2010 Citroen DS3 Reviews

Buying a small car doesn't mean you have to forsake some of the pleasures of motoring.NEWThe Citroen DS3 is a case in point. At the upper end of the small car market it's a fun-filled little device that looks good, performs well, has plenty of features, and sets you apart from the run-of-the-mill small car owning population.Most small cars are bought by people wanting economy of transport first and foremost, that's not what the little Citroen is about. It's for people who want to have fun at the wheel and are happy to have it in a small, city-sized package.The DS3 looks like a bundle of fun even standing still, with its zippy looks and sporty stance, large wheels that fill out the guards, and spoilers and blackout panels. It was offered in two versions, the stylish DStyle that put looks ahead of performance, and the DSport that cranked up the go-fast factor.The DStyle came with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with class average output that gave it acceptable performance on the road, while the DSport was powered by a turbocharged version of the same engine and injected it with the zippiness to match its looks.The transmission choices were limited to a four-speed auto if you chose the DStyle, and a six-speed manual if your choice was the DSport. Both were front-wheel drive.On the road the DS3 handled as you might expect with a wheel at each corner anchoring it to the road. It got along well enough on the open highway, but it really came into its own when pushed along a winding road where it hugged the tarmac like a long lost sibling.Small cars like the DS3 are often compromised when it comes to cabin space and the Citroen was no exception. It's best suited to singles or couples, is ok if your kids are small, but it struggles with a full complement of four adults aboard.Some small cars are also compromised when it comes to features, but not the DS3 in this case. It had air, cruise, six-speaker sound, alloy wheels and fog lamps. It was also on the money when it came to safety with ABS braking, ESP stability control, and front, head and side airbags standard, all of which added up to a five star tick from ANCAP.NOWAs we've written before buying a Citroen should be a considered decision, not one taken in haste driven by emotion.While it's an old and well respected brand in its home country, and loved by a few fanatics here, it's had a somewhat chequered history in this country. Over the years it has come and gone, differentdistributers have handled the brand, and dealers have changed. That said it's been relatively stable for some time now, which should give buyers some comfort.Before buying a car check out where you would get it serviced, dealers aren't on every street corner. Consider an independent specialist, hopefully a factory-trained mechanic who has struck out on his own after spending time learning the brand with a dealer.Consider having your potential choice checked by an expert in the brand, one who is familiar with the quirks. Thoroughly test drive it to make sure you're comfortable with the choice, driving it in as many varying situations as possible.Look for evidence of crash damage, making sure repairs are up to scratch. Also look for oil leaks around the engine, check the oil, get down and look at the tyres for even wear and signs of having been thrashed. Make the usual checks for a service record; it's vital for a long life that a car has been serviced as per the recommended service schedule.SMITHY SAYSWorth a look if you want to be different. It's solid, with decent performance and vice-like grip on the road.CITROEN DS3 - 2010-2011Price new: $32,990 to $35,990Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, 88 kW/160 Nm; 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbo, 115 kW/240 NmGearbox: 4-speed auto, 6-speed man, FWDThirst: 6.9 L/100 km (DStyle), 6.7 L/100 km (DSport)Body: 3-door hatchVariants: DStyle, DSportSafety: 5-star ANCAP

Funky doesn't always work in cars, but when it's wearing a Citroen badge there's a chance it will strike a chord.  Some things the French brand have done can go over the buying public's collective head, but the DS3 is unlikely to miss its mark.  The head-turning, smile-inducing appeal of the DS3 DSport suggests the Citroen crew are on a winner.The DS3 Dsport six-speed manual demands $35,990, but the features list is decent.  The manual sports model gets an alarm (an option on the auto), remote central locking with deadlock and automatic drive-away locking, a reach and rake adjustable sports leather steering wheel, cruise control and speed limiter, power windows, a sound-insulated front windscreen, aluminium drilled pedals  (standard on the manual sports model only).The DS3 DSport also gets carpet mats throughout, filtered climate control, an MP3 compatible six-speaker sound system with Bluetooth iPod integration, suede/cloth sports seats, a trip computer  and a "gear efficiency indicator" that's only on the manual but a little incongruous given the sporty nature of the hatch.Anyone looking for an automatic transmission will have to opt for the less-powerful DS3 DStyle, which is $3000 cheaper but doesn't get the turbocharger on the 1.6; neither car has rain-sensing wipers.Among the optional extras for both models are rear parking sensors (at $500), an upgrade to the sound system for $800, Bluetooth phone hands free and USB port costs $700, the climate pack  for $1000 and gray leather or amarente red leather trim  adds $2000.The powerplant is the 1.6-litre turbocharged four shared with sibling Peugeot and development partner BMW Mini.  The engine uses direct fuel injection, a twin-scroll turbocharger (for better response), variable valve timing on intake and exhaust valves, as well as variablie lift on the intake valves.The little French hottie boasts a Bluetooth link for compatible mobile phones and audio players - an iPhone can be linked for both but was not always retained by the car's system, sometimes dropping out and then returning to the system.The most striking thing about the DS3 is its exterior design, which boasts head-turning good looks, but it's not always apparent why it looks so good.  