Citroen drops diesel from C4 Cactus line-up
BY ROBBIE WALLIS | 1st Sep 2017
The discontinued variant used a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine mated to a polarising semi-automatic transmission, while the new C4 Cactus teams the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine from the entry-level manual variant with a new six-speed Aisin automatic transmission.
Pricing for the petrol manual remains static at $26,990 plus on-road costs, and the new auto is priced from $29,690, which is $300 less than the discontinued diesel semi-automatic.
The 1.2-litre unit, which is used across a number of Citroen and Peugeot models, pumps out 81kW of power and 205Nm of torque, with power being sent exclusively to the front wheels, and it features a Sport mode as well as a Snow mode for driving in low-traction situations.
Citroen has also given customers the option of a toned-down C4 Cactus with the addition of the OneTone special edition, priced from $500 more than its regular counterpart.
For those who find the contrasting colour combinations on the Cactus too jarring, the OneTone matches the colour of the exterior paint, Airbump side panels and wheels.
It is available in two tones – Metallic Obsidien Black with black Airbump and 17-inch wheels, or Pearlescent Perle White with Dune grey Airbump and two-tone 17-inch white hoops.
The white option also adds white roof bars and door mirrors, while both have the OneTone emblem emblazoned on the rear quarter panel.
To the end of July, Citroen has sold just 46 example of the C4 Cactus in Australia, representing a 64.3 per cent drop over the 129 it had sold to the same point last year.
It is well off the pace of segment leaders such as the Mazda CX-3 (10,686), Mitsubishi ASX (10,583), Nissan Qashqai (7712) and Honda HR-V (7203).
This year Citroen and Peugeot switched importers from Sime Darby Motors Group to Inchcape Australasia, the same company that imports Subaru into Australia.
| 2017 Citroen C4 Cactus pricing* | |
| OneTone | $27,490 |
| Exclusive (a) | $29,690 |
| OneTone (a) | $30,190 |
