1977 Citroen GS Reviews

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the Citroen C4 Cactus, Fiat 500X and Renault Captur with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the Citroen C4 Cactus with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the updated Citroen Berlingo van, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

When a car maker asks you to try to damage a vehicle, they're asking for trouble.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new Citroen C4 Cactus, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

It can take a hit from a runaway shopping trolley travelling at 40km/h. Meet the car that can’t be dented.The car that can’t be dented by shopping trolleys goes on sale in Australia today.In a world first, the French-made Citroen Cactus has large rubber panels on the doors, with air bubbles that can absorb the impact of a runaway shopping trolley travelling at 40km/h -- with 40kg of groceries on board.Shopping trolley dents and other dings cost car owners and the insurance industry millions of dollars in minor repairs each year.But dent removal experts say they don’t believe the Citroen Cactus will damage their business, because the car is sold in relatively small numbers -- and the full size protection strips with built-in air bubbles are unlikely to be fitted to other models.There is just one catch with the dent-free car.You need to be able to drive a “stick shift” manual transmission to buy the cheapest version of the Citroen Cactus.The $26,990 petrol model is available with manual transmission only.An automatic is available for $29,990, but it has a diesel engine.The Cactus is part of the growing trend towards SUVs that are more like high-riding hatchbacks than genuine bush bashers.Executives from the French car maker admitted when they came up with the name ‘Cactus’ it was meant to inspire images of a great weekend escape.They were not aware the word ‘Cactus’ in Australia can also mean something doesn’t work anymore or has conked out, as in “she’s cactus”.“The naming was a prickly issue and a thorn in the side of our marketing team, but it’s fundamental to the design philosophy of the vehicle,” said Citroen Australia spokesman Tyson Bowen. “It’s a fun name for a fun car.”Buyers clearly don’t mind being seen in the oddly-designed Cactus.One in three Citroen Cactus SUVs ordered in Australia so far are bright yellow -- even though there are 23,184 configurations from which to choose once you take into account all colour and trim combinations.Do you find the trolley-proof Cactus appealing? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Why aren’t more cars like this? A plastic interior that can hose out the sand in the middle of the Aussie summer.Sacre-bleu! The French have created their own version of a modern-day Mini Moke.Like the original beach-loving car invented by the British in 1960s -- and adopted by Australians for two decades -- the Citroen e-Mehari has no doors and a removable fabric top to make the most of summer.

The subject of this week's road test review is the Citroen DS5. Actually, that's not quite true because Citroen has decided to follow the direction taken by a number of other brands by creating a luxury sub-brand and calling it DS. In doing so Citroen has resurrected one of most recognisable of automotive names; the

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Citroen DS5 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Fuel usage claims that are "wildly inaccurate" would be punished with fines of up to $50 million under a new legislative push.