Citroen says it uses "carefully considered design elements" on its new sports-hatch, boasting about the "shark fin" B-pillar, the "floating" roof and the signature LED lights on the snout.  It all adds up to a stylish package that passed the schoolkid-headturn test at the bus stop.Citroen has a reputation for producing safe packages and the DS3 is no exception - a five star Euro NCAP crash test, stability control is standard, as well as anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist, six airbags - dual front, side and full-length curtain airbag - all standard.The DS3 also features automatic activation of the hazard lights on under heavy braking, automatic door unlocking following an accident and a fuel cut-off device.French hot hatches can be a conundrum - so good in some ways and so annoying in others, but some, like the DS3 are becoming less painful to endure day-to-day.  On the right piece of road, some of the Gallic hatches that have gone before were laugh-out-loud brilliant - but curse-laden things to drive in mundane metropolitan duties.Not so the DS3.  Around town the flexible little turbo engine easily shoots the DS3 through traffic without requiring numerous gearchanges, but the six-speeder does encourage the driver to use it - the shift feel is good.Steering is light and direct, without any real torque steer issues, and the driving position is reasonable - an improvement if not ideal for someone over the old six foot mark.  It could still do with a little more in terms of range adjustment for the wheel and the seats.Cruising through the hills or on the freeway, the DS3 sits solidly on the road but is not uncomfortable, coping well with broken bitumen.  When the road begins to curl, the little Citroen laps it up, zipping through bends with good grip, no tyre squeal and well-controlled body roll.The DS3 is not the smallest in class, nor is it the biggest, but the cabin has enough space to get settled, although no one would be wanting to sit behind me in my best driving position.  The back seat is pretty much kids only unless its a quadrella of jockeys on board, but its a comfortable cabin.The DS3 will lead Citroen's charge into 2011, giving the French marque a halo car for its resurrected small car range. The asking price is on the money for the segment and it's chic and cheeky-quick.

WHEN Volkswagen wanted to reinvent the Beetle, it designed something that evoked the bug but looked modern: the New Beetle. It was the same story when BMW made over the Mini and Fiat updated the 500.In each case, it's all about the look. You don't get 1950s engineering or comfort, and they're not chasing mass market appeal. Yesterday's poverty pack is today's fashion statement.Retro design has been a boon for those carmakers lucky enough to have a suitable model in their back catalogue because it solves two problems at once.First, it attracts young buyers who reject everyday wheels but who lack the petrol-head gene; people for whom every purchase is a lifestyle decision, who agonise over a party outfit, or the accessories for a Mini.Second, retro allows car companies to charge premium prices for small cars, which to the industry is akin to alchemy. In the past, small cars meant small margins. Large cars were where money was.But led by Europe, everybody is downsizing madly to avoid fuel bills, congestion headaches and punitive taxation. Pretty soon, if you can't make money out of small cars you won't be in business.If you don't have a candidate for rebirth you're going to have to do it the hard way. Before long, there will be a wave of new small cars from the German luxury brands aiming to stretch their appeal, and price resilience, lower in the market than ever. Next year's Audi A1 will lead the charge.Meanwhile, Citroen has got there first. The DS3, Citroen says without the hint of a smile, is anti-retro. It looks like nothing that has gone before. European TV adverts for the DS3 use clips of John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe wondering why people "live in the past''. Retro is sooo yesterday.It's a bold stance for a bold car and it has been well received in Europe. It's a verdict I'd echo after a test drive via the scenic route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley last week.The DS3 is entertaining from behind the wheel. It feels solid and secure on the road, tips eagerly into corners and can carry a fair bit of speed before running wide. For a short car with standard hatchback underpinnings, it also rides fairly well, certainly better than a Mini. Although with quite a lot of wind and tyre noise entering the cabin, it doesn't set a new benchmark for small car refinement.The steering, brakes and gearshift all get pass marks or better.  The test fleet were all Dsport models, which run a similiar turbocharged 1.6-litre to the Mini - it was a co-development between Peugeot-Citroen and BMW - and it's a fiesty unit with enough low-down torque to propel the car with conviction.With this engine, the DS3 is a similar weight to a Mini Cooper S and about as fast. The automatic, with just 88kW and four speeds, may not be as convincing but does have a similar equipment level.The DS3 is slightly bigger all around than a Mini and makes use of the extra space to offer better accommodation in the rear and a much larger boot.  But it has borrowed some of the successful bits of the Mini design, despite its disdain for retro.The four-square stance of the Mini, with the wheels at the extremity of each corner, is echoed here, and so is the "floating roof". As with the Mini, the roof can be specified in a contrasting colour to the body, and the DS3 offers similarly high levels of personalisation and options.Citroen will be only too aware they are a boon to the financial bottom line.  The DS3 does have some original moves, though. The B-pillar is an unusual shark's fin shape that works well with the wraparound look of the rear glass.It's a less upright shape than a Mini and the DS3 face, with a vertical cascade of LED lights and distinctively kinked Citroen chrome, is appealing.  The cabin continues the theme, with seats, vents and dials that are unique to this car and at least as funky as the exterior.Only the audio controls and wands are off-the-shelf Citroen. On price, it's line ball with a Mini so you're paying Commodore money for something less than 4m long. Citroen has modest targets of 35 buyers a month, about one-fifth of Mini's.Citroen sales have been in the doldrums here and the DS3 should help. This car also heralds a new strategy for the brand, with a premium line-up badged DS that will parallel its mainstream offerings and share engineering.A new C3, the poor relation of the DS3, arrives soon and late next year the next generation C4 arrives with its rich cousin, the DS4, alongside. The DS moniker will be familiar to Citroen aficionados as the badge on its groundbreaking car from 1950s.Read more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

