1.6 BlueHDi 100 Flair ETG6 Start+Stop 5dr Hatchback

Brilliant, but flawed

I love the style. Seems unbelievable to me that Citroen proposes to make it more generic looking, without air bump panels (if reports are to be believed). It's beautiful. Leave it alone.

I've had my car two and a half years, and still love driving it. It's great on country roads, great on motorways, and always feels safe and sure... well, except that one time, in high winds, where it lifted onto two wheels, coming off the motorway in a spiral bend! The Cactus feels like a much more luxurious car on a long journey. I've never arrived tired, and always been sad to get out.

Extremely economical. To such an extent that it's easy to run out of fuel, because you get out of the habit of going to the garage, and after eons it is suddenly low!

The cruise control and limiter are great, and easy to operate. Mine had auto headlights and wipers. The reversing camera is brilliant, and allowed very confident driving down hellish blind tracks in Cornwall. Stress free motoring. I'm very tempted to have another one, except like a change after each car.

Downsides? It's been in the garage several times. It had that fuel blockage thing, where you can't pull away at a roundabout. Scary. It's had a new clutch - which solved the smell of rotten cabbages going up hills... And there was a minor recall, to do with the bonnet. That said, it's never actually broken down. These were managed repairs.

Bluetooth is good. Sat nav good, but dated - my Qashqai's was better. The centre screen is functional, but not inspired. I think it's dangerous to have heat controls on the computer, not as knobs on the dash. I'm right handed, and it can be difficult switching temperatures, esp at speed.

My passengers bewailed the absence of a vanity mirror. But we all loved the rear privacy glass, which let us throw bags in the back, where they sat undetected, undetectable.

It has the worst rollback of any car I've owned, even though I had an auto. You have to use the handbrake assiduously. You soon adapt.

But, all in all it's been a delight. A great friend. I'm hoping to get a slightly bigger SUV next time, probably a Vitara, but I will miss this cute Cactus very much. Highly recommended. If you want a car with personality, in a world of bland, this is it.

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