Citroen C4 Cactus now on sale

The arrival of the offbeat Citroen C4 Cactus in Australia this week grows the number of competitors in the burgeoning small SUV segment to 26.

But that hasn't stopped Citroen making it clear it expects the funky small hatch-cum-SUV to become its most popular model Down Under.

Citroen Automobiles Australia won't reveal its sales forecasts for what it describes as "one of the most genre-bending vehicles in its class", but its executives believe it will easily outsell the French brand's current top-sellers here, the Berlingo commercial van and C4 Grand Picasso people-mover.

Speaking at this week's press launch for the C4 Cactus in the Hunter Valley, national sales manager Shaun Mackle told media a $26,990 starting price and extensive standard equipment will see it compete directly against equally quirky rivals including the Skoda Yeti ($23,490), Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X (both $28,000).

"We believe we have found a good balance between specification and price, placing us at the heart of the [small SUV] segment," Mackle explained.

"If you exclude the base an all-wheel drive competitors from our competitors, we are priced right in the middle of the segment with the longest warranty.

"Citroen will never be the cheapest, but we will never be short on equipment. The Cactus comes standard with a roll-call of features that some of our rivals only offer as options."

Apart from the choice of petrol and diesel engines, Citroen's new prickly pair of SUVs will offer a generous list of standard equipment in addition to its daring visuals. The C4 Cactus includes 'Airbump' padding on the doors and bumpers to soften the blow of car park scrapes.

The entry-level petrol version comes standard with Bi-Tone Cross 17-inch alloy wheels (with space-saver spare), a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, six-speaker ARKAMYS audio system with 7.0-inch touch-screen, satellite-navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and digital radio, plus electric front windows and pop-out rear windows.

It also scores single-zone climate-control, automatic headlights, cornering foglights, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, a two-tone leather steering wheel, disc/drum brakes and 60/40-split folding rear seats.

Priced $3000 higher at $29,990 plus on-road costs, the diesel model adds paddle shifters, an 'aircraft-style' park brake and a 'sofa-style' bench-seat with arm rest.

Extra-cost options including a variety of paint schemes and trim options, a panoramic sunroof, coloured Airbumps, roof rails and alternate alloy wheel patterns. Citroen says the C4 Cactus is available with up to 23,184 wheel, trim, interior and paint-colour combinations.

All models are equipped with tyre pressure monitor, six airbags (including a front passenger airbag deployed from the roof), seatbelt reminders, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist, stability control and hill-start assist.

The C4 Cactus scores a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating, which Citroen Australia's public relations and communications manager, Tyson Bowen, says is primarily a result of the model's lack of autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.

"The change in [Euro] NCAP testing means that's where it loses the final star," he said. "The information we have from France is that it's not a structural issue, and that if we tested it locally it would be fine," he said, hinting that the model is capable of a five-star ANCAP score.

Powertrain options include an 81kW/205Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine mated exclusively to a five-speed manual transmission or a 68kW/230Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel paired with a six-speed robotised manual transmission. Both include idle-stop technology.

Fuel consumption is rated at 4.7L/100km for the petrol model and just 3.6L/100km for the diesel on Australia's ADR Combined cycle. CO2 emissions figures are listed at 107g/km for the Euro6 emissions-compliant petrol engine and 96g/km for the Euro 5 diesel.

"When we talk more about the changes coming for 2008 you'll see why we've gone the way we have [regarding engine choice for the C4 Cactus]," said Bowen, referring to PSA's recent repositioning of the Citroen, Peugeot and DS brands.

"That's not to suggest we've left the 1.2-litre non-turbo version out [of the model mix indefinitely], it's just that we thought this is the best package [for the C4 Cactus]," he stressed.

Citroen says its first shipment of C4 Cactus cars is already sold, but expects supply to keep pace with demand owing to careful pre-ordering of the most commonly requested colour and trim combinations. Bowen said buyers opting for more heavily customised models would face a wait of up to three months.

All C4 Cactus variants are covered by Citroen's comprehensive six-year/unlimited-km warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assistance program. Pre-orders have shown a strong interest in the diesel-powered model, with more than 60 per cent of customers also opting to heavily customise their vehicles.

The Citroen C4 Cactus has a lot of catching up to do if it's to match segment leaders including the Mitsubishi ASX (3014 sales so far this year), Mazda CX-3 (2772) and Nissan QASHQAI (2296). The Yeti found just 89 homes in the same period, while the Renegade and 500X managed 164 and 90 units respectively.

Visit motoring.com.au again soon for our local launch review of the all-new Citroen C4 Cactus.

2016 Citroen C4 Cactus pricing (pus ORCs):
C4 Cactus Exclusive petrol manual -- $26,990
C4 Cactus Exclusive diesel auto -- $29,990