Used Citroen C4 Cactus 2014-2021 review

The Citroën C4 Cactus arrived in 2014 as a quirky small SUV designed for those who wanted to stand out from the crowd but remained intent on enjoying practical, comfortable and fuel-efficient motoring.

On the style front, it certainly succeeds - few cars in its class look as cute. What's more, the model has now become compellingly affordable on the used market, like its smaller C3 sibling. It's all very appealing on paper, but how does the C4 Cactus stack up in the real world?

Post-facelift cars (from 2018) get a sharper look, plenty more safety kit – including emergency brake assist and lane departure warning – and are considered regular family hatchbacks, instead of small SUVs like they had been previously. Cars after this update come only in Feel and Flair trims. Feel carries on very much from what went before, but Flair comes with everything Flair Edition had, along with extra safety technology including automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and speed limit recognition. Inside, the infotainment system on all cars gained Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink smartphone mirroring.

As far as ride and handling go, it’s clear that Citroën tried to prioritise comfort, but in the end, the C4 Cactus fails to deliver on either count. And if anything, the ride is worse in the later, post-facelift, 2018-onwards cars. Soft suspension allows the body to pitch back and forth even under light acceleration and braking. And in corners that wouldn’t trouble rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf, the overly light steering doesn't give you a feeling of confidence when placing the car's nose in corners. At least grip is strong enough that it'll understeer in an easily controllable manner if you overstep the mark. In addition, the manual gearshift is vague and refinement is disappointing on longer journeys. 

There's plenty of space up front and the ultra-soft seats give the impression of sinking into your favourite armchair. Rear space is better for two, rather than three, because the C4 Cactus isn't very wide. Still, there's a good amount of leg and head room back there, and it has a reasonably sized boot. It has a high lip, though, and the opening isn’t that generous, making loading bulkier items more difficult.