It depends on what you want out the car and how you feel about badge snobbery. For all intents and purposes, a Golf is a SEAT Leon costing a few Grand more. In most respects, a Focus and a Golf are very similar, but like all cars, some will have features or aspects to their drive or ownership experience that you prefer.

For a hire car, unless you're using it as a test drive for a future purchase (as well as being properly used), I don't see the point in going 'up market' unless the car has some quality you need for that day that the other doesn't. Who cares about styling as long as it does the job that day, as it's then going back.

Much better to find out about any car that you may intially like, have a good look round at showrooms for each and get a decent test drive (free) or two, then whittle the list down until you've made your choice.

The Cactus when first introduced was in its own little niche. Although appearance wise it seemed to be a mini SUV crossover type thing, in execution it had taken a very different route, stripping back most, if not all, of the gadgets and gizmo's most buyers expect in this type of car (even if they don't actually need them). The result was a car which was very light for its size, very softly sprung, very distinctive, perhaps a little too distinctive with those 'airbumps', as it wasn't really a sales success.

Fast forward a couple of years though, and Citroen release the C3 Aircross, which is a Mini SUV, in the same position (loosely) occupied by the Cactus, but with all the Gizmo's. Meanwhile, the Citroen C4 is absolutely nowhere sales wise, and Citroen see that SUV's are where its at. So they decide to re-market the C4 Cactus, dialling down its quirky features (airbumps much reduced in size and moved right down to the bottom of the door), upped the gizmo count and hey presto, this is now Citroen's offering in the Focus/Golf sector!.

I always really liked the original Cactus and had it been available with a proper auto (as opposed to an automated manual), we'd quite possibly have had one by now. Depending on what deals are available about this time next year, it may well be on the shortlist to replace our Jazz seeing as the auto is now a proper t/c job. I do very much like the emphasis on comfort rather than sportiness, and have read rave reviews about the seats, but on the other hand, pretty much all the controls are through the infotainment screen!.

I was lucky enough to get a VW Golf when on holiday. I am struggling to understand the hype surrounding the VW Golf. It is n't a great car, but neither is it a terrible car.