The highly controversial Citroën C4 Cactus gets a successor. A slightly less “spiky” successor, that is. However, it will not be a typical Golf or Focus alternative. Perhaps that is a good thing, because the Cactus at least made it a little less boring on Dutch roads. Citroën is able to do that again with this newcomer.
There will undoubtedly be a strong word in some groups of friends about whether or not to appreciate the C4 Cactus. The French had gone their own way at the design table. One thought it was a welcome change between the gray lease mice, the other thought it was landscape pollution. The Cactus was certainly remarkable. Citroën mainly saw appreciation in the sales figures; the C4 Cactus sold here better in the Netherlands than the two generations of the regular C4 combined. The C4 Cactus was not a one-to-one successor to the regular C4, but managed to attract more buyers with its slightly lower price and separate appearance. It is clear to Citroën that this works better. The upcoming C4 and its appearance therefore more on the Cactus, but will be slightly higher in the market. The new C4 thus fills the gap that both the C4 and C4 leave behind Cactus.
Just like its predecessor, the new Citroën C4 is a bit of an odd man out. Although he has to lure buyers away from cars such as the Volkswagen Golf, the Kia Ceed and the Ford Focus, we see no comparable coach with this French alternative. Again Citroën opts for a fairly high cross-over body with a fairly blunt nose. The wind is now blowing through almost the entire Citroën range, so it is immediately recognizable with which brand we are dealing with here.
Style break
Yet this new C4 is at the same time somewhat opposed to its own origins. Unlike the Cactus, the car now has a fairly sloping roof line. The hatchback therefore tends towards a coupé or fastback standing high on its feet. Because this Citroën also chooses the airspace, it would not surprise us if the car will go through as C4 Aircross. He then neatly takes his place between the C3 Aircross and C5 Aircross. Unlike the latter, we expect the C4 to borrow its basis from the Peugeot 208 and the upcoming C3. The Cactus already shared its (extended) basis with the little brothers within PSA.
Assuming that an extended version of the CMP platform is indeed the basis, we can already look at the expected powertrains. The 100 hp 1.2 PureTech is in that case the entry level. Maybe Citroën skips that and starts with the 130 hp version of the same gasoline engine. For the sportier performance, the brand also has one with 150 hp on the shelves. For diesel lovers, Citroën has the 100 or 130 hp 1.5 BlueHDi in house. Probably the transmission choice in all cases consists of a manual six-speed gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Also electric
Of course there is also an electrical edge on the new C4. PSA is now applying electrification on a larger scale in its range, so the C4 cannot be left behind. A plug-in hybrid may be in the barrel, but of course the EV-shared basis with the 208 also offers EV options. In that case, count on a 136 hp electric motor, coupled with a 50 kWh battery pack and an action radius of around 300 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. We expect to see more of the new C4 later this year.
The predecessors
The Citroën C4 Cactus did something special: Citroën sold more of it here than in the Netherlands than the first and second generation of the regular C4. Although the Cactus puts the ordinary C4s in the shade, they deserve a look back. The first C4, which saw the light of day in 2004, was designed in a nice alternative. The five-door had a striking roof line that was almost reminiscent of that of historic models such as the CX and GS. The three-door, with its angular back, evoked Ami associations. In the most successful year, Citroën is carrying 4,464 copies of this. The second C4, which was noticeably less conspicuous, did not achieve half of it in its peak year. Already in the third year the sales figures dropped below 1,000 and so the “non-Cactus-C4” went out like a night candle.