The Škoda Rapid Spaceback is £1,150 more expensive than the Škoda Rapid and it has less boot space. So why should you pick the Spaceback model? Because it looks a lot better!
There are a variety of 4-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with CO2 emissions ranging from 99 g/km (1.6 TDI GreenLine) to 134 g/km (1.4 TSI with DSG gearbox), and combined fuel efficiency ranging between 48.7 mpg (1.4 TSI with DSG gearbox) and 74.3 mpg (1.6 TDI GreenLine). The 1.4 TSI engine produces 122 PS, making it the quickest to 62 mph of the range (9.4 seconds). A 7 speed DSG gearbox is offered with quick and smooth shifts as well as 5- and 6-speed manual 'boxes.
Despite keeping the same wheelbase of 2602 mm, the Spaceback is slightly shorter (17.9 cm) than the regular Rapid.
The Amundsen sat nav is standard on SE Tech and SE Sport with pre-loaded Western European maps.
As regards armrests, the front armrest with a storage compartment is standard on SE Tech and SE Sport, but optional on S and GreenLine trims. The rear armrest with drink holders and a clever pass through door is only available as an option, and that only on SE Tech and SE Sport models. A glasses compartment near the rear-view mirror is only standard on SE Tech. If you want a USB to connect your iPod, mp3 player or phone to, go for SE Tech or SE Sport, or add it as an option on S - it's called the MDI (mobile device interface). Certain luxuries like the front headlight washers are also only optional on SE Tech and SE Sport. It becomes obvious then, that the base-model S trim is certainly one to avoid, and so is GreenLine unless you're looking to save a little cash on road tax and fuel. One thing I do like is the removable ice scraper which is hidden in the fuel filler cap, which is standard on all models. It's a very thoughtful feature.
There are no leather upholstery options for the Spaceback, and entry-level S comes with 15" 'Dakara' steel wheels, although you can upgrade to 15" 'Carme' alloys. A vast array of colours is offered, a whole 13 options to be precise, although you do have to pay a premium for metallic, pearl and special colours.
Škoda claims that its Rapid Spaceback belongs to the high-volume compact segment. What does that translate to in familiar English? It's basically a large family hatchback, up against the Toyota Auris, Hyundai i30, Kia Cee'd, Mazda 3, Volvo V40 and Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. If it were more upmarket, it'd be playing against the Audi A3 Sportback.
Audi has 3 levels of sportiness, the A, S and RS which range from least to most sporty respectively. The standard A5 Cabriolet comes in different trims whereas the S5 Cabriolet and RS 5 Cabriolet are just as they are (with the exception of Special Editions).
The A5 Cabriolet is a large convertible which is up against the BMW 4 Series Convertible and Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet. If a Mercedes-AMG E63 Cabriolet were to ever exist, it would be looking to compete with the RS 5 Cabriolet, but as it stands, BMW have got the M4 Convertible playing that game.
Interior
On standard SE trim, you get the Audi sound system speaker package which comprises 10 speakers, Audi Concert radio (with a single CD drive, an SDHC memory card reader, aux-in and a 6.5" colour display), DAB, Milano leather upholstery, split-folding rear seats, 3-stage heated front seats, a 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel with paddle shifters for automatic versions, 3-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, cruise control, a front centre armrest with built-in 12V socket, a wind deflector, all-round electric windows, an electromechanical parking brake and electromechanical power steering. Equipment levels aren't what you'd call reserved then. But if that's not enough for you, S line will offer an 'S' steering wheel upgrade, a perforated leather gear knob, S line sill plates, front Sports seats in Nappa leather and the MMI Navigation System plus with 3D maps and European navigation data, 2 SD card readers, a single CD/DVD player, 40GB hardrive with Jukebox (20GB) and a 7" colour display. Top-of-the-range S line Special Edition Plus has iPod connectivity, head-level heating system, stainless steel pedals on automatic models only, 3-stage heated front and outer rear seats and a Bang & Olufsen 5.1 surround sound system with no less than 12 high-performance loudspeakers.
Exterior
Standard are 17" alloys, a fully automatic hood (which can be operated at speeds of up to 31 mph), electrically adjustable and heated side mirrors, chrome tailpipes (2 on the left-hand side for 4-cylinder diesel models, or one on each side for other models), light-sensitive headlights, rain-sensitive wipers, Audi parking system plus (front and rear parking sensors with visual and acoustic warnings), front and rear fog lights, halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights. The exterior upgrades that come with S line A5s are 18" alloys, Sports suspension, an acoustic hood, S line exterior styling package and LED rear lights. Finally, with S line Special Edition Plus, you get 19" alloys, an enhanced rear spoiler, a dynamic front bumper and some glossy black detailing.
