1977 Citroen GS Reviews

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new 2016 Citroen DS5.

Paul Gover reviews the Citroen DS3 Racing at a preview drive in France.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new 2016 Citroen C4 Cactus at its international launch.

The future of Citroen in Australia hinges on a single car, the C4 Cactus.

James Stanford reviews the 2015 Citroen Long Body Berlingo, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

As car buyers continue to downsize – to upgrade performance – we gathered two new arrivals and lined them up against the reigning champ.

Murray Hubbard road tests and reviews the Citroen DS3 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the new 2015 Citroen DS3 at its Australian launch.

Citroen has announced that its unique C4 Cactus compact SUV will hit Australia in the first quarter of 2016 to rival cars like the new Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V. The Cactus brings a number of unique family-friendly features to the compact SUV segment, which aim to give it a practical edge over its rivals.One detail that all city-dwellers will appreciate is what Citroen calls Airbump technology – essentially a group of plastic-surfaced air capsules built into parts of the body that are usually prone to dents and scrapes.No maintenance is required and should someone ding your door or run a shopping trolley into parts of the car equipped with the bubbles no damage will be done. The clever design continues inside where the passenger airbag has been mounted in the roof allowing for a massive 8.5-litre storage compartment in the dashboard. The Cactus also features two digital displays – one for the instrument cluster and another larger centrally mounted screen housing the air-con and multimedia controls. If someone dings your door or runs a shopping trolley into parts of the car equipped with the air bubbles, no damage is done. Another quirk is the gear selector which is a simple switch located where you might ordinarily find air-con controls, and the door handles are leather straps. Cactus engine options in Europe include a 60kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol, 80kW petrol and 74kW turbodiesel unit capable of using as low as 3.1L/100km combined on the European cycle. Riding on a variation of the award-winning Peugeot 208’s platform, the Cactus is 4160mm long, 1730mm wide and 1480mm tall. Remarkably, it weights less than 1000kg (in European trim) tipping the scales at just 965kg. It's also around 200kg lighter than the standard C4 hatchback. Local pricing and specifications for the C4 Cactus SUV will be revealed closer to the car’s Australian launch early next year. 

That's the blunt assessment from John Startari, who heads the French marque in Australia.Perception is a product of past experiences and Startari knows he has to address the brand's public profile as quirky transport.He says new models are in the pipeline and the six-year warranty will reassure customers considering Citroen.You don't put a six-year warranty on a vehicle with quality issues"When we took over the business in 2013 there wasn't a lot of public goodwill towards the line-up," Startari says."People would come into a showroom, be impressed with a car and then go home to be told, 'You can't buy a Citroen.'"The warranty helps offset some of those doubts — you don't put a six-year warranty on a vehicle with quality issues.It is about showing confidence in the product but it is the product itself that will build growth."People walk into dealerships because there's a car they're interested in. If the car is good enough, the warranty then helps close the deal — it is dependent on having the vehicles people want at a competitive price."Startari cites the Citroen C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso as examples of what to expect in the future.You can't change perception overnight, especially on emotive purchases like cars"Both of these cars have been well-received by the public and press and they're both equipped with more gear than any of their respective rivals," he says of the duo."It's not always about being the cheapest vehicle. We have to impress with our features, quality and service and Citroen sold just 1307 cars last year. That's slim pickings but 10 per cent up on 2013 and in line with Startari's forecast 10 per cent a year improvement."It's a slow process. You can't change perception overnight, especially on emotive purchases like cars," he says.He is also upbeat about the potential for the DS range that will become a stand-alone brand but says it won't be a quick transition."You need to have a portfolio of vehicles to build a brand.There's absolutely no reason we can't be selling 4000 cars a year in AustraliaRight now we don't have that — we need additional models before DS can stand by itself. They will come but it's going to take time."Startari is adamant Citroen can evolve from niche to mainstream. "There's absolutely no reason we can't be selling 4000 cars a year in Australia."Citroen tallied 3800 sales locally in 2007.