Citroën has launched with the DS a formidable contender in the MINI /Audi A1 segment.  The very stylish compact is technically based on the C3, but has loads more appeal to clients who live their daily life in (modern) style.

And style the compact DS certainly has… We drove the “Sport Chic” version, with the powerful and frugal 110 horsepower Diesel HDi engine. It proved a divine – and stylish- experience…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

A “Déesse” of your very own choice…

Not only is the DS a very good looking car, you also have an immense choice in colours en materials to make it your very own personal hatch.

Citroën has even launched a special de iPhone® and /or iPod® Touch application which lets you configure the DS to suit your taste(s). The colour of the bodywork, the (colour) patterns on the roof, the rear view mirrors, you can choose it all with the “EGO”configurator. When you have determined everything, the image on your iPod shows at the end how your DS3 looks like…

Our car was a shining black “Sport Chic” with yellow and silver grey lettering on the body and chequered patterns on the roof. This “floating” roof is quite pleasing, with this “floating” effect being more pronounced of course when a lighter roof colour is chosen. The light alloy wheels suited also very well the chosen package.

In the cabin, the originality of the DS3 is even more pronounced, and we liked very much the finish chosen in our test car. We liked the three conical dials, clustered together, and the low seating position combined with the comfortable front seats which literally wrap around you.

All this gives you this unmistakeable “cockpit feeling” which we happen to like so much. We also liked the opulent chromium on dashboard and steering wheel and shiny carbon pattern finishes, all which add a “je ne sais quoi”, specific “chic” note. Of course you can choose the dashboard colour to suit your taste, and know that also the gear knob look and feel will match your choice…

Driving the DS3…

The DS3 shares the C3 platform, but of course the DS3 has got a unique suspension and steering set –up. The car drives very dynamic indeed, and indeed begs to be driven with spirit. It is also very comfortable too. The numerous potholes on our winter roads are taken with ease, and it makes the DS3 a good companion on open roads and also an excellent long-distance cruiser. Driving on the motorway is also made very pleasing with the standard cruise control, and here the DS truly excels, like its famous predecessor, which was also the Goddess on the long and empty “autoroutes”…

With the 110 hp HDi, always delivering ample power while remaining vibrationless and quite silent, the DS3 is a powerful compact car. 0 to 100 is reached in merely 9,8 seconds, making good use of the smooth six speed gearbox, and the top speed is around 190 km/h.

The DS3 can be driven quite briskly even without using higher revs. Indeed, the maximum power of this 1560 cc engine of 82 kW/112 hp is reached at only 3600 rpm, with not less than 270 Newton meters torque available from 1750 rpm. Need we say more?

The DS3 is, like every Citroën befits, quite frugal. Not only does the engine respond to the Euro V emission standards, it consumes barely more than 5,5 litres/100 km in city traffic, and on the open country roads and autoroutes, consumption hovers around the 4 litre mark.   

Using the DS3

There is ample room in the front seats, and there is a good amount of head room on the rear ones, but of course leg room is a bit more limited. The boot space (285 litres) is big enough to please most fashion buffs, and of course you can fold down the back seat rest in the usual (2/3-1/3) fashion. Note also that the glove compartment box holds not less than 13 litres… We used the DS3 test car to bring some books over from Brussels to the library in our Knokke apartment, and yes indeed, what a useful and versatile car this DS is…

We also liked the excellent and easy to use digital heating/ventilation system and last but not least excellent HiFi system.

Good to play some female Jazz singers, like “Chanson de Delphine”, sung by Fleurine on her album “Close Enough For Love”, accompanied by nobody else but Brad Mehldau.

The song might ring a bell if one thinks of the oft-performed English rendition of this Michel Legrand classic , 'You Must Believe in Spring'. Fleurine chose to dig up the original French lyric stemming from an all-sung Jacques Demy movie from the sixties, “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort.”

'Delphine' is the name of one of the main characters in the movie, played by Catherine Deneuve, and in this part of the movie she fantasizes about a man that she dreams of every night, but has never met in real life. Well, if she was dreaming about a car, the DS3 might be it for her…

You want peace of mind and carefree mobility? Know that there is also FREEDRIVE, a comprehensive service and warranty package which includes servicing, a courtesy car, extended warranty and breakdown cover.

So you want to add some style to your mobile life? Take the hand of this Déesse, she might convince you…

Hans Knol ten Bensel