S5 Cabriolet
In addition to base-model SE trim, you get 19" alloys, an 'S' Sports multi-function leather steering wheel, 'S' instrument dials, 'S' model enhanced braking system, fine Nappa leather upholstery, an acoustic hood, chrome rolled finish twin-left and twin-right tailpipes, some 'S' bodystyling, an S5 grille, LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights, and those all important S5 Super Sports seats with electric adjustment.
RS 5 Cabriolet
You get 19" alloys again, Audi drive select, a high-performance braking system developed by RS, quattro® permanent all-wheel-drive system with Sports differential, RS 5 sports suspension, excellent levels of safety and RS Super Sports seats finished in fine Nappa leather. Interior and exterior RS bodystyling can be found too, and rather than having quad exhaust, the RS 5 has two large oval tailpipes (one on each side) which helps give it a more aggressive look.
The RS 5 Cabriolet Limited Edition adds 20" alloys, a top speed restriction increase to 174 mph and bucket seats.
Customisation
There is a wide variety of body colours available as well as many options as regards upholstery, though options depend on which seats you go for. There are standard seats which have manual height and position adjustment, Sports seats with prominent side bolsters, extendable thigh support and electric 4-way lumbar support and manual adjustment. Additionally there are Climate comfort seats with perforated leather to allow better ventilation with a head-level heating system, electronic adjustments and a driver's seat memory function, and finally the S line Sports seats which are similar to the Sports seats but with S line embossing.
Packages and Options
The Technology package comes in at £1,695 and includes the MMI Navigation system plus (details to be seen above), iPod connectivity and Audi parking system advanced.
For £535 you can upgrade your audio system to the Bang & Olufsen surround sound system with 14 high-performance loudspeakers.
Bluetooth® is £175 and a 6 CD changer and DVD player is £305. For £825 though, you can get digital TV reception.
'Advanced key' is simply keyless entry and go for £470 and Homelink® is just £180.
Head-level heating system which is only an option for the front seats is a steal at £350 but the catch is you need to have Sports or Climate comfort seats.
The deletion of model and engine technology or just the engine technology at the rear are free.
For just £65 you can have Audi's hill-hold assist.
For £2,250 on the RS 5 Cabriolet the Sports package adds 20" alloys, Sports suspension plus Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), dynamic steering and Sports exhaust.
Engines
For the A5 Cabriolet, you can have a choice of 5 petrol or 5 diesel engines. They are:
A 1.8 TFSI 4-cylinder 1.8 litre 6-speed manual unit. The specs are 170 PS, 138 mph, 8.7 secs (0-62 mph), 143 g/km CO2 and 45.6 mpg.
A 1.8 TFSI 4-cylinder 1.8 litre CVT multitronic unit. Its specs are 170 PS, 132 mph, 8.9 secs, 143 g/km CO2 and 45.6 mpg.
The 2.0 TFSI 4-cylinder 2.0 litre 6-speed manual unit - 225 PS, 152 mph, 7.4 secs, 148 g/km CO2 and 44.8 mpg.
The same 2.0 TFSI 4-cylinder 2.0 litre unit coupled with the CVT multitronic transmission - 225 PS, 146 mph, 7.6 secs, 145 g/km CO2 and 45.6 mpg.
And that 2.0 TFSI 4-cylinder 2.0 litre engine with a 7-speed S tronic automatic transmission. Its figures are 225 PS, 149 mph, 7.2 secs, 159 g/km CO2 and 40.9 mpg.
The smallest diesel, the 2.0 TDI, is a 4-cylinder 2.0 litre unit. It comes in 2 versions, a 150 PS with a 6-speed manual gearbox (130 mph, 10.2 secs, 124 g/km CO2 and 60.1 mpg) or a 177PS version.
This 177PS 2.0 TDI is either mated to a 6-speed manual 'box (138 mph, 8.8 secs, 127 g/km CO2, 57.6 mpg) or a CVT multitronic (137 mph, 8.3 secs, 132 g/km CO2, 56.5 mpg).
