Twin test: Suzuki Vitara v Citroen C4 Cactus

Two urban SUVs with more heritage than you might imagine.

7 September 2016

Believe it or not, the Suzuki Vitara has been around for longer than the Land Rover Discovery. It was in Britain before the Jeep Wrangler. It even arrived in the same decade as the Defender.

So we’re in the presence of 4x4 heritage here. And it’s up against one of the most recently arrived foes a car could have, in the shape of Citroen’s self-consciously rugged looking C4 Cactus.

This has off-road heritage of its own, too. Did you know a Citroen Kegresse was the first vehicle to cross the Sahara? You do now.

Neither of the vehicles we have here bears any resemblance to its heroic forebears, of course. But they can walk as much of the walk as buyers want them to these days, which is a fancy way of saying they talk the talk and nothing else.

Doing the walking, and talking, are a brace of petrol engines. The Vitara’s is a 1.6, the C4’s a turbocharged 1.2; 118bhp plays 109bhp, though it’s a dead heat to 62mph as they both take 9.5 seconds.

Citroen’s turbocharged three-pot is the more flexible of the two, however. You need to work harder at Suzuki’s bigger naturally aspirated unit, whereas in the C4 you get plenty of urge from lower in the rev range. Happily, then, it’s the Vitara whose gearchange is more satisfying.

Also more satisfying are the Vitara’s seats. They’re firmer and initially feel like hard work to settle into, but over the course of a long journey the squashier chairs in the C4 will have you wanting for support. There’s more space in the Vitara’s cabin, too, for people and cargo alike, and the touch functionality on its media screen is better thought through.

These are quite fine dividing lines in most cases, though they mainly seem to be edging things towards the Vitara. The C4 will fight back if you like a soft-sprung ride, however – though while this smoothes things out in town, the Vitara’s suspension does a better job of controlling its body weight and dealing with the most embarrassing of Britain’s roads.

The other kind of embarrassment shouldn’t be your eternal lot with either of these cars, but while the Vitara’s screen price gains instant attention the C4 Cactus is easily the cheaper to buy and own. The Vitara does give you significantly more kit for your cash, though, as well as an extra NCAP crash test star (five plays four). And when you take all that into account, we’d say it’s worth spending it if you’ve got it.

KEY STATS - Citroen C4 Cactus 1.2 PureTech 110 S&S Feel

Engine 1.2-litre petrol
List price £16,815
Target Price £15,810
Power 109bhp
0-60mph 9.5sec
Top speed 117mph
Fuel economy 50.0mpg
CO2 emissions 107g/kg

KEY STATS - Suzuki Vitara 1.6 SZ-T 2WD

Engine size 1.6-litre petrol
List price £16,250
Target Price £15,345
Power 118bhp
0-60mph 9.5sec
Top speed 112mph
Fuel economy 53.3mpg
CO2 emissions 123g/km

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Twin test: Suzuki Vitara v Citroen C4 Cactus

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