Funky design, compact, personalization, safety
Three door manual only, not exactly sporty, polarising
The DS3 is small in stature but larger than life; a true French fashionista with lofty aspirations but some smarts and muscle to back up its looks.
Citroen DS3 DSport Overview
In the burgoning hatch market, when homogenized bubble-cars and whitegoods-on-wheels are the norm, buyers with money are willing to spend up for something more individual and up-spec. This where the likes of the Mini have done so well, offering a range of individual options, palettes and features that stand out from the A-to-B transporters.
The DS3 certainly buys into that ideology, with a flashy French design inside and out, good specification and wild colour combos. But is it worth $36K?
Citroen DS3 DSport Engine
A product of the PSA engine alliance between Citroen, Peugeot and BMW, the 1.6 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine develops 115kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm available from just 1400rpm to 4000rpm.
The latter, pushing just 1165kg via a six-speed manual, claims a 6.7-litre per hundred fuel sip. It’s a lovely, tried-and-true engine, but is beginning to show its age in a marketplace where twin-charged VW fours are offering similar power and torque with over a litre less thirst.
Its 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.3 seconds isn’t lightning-quick either (the Golf GTI, for example, is almost a second quicker), but the deliberate doling-out of power and torque offers a linear throttle response and punchy low-gear performance, while in higher gears it runs smoothly without higher revs and sucking down the juice.
Citroen DS3 DSport The Interior
If you wanted something different in the DS3, you certainly get it. Citroen has leaned on its ‘French flair’ fashion drawcard, mixing up bright colours that compliment the exterior palette with a mix of surfaces and fabrics, giving the interior a more expensive, if somewhat overdone, feel.
Think Gaultier, rather than Chanel.
Unfortunately, the attention to detail in the trim does not equal practicality – another fashion influence – with not nearly enough small storage spaces or cupholders. The second-row may as well be second-class.
However, the glove box has air conditioning, and the dark tinted windows are good for Aussie summer.
The six-speaker stereo is reasonable, but Bluetooth connectivity and a
USB port is optional. A better stereo, reversing sensors, metallic paint and leather seats are also options, while cruise control is a nice standard feature.
The boot is deep, with split-fold access to open up the cargo area, but houses a space-saver spare underfloor.
Citroen DS3 DSport Exterior & Styling
Let’s face it; styling is a key factor in the DS3. Polarising in appearance, with a tonne of individual colour combinations, it is an affordable rival for the iconic Mini in its tailoring.
Sitting on flowery 17-inch dark and light alloys under moulded wheel arches, the slab-sided squares of colour are broken up by blocks of glasshousing and chrome borders, jagged lines and an organic, bubbly roofline.
The large, swoopy headlights stand out above tiny fog lights and brake duct gills filled with LED lights, while the rear looks pert with its sloping hatch roof and trying-a-bit-hard DS3 badging.
Citroen DS3 DSport On The Road
The DS3 in Sport trim rides surprisingly well on its 17-inch alloys, though rough surfaces are heard more than felt. In fact, the road noise filters far too easily through the firewall and wheel arches on Australian tarmac. A change in rubber may alleviate some of this, but the ‘floating’ roof and glasshouse don’t help the vehicle’s NVH levels.
The steering is typically remote, like an electronic hand at the other end of the column is a step behind your own in turning the cogs; but it’s pretty much a point-and-shoot proposition.
The suspension, however, is pliable and compliant, and for such a short wheelbase with a torsion beam rear axle, the car is stable and acquits itself well.
Safety is commendable, with six airbags, ABS, brake assist, brake force distribution, traction and stability control, disc brakes all round, and automatic hazard lights under sudden braking with door unlock and fuel isolation if an accident occurs.
Citroen DS3 DSport Challenges
The price is the main obstacle; resale is iffy, as is build quality in the interior, and at $36K, one may expect a bit more bang for buck.
The DS3 is also up against some stiff competition, namely from zee Germans: the Mini which shares its engine, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is about the same price, and the Polo GTI is almost $10K cheaper, and all are far more dynamic to drive with a better record for lasting the test of time.
Citroen DS3 DSport Verdict
A solid drivetrain and commendable performance, encased in a heavily stylized body that lacks a little bit of substance given its expensive tag.
Citroen DS3 DSport The Competition
The Mini Cooper S, which shares its drivetrain with the DS3, is far more expensive at $43,050, but the Citroen may still lose out to its popular, individualized competitor. At the other end of the argument, the
Volkswagen Polo GTI is both Spartan and surgical in its appearance and execution, but at $27,990 with a twin-charged engine and DSG gearbox, it’s very hard to justify nearly five-figures of extra value in the Frenchy.