Then you've got the 3.0 TDI 3.0 litre V6 with specs that look like this: 204 PS, 143 mph, 7.6 secs, 138 g/km CO2 and 54.3 mpg for the multitronic or 245 PS, 154 mph (limited), 6.3 secs, 154 g/km CO2 and 47.9 mpg for the 7-speed S tronic and quattro all-wheel-drive.
The S5 quattro has a 3.0 litre V6 engine with a 7-speed S tronic transmission to produce 333 PS, 155 mph (limited), 5.4 secs, 184 g/km CO2 and 35.8 mpg.
Moving on to the most powerful, the RS 5 uses a 4.2 litre V8 with a 7-speed S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel-drive to achieve 450 PS, 155 mph (limited), 4.9 secs, 249 g/km CO2 and 26.4 mpg.
Rivals
As I've already mentioned, its main rivals are the BMW 4 Series Convertible and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. BMW and Audi are the main competitors here with both offering a coupé, a Gran Coupé/Sportback and a convertible.
The 4 Series Convertible starts at £34,910 whereas the E-Class Cabriolet starts at £42,005. The A5 Cabriolet is the cheapest as regards base prices at £32,320.
The S5 Cabriolet doesn't really have a direct rival but has a starting price of £46,770. The 435i Convertible does start at £45,680 however. The E400 Cabriolet is similarly priced at £48,830 and all three offer similar power outputs and levels of performance.
The RS 5 Cabriolet jumps all the way up to £69,505, competing against the much cheaper M4 Convertible at £61,145.
The X5 is BMW's largest Sport Activity Vehicle above the X3. The X4 and X6 are Sport Activity Coupés, whereas the X1 is more of a cross-country estate to rival the likes of the A4 allroad quattro.
Engines
The cheapest is the sDrive25d, a 4-cylinder 2.0 litre diesel unit giving 218 bhp yet returning 50.4 mpg and emitting 149 g/km CO2. It manages the 0-62 mph sprint in 8.2 secs. This is the only rear-wheel-drive X5 on offer with the rest being all-wheel-drive vehicles.
The xDrive25d is next with the same 2.0 litre 4-cylinder unit and power output. The only changes are the efficiency of 48.7 mpg and 154 g/km CO2 because of the added weight for AWD.
Next up is a 6-cylinder 3.0 litre engine in the form of the xDrive30d. Its figures are 258 bhp, 47.9 mpg, 156 g/km CO2 and 6.8 secs.
The second 6-cylinder 3.0 litre engine is the xDrive40d. The 40d's figures are 313 bhp, 47.1 mpg, 157 g/km CO2 and 5.9 secs.
The quickest diesel is the BMW X5 M50d. This, again, is a 6-cylinder 3.0 litre unit which looks like this: 381 bhp, 42.8 mpg, 173 g/km CO2 and 5.3 secs.
There are only 2 petrols, one of which is a performance M car. The other one, the xDrive50i is an 8-cylinder 4.4 litre 450 bhp unit reaching 62 mph in 4.9 secs. Its efficiency isn't its strong point - 29.4 mpg and 224 g/km CO2.
The BMW X5M uses that 8-cylinder 4.0 litre recipe with 575 bhp to get it to 62 mph in 4.2 secs. With 25.4 mpg on a combined cycle and 258 g/km CO2, it's safe to say that it's the least efficient X5.
From the least to the most efficient. BMW's next idea is in the form of the PHEV xDrive40e. It will have a 4-cylinder 2.0 litre petrol engine producing 245 bhp and an electric motor producing 113 bhp to give a combined output of 313 bhp. It will achieve in the region of 85.6 mpg and emit just 77 g/km CO2, yet its 0-62 mph time is more impressive than the 25d's at 6.8 secs.
Interior
On the sDrive25d SE model you get a 20GB HDD to store music on, Bluetooth®, USB interface, BMW Professional radio with a single CD player, DAB, an eight-speed automatic gearbox with Steptronic, iDrive, a 6-speaker system, a multi-function leather steering wheel, sat nav, front heated seats, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and voice control. Step up to xDrive25d/30d/40d SE for some aesthetic upgrades. On xDrive50i SE models you get further aesthetic upgrades and front electric seat adjustments with driver memory. If you choose an M Sport trim for any of the above (rather than the SE) expect an M leather steering wheel with gearshift paddles, sport automatic transmission, sports seats for the front, a key with M designation and even more aesthetic upgrades.
It's even a practical car, with 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats turning the 650 litre boot into a 1870 litre cavern! There's even an option for a 3rd row of seats, though these are only suitable for tiny children.
