Thanks to endless regulations surrounding the accident safety and emissions, modern car more and more homogeneous. pedestrian safety rules mean that a large hood and a flat front end is a must, while environmental requirements impose a form of "reverse-teardrop" and a large, turbocharged engine to deal with the weight of the other safety features passive, not to mention all the creature comforts and electronic gadgets of active safety which are considered mandatory by many consumers.
Unless you're Citroen. Then you create the Cactus.
What do you expect from the company that brought you the DS, SM, XM and of course, the 2CV? It looks like a lunar rover designed supervillain from the outside and a cross between the starship Enterprise and iconic 2CV from within.
It would almost sinister looking if not for Airbump panels, which gave the car its name. They are essentially equivalent to bubble film vehicles. The flexible plastic with air under the body protects bumps Parking-lot, which is great. They are much like the spikes on a cactus, designed to protect the rest of the outside in the same way that the fabric protects the prickly fruit of the plant being eaten by predators.
And the interior is not too bad either. Citroën distributed with the traditional dashboard and controls on the panel of the dashboard and center. They were replaced by a conductor opposite the display and the touch screen in the middle. The main display replaces the dashboard with digital graphics straight out of a science fiction film 1980 It probably looks exactly like something 1980s, designers use if they could. It looks a bit like 1988 Oldsmobile without technological constraints.
The touch screen in the middle is much more conventional case. It is basically the same as the one you can find in a Peugeot 308 and many other models of PSA. It is quite good, with nice graphics and quite fast reactions, but I do not really like the fact that almost supersedes everything else normal car places on the central panel. As the HVAC controls and basic controls of the radio. And there is no way to split the screen for several functions. If you are in the Radio menu and you suddenly want to change the temperature or direction of ventilation, you must go to the main screen CVC, make the changes, return to the main screen of the media, and go back through everything. Not exactly practical, let me tell you.
But on a positive note, t movement freed a lot of space, which has been cleverly used to provide a real space. Somehow, within the Cactus feels like old American cars, with no seats and console. is really trying to emulate an old 2CV, but general increase in dimensions of the car, it is more like a Plymouth Valiant 1960 or perhaps above 1980 Oldsmobile, with comfortable chairs for the seats.
It is even possible to get something that is as close to seat before you get in 2015 car. The car tested was a manual version with two individual seats and a little space between them, but if you opt for the automated transmission of ETG (which is probably the Citroën code speak for a drunk chimp in a box, depending on its sophistication), you get an armrest which is flush with the seats, creating a de facto bench seat.
with plush suspension and high sidewalls this did a pretty comfortable ride and lets you forget that you are driving is basically a mediocre French door with fairly sophisticated McPherson / torsion beam suspension. It is typically unsporty, but as long as you do not test the limits and do not go further than, say, 7 / 10ths, it is quite fun to drive. Around town, it is fun and tossable, and of modest highway speeds, he remains surprisingly comfortable for a small car. It does not really shine at higher speeds and crosswinds at 100 + mph is tedious, but I can imagine taking om vacation hundreds of miles.
Part of its appeal comes from the combination of torquey, punchy 1.6 HDi diesel with 100hp (EDIT: not 136hp, as stated earlier - thanks to Vega reader to correct me!) and lightweight construction. Diesel Cactus weighs 1,0kg (just under 20 pounds) and gasoline prices are even lighter, making for seemingly low line-up engine. And helps fuel economy, too. It's easy to get 45mpg and with a 6-speed appropriately, the numbers would be even better. The reader would be better, too - the transmission is not only missing a train, but clearly comes days before the PSA has discovered how to build a good (there are about 4 years). It is rubbery and imprecise, not really up to the competing cars.
And there is another area where Cactus hides his town car roots . Although it is based on C3 supermini (and not C4 hatch of the family), it is surprisingly spacious inside. The rear seats can accommodate a pair of adults to mature, although their flatness and firmness which makes them more suitable for child seats. And t he trunk with 348 liters (12.3 feet) of volume is suitable for a small family. The cabin and trunk space offer comparable to the Volkswagen Golf, which in theory should be a class above Cactus.
Cactus is really a strange car that works. It overcomes his humble roots and offer an attractive combination of pleasure, comfort and originality. It is unique enough to be cool, small enough to fit in the city and spacious enough to accommodate your family. And it brings hope that cars need not be boring to be good
PS :.
There is brown, it is diesel it is manual and can be considered as a wagon. And it's a Citroën! Somebody call Jalopnik!
is @VojtaDobes Motoring journalist of Czech Republic, who has worked for local editions Coach and TopGear magazine. Today, he runs his own website, www.Autickar.cz and serves as editor at www.USmotors.cz. After a failed adventure with the importation of classic American cars in Europe, it is quite broken, he drives a ratty Chrysler LHS. His previous cars included a Caprice New York Taxi livery in 1988, hot rodded Opel diplomat, two Dodge Coronets, a Simca, a Fiat 0 and Austin Maestro. He never owned a diesel, manual trolley
Photo: David Marek
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