[Linnea]

Hello everyone! I have been looking at the lovely Cactus since last year! I have test driven the TOUCH petrol, entry level. Fell in love with the quirky look of the car(I have a quirky look myself probably!). BUT I need a car that'll be ok for snow and slippery roads here in SCOTLAND. I looked at the Suzuki Swift 4 wheel drive SZ3 and it is nice to drive but it is no head-turner, and at my age I guess it's still ok to want to to turn heads!Looked at the Fiat Panda 4x4 too, same 4wd set up (viscous coupling that only operates when extra grip is needed) Also I don't have a lot of money available for a new cart so the TOUCH level has to be the one for me! People say don't get a Citroen, they're not reliable, poor build quality etc, but surely all manufacturers have to improve their brands these days? I know the Cactus is meant for families(not applicable in my case) so would it be a terrible waste for a solo driver? IMPORTANT ...what's the REAL mpg? And is it any good off road/in snow/mud etc? Ooops sorry to ask so many questions!! :?

 

[Guest]

Hi,

I cannot comment on a lot of your questions as my Flair is still on order but I have owned my present Citroen C4 vtr+ for just coming up to 10 years. On the whole Citroen share the same engines as Peugeot (all part of the PSA group) and I do believe some of their diesel engines are BMW units. Most of the ancillary equipment in all cars today e.g. brakes and similar are made by companies like Bosch and are used by all makes.

In the 9 and a bit years I have had mine it has only gone in for routine servicing and M.O.T's and has always been reliable. In all those years I have belonged to a Citroen C4 owners club and although people have had problems I would say it is no more than any other make. It has a membership of over 39,000 based all over Europe but mainly in the U.K. so it gets a lot of input.

People who say "don't get a Citroen" probably have never owned one and only go on what they read and we all know how unreliable that can be.

I certainly wouldn't spend my money on a new Citroen if I wasn't more than happy with my present one.

I believe you have read the winter test by Topi so that should help you.

 

[Aileen]

I just got one, most cars have 4 seats so family or no family they'll be there, my dog gets the back seat. I'm in Scotland but not had snow opportunity yet, my car before was a Juke so I share your concern but the Cactus actually seems to handle better round corners, albeit it's not been put to the test. I also agree I was worried about it having a family car feel, but it doesn't, the Cactus feels sporty to drive. And it looks fun, less family more your own personality.

 

[Aileen]

Forgot to say, people made the same comment to me about buying a Citroën but I have known people who've had them for years and love them.

 

[Luga]

Hi, I have the feel blueHdi and get about 68-75 mpg on an average journey which consists of getting through town on the ring road then a quick blast down a single carriageway. I have two young kids and it's smaller than my last car so feels a bit small to us at the moment, but is a good average size for most, not too big, not too small! It's my first citroen and so far I am impressed. Only had him 2 weeks so can't comment on reliability etc, but I was really impressed with the dealer I used. I can't comment on icy, wintery conditions too much: I test drove on an icy day and picked him up on a snowy day but the roads were pretty clear. It was the demo car and the dealer who had been using it had coped fine in the snow and ice - he said the stability control ' thing' had worked a treat. It is my first 'new' car too!

 

[Zippy]

Hi Linnea,

I can only obviously go on my experience but, before my Cactus I got last wednesday, I owned a C4 1.6 VTR+ EGS and it never missed a beat over the 86,000 miles I covered in six and a half years, from driving though busy towns to cruising at 'just' over the limit on motorways. Incidentally, it's worth considering the Supagard treatment you will likely be offered by the dealer, it guarantees you don't need to polish the car for at least 3 years, I would say that it lasted pretty much for about 5 years and was only £199. You just wash and leather and it looks like new.

As far as the size of the car goes, I think it is a perfectly sized mid range car for small families or a solo user, almost a 'Goldilocks' car

Good luck with your deliberations.

Chris.

 

[adinet]

There's a good post in the chat section on winter performance comparisons and considering it based on Finnish conditions, the cactus does very well. It should answer your queries as to winter performance.