Exterior
On sDrive25d SE, 19" alloys and an sDrive rear-wheel-drive setup are standard along with single left and right chrome tailpipes, LED front fog lights, Parking Distance Control (PDC) for the front and rear, rain sensing wipers, light sensing headlights, xenon headlights with washers and black roof rails. xDrive25d/30d/40d SE brings xDrive all-wheel-drive along with it. xDrive50i brings 19" alloys. With M Sport trim, expect 19" M alloys, adaptive M suspension, M aerodynamic and bodystyling.
Safety
Airbags are in abundance with driver, front passenger, front and side and 1st and 2nd row hear airbags all present. The rear doors have child locks and the cruise control has a brake function. Dynamic Stability Control Plus (DSC+) comprises ABS, ASC, brake drying, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Hill Descent Control (HDC) (xDrive25d only) and Hill Start Assist.
Packages
The Cold Weather Package costs £325 and bring along heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel with it.
For £2,800 the Rear Seat Entertainment Package adds, well, rear seat entertainment... Basically, it's a set of screens and TV functionality.
Options
As you could imagine with a premium German brand, the option list is both lengthy and price.
A heads-up display will set you back five pounds short of £1000!
The Harman/Kardon surround sound system is a whole £100 cheaper! But if you want the B&O advanced audio system with no less than 16 active loudspeakers, that'll be £3,345.
A fully electric towbar is £945, and a panoramic glass sunroof is £1,295.
The sport steering wheel is £110 and sport automatic transmission is £195.
To add the luxury of soft-close doors, add £485 to the grand price.
I suppose the luggage compartment separating net is fairly reasonable at £150.
Fron seat ventilation is £695, yet seat heating for the front and rear is just £325. Comfort seats are £890 for the front and £410 for the rear - maybe they're just not as comfortable?
Four zone automatic air conditioning is £545, definitely a useful option in such a big car. Something else that earns its existence on a big car such as this is the surround-view camera system, on at £530.
The 3rd row of seating is quite cheap in relation to everything else at £1,410.
At least there's one FREE thing. The model designation deletion.
Prices do vary depending on which model you decide to go for though.
Pricing
So the options are expensive. How does the car look in terms of pricing? Well, sit down and take a deep breath.
sDrive25d SE automatic - £43,745
sDrive25d SE sport automatic - £44,050
sDrive25d M Sport sport automatic - £47,680
xDrive25d SE automatic - £46,050
xDrive25d SE sport automatic - £46,355
xDrive25d M Sport sport automatic - £50,750
xDrive30d SE automatic - £48,850
xDrive30d M Sport automatic - £53,550
xDrive40d SE automatic - £51,510
xDrive40d SE sport automatic - £51,815
xDrive40d M Sport sport automatic - £56,210
M50d automatic - £64,520
xDrive50i SE automatic - £60,665
xDrive50i M Sport automatic - £64,790
X5M - from £90,170
Rivals
The X5's competitors are the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Audi Q7, Land Rover Range Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne.
My BMW X5
xDrive30d M Sport - £53,550
Alpine White paint - £53,550
20" Star spoke style 491 black alloy wheels - £54,750
Black Dakota leather - £54,750
Piano Black (BMW Individual) Interior trim - £55,245
Harman/Kardon surround sound system - £56,140
Model designation deletion (rear and side) - £56,140
The C4 Cactus weighs 200 kg less than the normal C4 and starts at £12,990. Its design certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. Despite being a Marmite car (you’re either going to love it or hate it), it has one the following awards (amongst others):
Production Car of the Year – Car Design News
Small Hatchback of the Year – UK Car of the Year Awards 2015
Most Beautiful Interior – 30th International Automobile Festival, Paris
CITROËN CEO, LINDA JACKSON
Hatchback of the Year – BBC TopGear Magazine
Best Crossover – Next Green Car Awards
Small SUV (less than £16,000) – What Car? 2015
Interior
All models come with the glorious 7″ touchscreen Touch Drive system which is used to control functions such as radio, Bluetooth® (Feel and Flair models only) and climate control, as well as DAB digital radio, RDS radio and an MP3 player with an aux-in socket and 4 speakers, Cruise Control, 12V connector, rear garment hooks, steering wheel-mounted controls, hinged rear windows (yes, these are on all trims!) and front electric windows. Step up to mid-spec Feel (from base Touch) to add a leather steering wheel, air conditioning and Bluetooth®. Top-spec Flair will get you a front armrest.
