated with comfort.
Secondly, it vows to sell 1.6million cars by the year 2020.
Thirdly — and most ambitiously — Citroen wants to be in the top three most-recommended car manufacturers in the world.
In this midlife update, the C4 Cactus is launching the offensive to turn Citroen into a byword for comfort, being the first to use the Advanced Comfort Programme.
Comfy, shagpile seats are part of it, sure, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
The centrepiece is a new Dakar rally-inspired suspension system — called Progressive Hydraulic Cushions — which uses two hydraulic chambers on each unit, one to compress and one to decompress on surface impacts.
The idea is energy is absorbed before being returned through the shocks in a controlled manner, delivering a stable “magic carpet ride” effect (Citroen’s words, not mine).
A traditional shock absorber compresses then immediately decompresses, giving a more bouncy effect.
Does it work? I didn’t exactly feel like Aladdin driving around the Aylesbury ring road on the launch this week, but speed bumps and potholes are definitely softened, and it seems to be money well spent.
Coupled with the mattress-standard seats, this makes the C4 a great car for anyone suffering from piles.
But at higher speeds the system feels floaty and travels too much in faster bends.
In Citroen’s defence, without a highly expensive, fully adjustable suspension system, it’s impossible to achieve both comfort and sporty performance. The C4 is catering to its market by focusing on a softer ride.
Elsewhere, the cabin is peaceful at high speeds, with thicker glass and improved door seals.
It is a pleasant place to spend long periods of time, with the five-star seats complemented by lashings of soft-to-touch materials deployed in the right places, such as door armrests.
Arguably, it will win most fans with its styling.
More than 90 per cent of the exterior components have been changed (those polarising plastic door panels have been scrapped), and the new C4 turns heads thanks to 3D-effect rear LEDs, tasteful chrome trim licking the grille and quirky “Airbump” panels above the skirt.
There are a total of 31 colour combinations, for those who like to personalise their ride.
I drove the petrol PureTech engines, the 110 and 130. The 130 is naturally a bit spicier but not enough to warrant the extra cash. If you option the 110 engine in manual, though, you will not get a sixth gear.
Citroen has done a good job in making the C4 stand out in a fast-moving but increasingly samey segment, and it’s not difficult to like.
If it were my mate’s girlfriend, I would say she’s more than just a good personality.
Citroen C4 Cactus Feel Puretech 110
Key Facts
Price: £17,965
Engine: 1.2-litre turbo petrol
Economy: 62.8mpg
0-62mph: 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 117mph
Length: 4.2 metres
CO2: 104g/km
Energie delivering gym in a van
CONSIDER the van for a moment – where would we be without it?
They deliver us everything from food to furniture, keeping the wheels of trade and industry in motion.
For hundreds of thousands of Brits they are a crucial to their livelihood.
But here is something you might not expect – the humble van could soon be helping us lose a few pounds and stay in shape.
Yeah, I know, van drivers and six-packs are not a natural marriage, but a new invention by some fitness nuts in Milton Keynes offers the chance to deliver a fully working gym to anywhere a VW Crafter or Ford Transit can get to.
Claire Banbury, from Windsor, helps run a branch of énergie Fitness in Milton Keynes, Bucks, but on the side she and her team have developed the énergie Fitness Outdoor Blast Rig.
Offering everything needed for a full workout – including ropes, jump boxes, boxing kit and weights – it can be rolled into a long wheelbase van as easily as loading a box of books.
Claire, 31, says: “We don’t want to be a traditional, strictly indoors gym.
“Coming up with the Blast Rig was about being able to take a gym anywhere, set it up in a matter of minutes and offer a workout to anyone.
“Some people can’t access a gym, can’t afford long-term memberships or simply feel intimidated by going inside a gym. Our goal is to reach those people – fitness should be something that is available to anyone.
“All we need is a long wheelbase van and we’re away.
“Even I can roll it into the load space and unload it at the other end. It couldn’t be easier.”
Trials of the Blast Rig have been taking place at the intu Shopping Centre in Milton Keynes, which have been a success, and Claire and her team are now hoping to roll it out across the UK in the long run.
Let’s hear it for the van.
For more info head to or .
Reader's car of the week
THIS lovely Lexus IS200, sent in by James Cowan, from Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands, is reader car of the week.
James says: “This is my 2005 IS200.
“There are only 47,000 miles on the clock and I’ve had her for four years. Absolutely lovely car.”
To see your pride and joy here send me a picture and brief description to [email protected].
4 blimey, Ducati's a rocket
IT is all very well swanning around on the Ducati Panigale V4 on a sun-drenched track in Valencia (head to our YouTube channel to see that).
More important is how the new bike handles on our winter roads.
We were not sure what to expect. The numbers only tell you so much.
On urban roads, the V4 is surprisingly smooth given its size and power.
Good throttle response, even at low speeds, the engine feels easy and the brakes do not snatch at you.
On the open road, it transforms from a serene superbike scooter to a snarling, raging animal. Yet, crucially, that shift does not scare you too much.
This bike is so well balanced, and so well put together, that the phenomenal power feels manageable.
That said, the V4 clearly belongs on the track. So we headed to Wiltshire’s Castle Combe circuit to get some track time.
February is not the best month to test a bike such as this on the track. Rain and ice can make even the most hardened rider nervous.
But even with brand new, unscrubbed tyres, in these conditions the V4 fills you with confidence.
The bike does exactly what you want it to do . . . and it is huge fun.
One of the major innovations on this bike is the electronic suspension, second-generation Ohlins.
We had always preferred a more traditional suspension set-up, but this bike changed our minds.
The system is so intelligent and specific, you could ask it to sort out the Brexit negotiations.
You can adjust the front forks and rear shock independently.
This system really is the future of performance bikes. Very few machines you can buy in a dealership have this level of technology.
The big question is whether this can be used as an everyday ride.
MOST READ IN MOTORS
You can’t really call a £25,000 machine an everyday bike, though Ducati has PCP finance deals available.
That puts it within reach of people who are not international playboys looking for a new toy to cruise around Monaco.
If you have the financial chops, you would be happy putting big mileage on it.
And it is good enough to ride in virtually any conditions.
What next? Give it a test ride, fall in love and watch your finances melt before your very eyes. You will not regret it.
For more on this bike, head to or search “Bike World” on YouTube.