Yes it's yet another SUV but the Citroen C4 Cactus is refreshingly different
One of my favourite cars at the Geneva Motor Show was the Citroen C4 Cactus. You can read more details about the car here, as well as my eulogising about it. When I saw it at Geneva, sat in it and had a poke around, I was convinced that it's going to be a huge success.
It's a straightforward, simple design. The exterior is has something called 'air bumps' on it which are panels that absorb minor impacts. If they are damaged they can be replaced cheaply and easily.
The interior is delightfully laid out and uses tough but nice to the touch materials. Weight is saved in as many areas as possible, including the use of grab handles and a digital dash instead of a full-on instrument binnacle.
It looks good and it feels good when you're sat in it. There's no word on prices yet but it should be quite cheap. It's bound to be a success, unless the price is ridiculous, because of the way it looks and feels but also because it's of its efficiency, which will be mainly down to its light weight - it only weighs 965kg.
It was also telling that I could hardly get any photos due to the vast amount of people crammed around each model on display.
In fact the only one I could get a clear photo of was the C4 Cactus Adventure (below) which is perhaps everything the Land Rover Defender replacement should be, although without the slightly daft camo colour scheme.
By Matt Hubbard