The door handles are said to be inspired by premium luggage handles. They’ll take some getting used to, but let’s be honest, what’s wrong with them?
Sofa-style front seats are standard on ETG versions only with an aircraft-style manual handbrake. Due to the lack of necessity of a gear stick, Citroën has opted for the ‘Easy Push’ gear selector to save space – it’s an arrangement of three buttons on the lower centre console with ‘D’, ‘R’ and ‘N’.
Practicality in the rear means a 358 litre boot which extends to 1170 litres with the rear seats folded. Up front, the 8.5 litre glovebox is opened from the top of the dashboard and is referred to as the Top Box. This has been made possible thanks to the passenger’s airbag which has been moved to the ceiling.
Also in the ceiling, or should I say roof, is the large panoramic glass sunroof which protects the car’s occupants against harmful sun rays giving the equivalent of category 4 sunglasses.
The interior trim options available are:
Exterior
On base-spec Touch, expect LED DRLs (Daytime Running Lights), height-adjustable halogen headlights, electrically adjustable door mirrors and 15″ ‘Clip’ wheel covers (PureTech 75) or 16″ ‘Corner’ wheel covers (PureTech 82 and BlueHDi 100). Step up to Feel for gloss black roof bars and 16″ anthracite ‘Square’ alloys, or top-spec Flair for front fog lights, tinted rear windows, heated door mirrors and 17″ diamond cut ‘Cross’ alloys. Airbump® technology helps absorb minor impacts.
Take a look at these 3 pictures that Citroën uses to advertise Airbump® technology.
The ‘Magic Wash’ windscreen wipers are designed to reduce the amount of liquid you need to use by 50% by having the nozzles built in to the wipers themselves.
There are 10 body colours to choose from as well as 4 Airbump® colours and 6 wheel designs.
Body Colours
Airbump® Colours
Wheel Designs
Safety
Standard on every C4 Cactus right across the range is ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Emergency Braking Assist, ESC, Cruise Control with speed limiter, TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System), driver, front passenger, front lateral and curtain airbags, front seat belt pretensioners, unfastened seatbelt warning on all seats, two ISOFIX mounting points in rear, electronic child locks, a warning triangle (stored under front seat), remote central locking with deadlocks and a Transponder immobiliser. Additionally, Hill Start Assist helps prevent you from rolling back on tricky hill starts on all models with the exception of PureTech 75 and 82 engines.
Packs
Some of the available packs include: Airdream Pack means you get 15″ wheels with ‘Clip’ wheel covers and just 82 g/km of CO2, though it’s only available on the BlueHDi 100 diesel engine. (£0 for Feel with ‘BlueHDi 100’)
Auto Pack will provide automatic air conditioning, automatic lights and windscreen wipers and an additional USB socket (in the Top Box glove compartment). (£395 for Feel)
City Camera Pack includes a colour reversing camera and rear parking sensors. (£395 for Feel)
The Feel City Park Pack has front parking sensors, gap measurement, Park Assist (self-parking feature) and front fog lights in addition to the City Camera Pack (above). (£595 for Feel)
Flair City Park Pack, however, has just front parking sensors, gap measurement and Park Assist. (£325 for Flair)
And finally, the Navigation and Hi-Fi Pack adds eMyWay sat nav and a Hi-Fi upgrade with 6 speakers, a 16GB Jukebox and ARKAMYS digital amplifier. (£495 for Feel)
Options
Pay £50 to have either white or red door mirrors to contrast with the body and Airbump® colours.
Another £50 will change the roof bars to a gloss white colour (as opposed to gloss black), or you can remove them for free.
Across the C-pillar between the rear window and boot is an empty body-coloured space which can be brought to life with a strip across the bottom with ‘Cactus’ written on it, for a grand price of £0. Colour options are a gloss black strip with either chocolate or grey lettering, a red strip with black lettering, or a white strip with black lettering.
Air conditioning, an option which would only need to be added to Touch trim as it’s standard on Feel and Flair, is £495.
If you want a space saver spare wheel, it’ll be £75 for any trim as it’s not included by default.
Here’s the latest Citroën C4 Cactus advert:
Engines and Transmissions
There are 3 petrol engines and 2 turbo-diesels as well as manual and automatic transmissions. They are as follows:
A ‘PureTech 75’ 3-cylinder 1.2 litre petrol engine capable of 61.4 mpg and 105 g/km CO2 managing 0-62 mph in 12.9 secs. This is a 5-speed manual.
