This shouldn't be a surprise - Citroen showed off a concept version of the C4 Cactus last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show and told us then that it would be more or less the same as the production model. We should have been prepared for this. And yet... We're still a little gobsmacked that a car maker, a mainstream European one at that, is about to put something this daring and this clever on sale. Let alone the fact that Citroen (along with the PSA Group and its sister brand Peugeot) has been in dire financial straits for some time, this would be a daring product from a car maker in the pomp of financial surplus.
The fey facts are these - the C4 Cactus is an SUV crossover based on the same platform as the Peugeot 2008. We've been impressed by many car makers trimming the weight of their vehicles lately, but the C4 Cactus takes that to a new level entirely. The most basic version of the Cactus will weight just 980kg - so it's a MINI Countryman rival that's as delicate on the scales as a Ford Fiesta. Much of the structure has been made from lightweight aluminium and high-strength steel, but that's only part of the equation. More importantly, Citroen just isn't bothering to set the car up for big speeds. No Cactus will go quicker than about 190km/h so why bother loading it up with heavy brakes, cooling system or suspension to deal with big-number velocities? Other weight saving measures include hinged, not winding, rear windows and a one-piece rear seat. The upshot is a car that's about the same size as a Ford Focus but weights about 215kg less...
Exterior
Then there's the styling, which takes cues that began on the C3 Picasso, were further refined on the new C4 Picasso and have reached something of an apogee here. How to describe it? Functional chic? Simple premium? Like the inside and the engines, the idea seems to be to remind people that you don't need to spend big money to have something gorgeous, something tactile. The tactility is taken to a new level with those 'Air Bumps' - the plastic armour on the side and corners of the car that mimics bubble wrap and is designed to pop back into shape after a minor panel ding or dent. Finally, there is now some clear blue water between the two arms of Citroen's product strategy, C-cars and DS models, and on the basis of this, it's not the premium-style DS ones that are going to be the most desirable. It may be a cliché to say it, but this could be the most important and significant Citroen since the original 2CV.
Interior
The Cactus' real daring comes on the inside, where Citroen has pared back the cabin as far as possible. Even the passenger airbag housing has been moved to the roof so as to save on weight and space. There's no rev counter and no tall centre console. Most strikingly of all, the front seats have spread out to form a bench (although you won't be able to sit a third passenger in the middle - shame). Citroen says that this is to put a stop to the separation of the cockpit into driver's and passengers' areas and instead promote a more unified, equal whole. Quite right, Comrade, and it will be fascinating to see how Citroen's take on pared-down, pay-less, keep it simple motoring chimes with a new generation of buyers. Could this be the car to finally prove that the whole premium motoring thing is just pointless bunkum?
There's even no gear lever on versions fitted with Citroen's improved robotic EGS automated manual, just some big, chunky Fisher Price buttons for selecting forward, reverse and park.
Mechanicals
That basic model still includes a high-tech engine; it's a new 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol motor with 81hp, while other engines will become more familiar across the Citroen and Peugeot families over the course of the next few months. They will include new ultra-clean 1.2-litre petrol turbos and a new family of 1.6 HDi diesels with very low emissions, the headline model being a 92hp diesel with just 82g/km emissions.
Anything else?
Citroen estimates that the running costs for a C4 Cactus will be about 15 per cent lower than that of any comparable crossover or hatchback rival, and the early word is that it will be tailoring its finance packages around that happy fact. Expect to see the car land in dealerships later this year with some very temptingly low prices and PCP offers.