Filed under: Aftermarket, Weird Car News, Driving, United StatesJC Whitney is celebrating 100 years in business in 2015. To look back on that long history, the company has picked 10 of the oddest products that it has ever offered in its catalogs.Contin…

Once in a while a car comes along that doesn’t just stand out from the crowd, it sets a new benchmark. The Citroen C4 Cactus is one of those cars.

A finalist for World Car of the Year and winner of Best Family Hatchback in the UK Car of the Year awards, Citroen have struck gold with the Cactus.

Even up against the likes of the Kia Soul, Nissan Juke and Renault Captur in the “quirky” sector, the Cactus dares to be different.  Sleek and striking outside – spacious and innovative inside.

Citroen wants traditional hatchback owners to consider the Cactus as an alternative, with the accent on design, comfort, technology, value for money and reduced cost of ownership – and it largely succeeds.

Its looks may not be to everyone’s taste, but for me the Cactus is a breath of fresh air.

The giant pads on the doors and bumpers are the biggest talking point. Officially known as ‘airbumps’, they are not just there for effect – the air capsules in the plastic are meant to absorb impacts.

About the size of a Ford Focus, but with the looks of a crossover, the Cactus is available in eye-catching colours too, including Hello Yellow, Deep Purple and Shark Grey with red mirrors.

Inside, there’s space for five passengers, though the low roofline means rear passengers over six-foot have little or no headroom.

At the back there’s just a bench seat (no split/fold-down option), but there’s a decent 358 litres of boot space, while the rear windows pop out rather than wind down to cut costs.

Up front there’s a minimalist feel with some original touches. The dashboard is replaced by a simple digital binnacle with a retro LED readout tells you how fast you’re going and little else.

The 7-inch touchscreen in the centre console is the heart of the Cactus, featuring control buttons for everything from air conditioning to sat nav.

Other interior highlights include leather straps instead of doorhandles and a generous top-mounted glovebox that looks like a mini travel trunk.

Other original touches include the ‘Magic Wash’ windscreen wipers where the washer nozzles are built into the tips of the wipers and release just a small amount of fluid – a simple innovation that Citroen says halves the amount of windscreen washing fluid used and the bonnet stays clean.

I drove the Citroen C4 Cactus Flair Blue HDi 100 which features a 1.6-litre turbo diesel capable of 114mph, 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds and 83mpg (50-60mpg is closer to the mark when driven briskly).

Low CO2 emissions of 89g/km mean the Cactus is also Band A which means zero car tax.

The Cactus has a comfortable ride and the reasonably refined engine is a good all-rounder. There are other engines available, so it’s well worth sampling them too, plus the automatic gearbox, because the manual isn’t the slickest.

The Citroen C4 Cactus range starts at £12,990. The car I drove cost £17,990 (£19,730 with extras).

Full marks to Citroen for brightening up the family car market with a funky design that achieves everything it set out to do.

The post Citroen C4 Cactus appeared first on Automotive Blog.

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Motorcycle

​Bombardier Recreational Products is recalling 5,165 examples of the 2013 Can-Am Spyder RT. It’s possible that if the trikes idle for low periods or there is prolonged low-speed riding, excessive heat can build up. This can cause to burns to riders or fires.

Continue reading BRP recalling 5,200 Can-Am Spyders for excessive heat

BRP recalling 5,200 Can-Am Spyders for excessive heat originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Audi, Cadillac, Honda, LuxuryWe curate the week’s events with a focus on car crashes involving pedestrians. Plus other news and notes from the automotive world.Continue rea…

I like the new Volkswagen Touran as it is more stylish and has a better Interior

Filed under: Design/Style, 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Lexus, Coupe, Crossover, Hatchback, Concept Cars, FutureThis is the Lexus LF-SA Concept, which has leaked out ahead of its official debut in Geneva. We’re still awaiting official details, but at least …

Filed under: VideosStay in bed this morning, and catch up on all of Autoblog’s motoring video that you may have missed this week.Continue reading Autoblog Video Brunch: Week of 2.23.15Autoblog Video Brunch: Week of 2.23.15 originally appeared on Autobl…

The Lagonda Taraf, Aston Martin’s luxury super saloon, will go on sale in Britain, after all…

Aston Martin’s stunning Lagonda Taraf, currently only available in the Middle East, is now on sale “in strictly limited numbers” to customers in Britain, Europe and South Africa.

“Opening up the Lagonda Taraf to an increased number of customers around the world was a high priority for me as soon as I joined Aston Martin late last year,” said Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer.

“I wanted to be able to offer this exceptional saloon to the potential owners from around the globe who have been enquiring about it, and I’m very happy that we have been able to expand the Lagonda proposition.”

The return of Aston’s Lagonda marque follows in the wake of other bespoke special projects such as the creation of the extreme Aston Martin Vulcan supercar, Vantage GT3 special edition, One-77, V12 Zagato and the CC100 Speedster Concept.

The 6.0-litre V12-engined Lagonda Taraf, launched in Dubai in late 2014, draws inspiration from the classic William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976.

However, the Taraf uses many of the same cutting edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars, such as the extensive use of carbon fibre body panels.

The car is hand-built by the finest craftsmen and women at Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire, in a dedicated building previously given over to the creation of the One-77 supercar.

The post Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf UK-bound appeared first on Automotive Blog.

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, UAW/Unions, VolkswagenWork is officially underway at VW’s Chattanooga, TN factory, as over 500,000 square feet of factory space is added to accommodate a new CUV and 2,000 more workers.Continue reading VW expanding in…

Filed under: Videos, Honda, United States, Hatchback, Classics, PerformanceMotorWeek is looking back on a fondly remembered late-’80s hot hatch with a retro review of the 1989 Honda Civic Si. It wasn’t perfect in the show’s view, but there was still a …