You say that, but why does this Cactus look less weird than the old one?

The new C4 Cactus is technically a facelift, but yes – it does look very different to the outgoing model. And a lot more, well, normal.

There are slightly complicated reasons for this that involve some marketing semantics. Citroen has repositioned the C4 Cactus as a replacement for the now-defunct

C4 hatchback – which was quite a conservative family model. Citroen’s Corolla, if you like.

So the front and rear styling have come more into line with the French maker’s current corporate look and away from the Lego-like design details of the old model. Most significantly, the massive Airbumps along the side have been made smaller and moved downwards, to the point where they’re really just rubbing strips like any other car.

Why not just call it the ‘‘C4’’ then? Especially when the one thing that gave the car its Cactus name, the prickly Airbumps that were there to ward off parking dents, have now pretty much gone. It’s a good question. The answer might be that there’s still a possibility of a new (non-Cactus)

C4 in the next few years. Because it’s just a facelift, you do retain some of the wacky design details of the previous model in the cabin. The main dashboard layout is the same as the original Cactus, with two standalone digital screens and a passenger-side that looks like somebody’s old-school luggage.

As for the rest, Citroen ironed out some of the cabin quirks when it updated the previous Cactus a while back. The move from a fourpot turbo-diesel to three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine also brought a change from a bench-like front seat arrangement to more conventional buckets, and the pushbutton gear selector that went with the old automatedmanual gave way to a conventional lever that operated a six-speed automatic.

That powertrain is carried over into the new Cactus. top and bottom stops, designed to make the transition from one direction to the other much more progressive.

The Cactus also has Advanced Comfort seats, which offer a wider base and lots of high-density foam.