Citroen DS3 road test
The Citroen DS3 offers everything from sensible to sensational to cater for buyers considering this good-looking premium supermini. Citroen reckons 60% of buyers will choose a petrol engine and they can pick from 1.4- and 1.6-litre non-turbo engines with 95- and 120bhp that offer 0-62mph in 10.4- and 8.9 seconds respectively. This pair comes with five-speed manual gearboxes and are decently brisk figures when compared to the DS3’s rivals such as the Mini, Fiat 500, Alfa Romeo Mito and Volkswagen Beetle. Go for the turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol and you get 150bhp, 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds and acceleration in any gear and at any speed to keep up with all but the swiftest hot hatch. The turbo’s six-speed manual gearbox has an accurate change, underlining the DS3’s much improved driving manners of most Citroen’s of the past decade. On the diesel front, there are three versions of the 1.6-litre HDi turbodiesel. There are two 90bhp motors attached to five-speed manual ’boxes, one producing 104g/km of carbon dioxide that covers 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds and the other emitting 99g/km of CO2 that requires 11.5 seconds for the 0-62mph sprint. For the sake of 0.2 seconds, the financial saving offered by the aptly named 99g model is the better bet, especially as this pair cost exactly the same. Topping the diesel range is the 110bhp 1.6 HDi motor that produces 118g/km of carbon dioxide and takes 9.8 seconds for 0-62mph.
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Citroen has pitched the prices of its DS3 very competitively against its main rival, the Mini. The French company also says used values for the DS3 will be stronger than those for a Fiat 500, but that remains to be seen. Every DS comes with alloy wheels, electric front windows, and CD stereo with MP3 connection, and this is the specification for the entry-level DSign model. Next up is the DStyle version that includes rear privacy glass, air conditioning and the distinctive LED daytime driving lights set into the scalloped ducts either side of the front bumper. The top spec model is the DSport that has climate control, Bluetooth connection and carbon fibre-effect trim inserts in the cabin. All of the engines in the DS3 range have low emissions for their power and performance abilities, with the 99g model offering free road tax and 72.4mpg. Even the high performance 1.6 THP model with its 150bhp turbo petrol engine manages CO2 emissions of 155g/km and 42.1mpg. A three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is backed up by 18,000-mile service intervals and, coupled to Citroen’s very reasonable labour rates, the DS3 should not be a drain on the finances to own and run.
Read the full Citroen DS3 road test
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