Nobody at Citroen is singing ‘we don’t need another hero’ when it comes to the little DS3. They do, and they know it. While the brand is happy that their customer satisfaction is above 90 per cent, they admit their profile needs raising.“We know awareness is extremely low,” Citroen general manager Miles Williams says. “But it will take significant investment to lift to a point where we have a better flow of people through the showrooms.”In the meantime, they hope to get a profile boost from the arrival of the lDS3, the first of a trio of cars – the DS4 just unveiled overseas, and DS5 in the works –they hope to position as a separate brand line, targeting the young, chic and reasonably well-off.Despite the name, which suggests the 1950s DS of famed frog-mouth styling, Citroen has resisted the recent vogue for retro cues. Instead, the DS3 is all cute, clipped curves and appealing face – although a nip and tuck might have removed the resemblance to the Fiat 500 around the rear.Limitless customisation of roof, wheel and trim colour is possible in Europe, but Australia is for the moment stocking just the main six most popular combinations. Buyers will be able to add more choices later if they’re happy to wait for them to arrive .Ours was in a lurid yellow that surprisingly looked quite good, especially set off the by the combination of matching yellow-sueded and meshed seat inserts. The sueded surface looking worryingly magnetic for things like ice-cream, dog paws and sticky fingers. But Citroen vows it’s designed to resist and last the distance. Even the digital patter of the ‘carbon fibber’ plastic looks acceptable.Bezels, handle inserts and other features are in swooping lozenge shapes … it’s all very French chic. Which means there are also some oddities, like the perfume diffuser in the dash and the gaps under the instrument binnacle – admittedly the light that comes though doesn’t make the instruments any less readable, but there’s no reason for it to be there.The better small cars these days are packed with features you once only found in large ones. But they won’t come with a small price tag. The base model DStyle is $32,990 and the DSport $3000 more at $35,990, and they come with a fair bit of standard equipment – including ‘mood lighting’. But you can add up to $10,000 more on options, because the extras list for both models includes things like Bluetooth/USB connection and automatic lights. And there’s no satnav at all. The extra $3000 for the Sport gives you 17-in alloys, rear spoiler, better upholstery and a lot of chrome trim, but the main reason for spending the extra will be the more powerful engine.However, the DS3 has landed in the midst of the crowd of its fellow little Eurochic rivals, with prices ranging from $28,990 for the Fiat 500, while the Alfa Romeo MiTo is $29,990, VW’s Beetle is $30,361and Mini is from $31,100 – while the incoming Audi A1 is tipped to be around the $32,000 mark. So you have to weigh up the fresh French style against the features offered by some of the the competition.There will be a 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre coming soon with a four-speed automatic, but the first cars to arrive are the 115kW/320Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre – also used by the BMW Mini and the new Peugeot RCZ—but with only a six-speed manual in the Citroen. Both versions get sports-tuned pseudo Macpherson strut front suspension and flexible beam rear and variable electric power-assisted steering. But the DStyle gets only 16-in wheels – and both get only a space saver spare. That’s to prevent a full-sized one swallowing the luggage space, which is a very capable (against its rivals) 285 litres, growing to 980 litres with the rear seat down.Disc brakes with ventilation on the front are standard, as are the anti-skid, brakeforce distribution and brake-boost technology, and stability and traction control. Crash protection includes six airbags, side impact protection and seatbelt pretensioners, while rear park assist can be added as a factory optionOur car was kitted out with a host of engines, and the first one we would have crossed off the list was the centre armrest, which you have to flip up and out of the way to comfortably use the manual shifter. But you get over that annoyance pretty quickly, once you kick off the line and find that within minutes you’re enjoying yourself.The car connects with you, with plenty of pick-up from the 115kW engine, and the manual’s smooth, precise action making it fun to use – and even bearable in peak hour city traffic. Out of town and through some hills, the steering is responsive and the DS3 simply goes where you point it. Slightly firm suspension helps it around corners, but manages to take care of most bumps without it skittering around. However nothing seems to get rid of the tyre noise.The rear seat is easy to get into, but there’s little legroom when you’re there – despite the recesses in the seat backs – and it’s best left for the petites. The luggage area is necessarily small, but the rear folds easily into flat, offering a great load space.The question will be how the auto goes. The manual transmission is easy enough to use around town, but a lot of people will prefer not to shift for themselves in heavy traffic. On paper, the 88kW engine will be far less responsive and perhaps too asthmatic for enthusiastic overtaking or hill-tackling. More a city mouse, then, with its bigger brother the choice for those who look forward to weekends away.