Citroen C4 Cactus prices start at 12,990

The 2014 Citroen C4 Cactus is now available to pre-order. Prices and specifications have been revealed on the company’s website.

What is it?

Citroen’s radical C4 Cactus is designed to appeal to those who want a family hatchback with more flair than offerings from Ford or VW.

The C4 Cactus is shorter and narrower than a VW Golf, but it rides slightly higher. It doesn’t have the SUV proportions of a Nissan Qashqai, though, and it’s available with front-wheel drive only.

How good are its rivals?

The small car segment is the most competitive in the UK. Citroen is pitching the Cactus against budget crossovers such as the Kia Soul, Nissan Juke and Renault Captur.

It will also need to compete against cheaper versions of larger rivals such as the Ford Focus, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Yeti, all of which are very impressive family cars.

What engines can I choose from?

You can choose from three PureTech petrol engines or two diesels. The 1.2-litre petrol is available in naturally aspirated form with either 74bhp or 81bhp, or as a turbocharged unit that produces 109bhp. The 81bhp engine gets Citroen’s ETG automated manual on the higher trims.

A 1.6 BlueHDi diesel produces 99bhp and emits from 82g/km of CO2 – providing you add the Airdream Pack. If you want a diesel automatic, you can get a 91bhp 1.6 e-HDi engine that is still well under the 100g/km threshold.

What equipment does it come with?

Three trim levels are offered: Touch, Feel and Flair. Every C4 Cactus gets a seven-inch touch-screen, DAB digital radio, a USB socket, cruise control and six airbags. Electric front windows are also standard, but the rear ones pop out manually on every model.

Mid-spec Feel trim adds air-conditioning, Bluetooth, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, front sunvisors and a central armrest. The exterior is also smartened up with gloss black accents and body-coloured door handles.

If you buy the ETG automatic, you get a ‘sofa style’ front bench and gear selector paddles on the steering wheel. Feel specification also allows you to add climate control, automatic lights and wipers, a reversing camera or sat-nav as options.

Range-topping Flair trim gets all of the above as standard, and adds heated door mirrors, LED interior ‘mood lighting’ and dark tinted rear windows.

How much will it cost?

The entry-level car is the 74bhp petrol in Touch trim, which costs £12,990, while the more powerful 81bhp car costs £13,390. The step up to Feel trim is £1600 extra, then a further £1400 to upgrade to Flair spec.

A mid-spec 109bhp petrol car is £15,790. The range-topping e-HDi automatic is £18,190.

What options can I add?

Adding sat-nav to a Feel model costs £495, but that also adds an upgraded sound system and 16GB music ‘jukebox’. The Auto Pack, which includes climate control and automatic lights and wipers, costs £395.

The Airdream Pack that can be added to the BlueHDi diesel costs nothing, and reduces the wheel size to 15 inches. This drops CO2 emissions from 87g/km to 82g/km, and bumps average fuel economy up to around 76mpg.

Rear parking sensors and a reversing camera add £395 to the price of Feel models, while you can add front sensors and Park Assist to Flair cars for £325.

There is a wide range of personalisation options, including changing the colour of the protective Airbump panels and rear tailgate insert, as well as various cloth, velour and leather upholstery choices.

Can I get a discount?

We don’t have specific Target Price data for the C4 Cactus yet, but our experience with other Citroens suggests that dealer discounts of around £2000 are likely. Discounts available through online brokers are set to be even bigger – we’ve found savings of well over £3000 on some versions of the C3 and C3 Picasso.