There’s the ‘PureTech 82’ 3-cylinder 1.2 litre petrol engine. The 5-speed manual manages 61.4 mpg and 105-107 g/km CO2 doing the 0-62 mph sprint in the same 12.9 secs. The 5-speed automatic ETG S&S does 65.7 mpg and emits 98-100 g/km CO2, but it takes 15.0 secs for it to reach 62 mph.
The third petrol engine is the ‘PureTech 110 S&S’, again a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre unit capable of 60.1 mpg and 107 g/km CO2. This is the quickest from 0-62 mph at 9.3 secs.
The first turbo-diesel is the ‘e-HDi 92 ETG6’ and as the name suggests, it’s a 6-speed ETG automatic transmission. It’s a 1.6 litre 4-cylinder unit emitting 92-94 g/km CO2 and achieving 78.5-80.7 mpg – 0-62 mph takes 11.4 secs.
The super-economial second turbo-diesel engine, the ‘BlueHDi 100’ is the same 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine paired with a 5-speed manual ‘box. Emitting 87-89 g/km CO2 and running at 83.1 mpg doesn’t sound all that good, but then with the Airdream Pack, you can achieve 91.1 mpg and 82 g/km CO2. However you spec your ‘BlueHDi 100’ it will take 10.7 secs to do 0-62 mph.
Tech Specs
All Cactai come with a 50 litre (11 gallon) fuel tank apart from the ‘BlueHDi 100’ which has 5 litres (1.1 gallons) less.
The turning circle regardless of trim or specification is 10.9 metres, with 3.02 turns from full lock to full lock.
You can only load 80 kg onto the roof of a Cactus, and the maximum braked towing weight is 720, 725 or 825 kg depending on the engine, whereas the maximum unbraked towing weight is 520, 525, 545, 565 or 570 kg.
The kerb weight of the car ranges from 925 to 1070 kg.
Here’s a video by Citroën pointing out some of the unique design features.
Pricing
Touch starts at £12,990 with the ‘PureTech 75’ engine, Feel starts at £14,690 with the ‘PureTech 82 manual’ engine, and top-spec Flair starts at £16,090 coupled with the same ‘PureTech 82 manual’ engine.
With the ‘Elect 4 Personal Lease’ programme the new C4 Cactus can be yours for£165-£249 a month. You can also pay for it with finance with 3 years’ 0% APR representative or through PCP with 4.9% APR. All new Citroëns come with a 3 year warranty package, a 12 year anti-perforation warranty and a 3 year paint warranty, though it’s worth noticing that the 3 year warranty package is only unlimited for 2 years with the option of a free additional year of dealer-provided warranty limited to cars with less than 60,000 miles.
Rivals
The Citroën C4 Cactus is a crossover, so it can be compared to sister company Peugeot’s 2008 and budget firm Dacia’s Duster as well as Dacia’s owner’s Renault Captur.
Let’s take a look at some statistics.
As regards boot space with the rear seats folded down, the Dacia Duster is the winner with 1570-1604 litres in 4WD guise or 1636 litre in 2WD guise. The Renault Captur takes second place with 1235 litres. Offering 1194 litres is the Peugeot 2008, closely followed by the Citroën C4 Cactus with 1170 litres.
With rear seats in place, they still take the same places with the Duster offering 475 litres (2WD) or 408-443 litres (4WD), Captur (377 litres), 2008 (360 litres) and Cactus (358 litres).
The Cactus is the most efficient returning 91.1 mpg, followed by the Captur (76.4 mpg), the 2008 (74.3) and the Duster (a dismal 56.5 mpg in comparison).
With Dacia being a budget brand, even offering Britain’s cheapest car, it’s obvious that the Duster wins at £9,495, followed by the Cactus at £12,990, the 2008 (£13,195) and the Captur (£14,195).
The Cactus is meant to be a crossover, giving us great expectations of mild off-road ability. This just simply isn’t the case, as with just 130 mm of ground clearance, it’s the loser (with just 10 mm more ground clearance than a regular C4!). Next is the 2008 with 165 mm followed by the Captur with 200 mm. The winner, then, is the Duster. It marginally wins with 205-210 mm but nonetheless, it’s at least 75 mm more than the C4 Cactus.
Renault Captur
Dacia Duster
Peugeot 2008
My Citroën C4 Cactus
In the end it passed £18,000. Take a look at my options here.
