Citroen C4 Cactus review

Nobody is really sure. Part budget hatchback, part spaceship, part pseudo-crossover, the Cactus is in a weird little wonderful niche of its own. Underneath it’s a C3/Peugeot 208 platform, with MacPherson struts at the front and a simple torsion bar for the rear suspension, but it’s bigger than any of the mooted supermini competition, with lots of space. 

It’s also refreshingly simple; Citroen has decided to pare back big-car complexity and offer a more calming, simple motoring experience. Cheaper, but no less satisfying. The squidgy blisters on the sides are called Airbumps, and they’re designed to stop annoying door-dings. This is Citroen doing its own thing and ignoring styling convention but basing the mechanicals in the real world. And there’s nothing wrong with that.