Citroen DS3 DSport 150 Review & Road Test (2010) Part 2

Citroen DS3 Road Test

With the DS3 Citroen has got just about everything right (well, apart from a short-lived, poor-taste anti-retro advert or two) from the cool, funky and incredibly contemporary exterior to the equally cool – and very upmarket feeling – interior. True, our car has a chunk of extras- including some upmarket leather – which make it feel more premium, but even without the extra toys this is a stunningly good-looking car, inside and out. In fact the DS3 is so appealing to the eye it’s the only car this year – apart from the new Jaguar XJ – where we’ve had people knock on the window begging for a look.

We love the super kink in the B-Pillar and the fact that the roof – a white roof on our car – looks like it’s floating on a sea of darkened glass hovering above the black of the bodywork. The alloys are a deep gloss black with alloy highlights. The door mirrors are white to match the roof and the nose has LEDs and a gaping black mouth. It makes a MINI look as old as the hills.

Inside is almost as Citroen mad-of-old as the outside. Lots of gloss black and not the most stunning ergonomics you’ve ever encountered. But that’s what makes it feel special. It’s all there and it looks damn fine, even if at first it doesn’t all fall to your hand and eye as you’d expect. A bit like a Maserati, really.

And you know what? We’d almost settle for this great-looking DS3 to be style without substance. We know that under the skin of the Citroen DS3 lies much of what’s under the skin of the C3. So we have no expectations of enormous fun from the DS3. A slightly stiffer ride, maybe, as becomes its more sporting pretensions, but nothing to get too excited about. And after our doubts that Citroen could make a small hatch worthy of the DS moniker we really would settle for something that looks brilliant and drives OK. But the Citroen DS3 doesn’t drive OK. It drives as brilliantly as it looks.

You sort of expect a typical MINI-type response from the 1.6 litre engine under the DS3’s bonnet. After all, it’s the same lump that turns up in the MINI and all over the PSA range. But here in the DS3 it seems to have come home. It spins as easily as Alistair Campbell, but it makes a much nicer noise. It zips up to 60mph in a rather appealing 7 seconds, but without any real torque-steer.

Yes, it makes a bit more noise over the surface of the strips of broken and pitted Tarmac we laughingly call roads than the C3, but no more so than a MINI would. The steering is every bit as good as you could possibly expect and the DS3 goes exactly where you point it, even when you point it poorly.

In short, the Citroen DS3 is a hoot to drive. It’s fast, nimble, responsive, forgiving and much quicker than you’d ever have expected. There’s room in the back for the kids and has an interior that’s a delight to the eye. The exterior is as good looking as it can be without your knees going funny every time you walk on the drive and it doesn’t cost a fortune.

In fact, the Citroen could well be the best car we’ve had this year. It’s certainly the best car in its sector and, although it resorts to an iconic moniker to state its intent, it’s as contemporary as you can get.

We’d give it garage room. In a heart beat.

Citreon DS3 DSport THP full specification, data and price

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By Cars UK