Is it just me??

[Sameer_DS3]

I've had my car two weeks on Thursday and unlike most of the threads and reviews I am seriously underwhelmed. I bought a 110 eHDI DSport. Fair enough it looks great BUT:

It rattles
Its slow
Its not that economical
Handling is mediocre
It brakes mediocre
The sound system is mediocre/shit contrary to most opinions
My bros cheaper Megane coupe is better equipped and better assembled
Its relatively expensive
You cant turn traction control off as far as I can tell

Did all of you all have Austin Elegros before owning DS3's or have I just got a car assembled on a Friday evening by a Frenchman on mushrooms.

I've owned many french hatches and LOVED them but this is disappointing.
I realise most of you will give me grief for this post but IM the one who just spent 18k+ on this car before discount so its not like I want to feel this way about it

[chud786]

Allegro!!

[McLamont]

Why didn't you test drive it before you bought it? lol

[cyclone]

When you compare to a M3 yes a lot of that is true but put up against other cars in its size class the DS3 comes out on or near the top.

The consensus is that the MPG will improve once you have some miles on it.

[Chris_Blue]

Should have bought the petrol DSport THP (Turbo High Pressure)

My opinion- marvellous.

Would like it faster but dont want to "Mod up"

The odd comment you make on the diesel applies- but hey- who cares- I love it!

CBLUE

[furryjen79]

Hi Sameer,

Maybe the car just isn't for you... as said above did you not get a propper test drive?...compare it to other cars? For me the car looking good is a big deal and the fact that there aren't many of them on the road makes it even more special.

Having read your post this morning I decided to do a little test drive of my own in my car (which i've owned the same amount of time) on the way to work....

It rattles - Turned my stereo off and couldn't hear any rattles - maybe there is a 'mushroom' affect here... take it back to your dealer and ask them about it.
Its slow - At the end of the day its still just a 110bhp and i'm sure is slow compared to other cars. I find its slow in 1st and 2nd if you don't really put your foot down but I really love the acceleration and speed when you hit 3rd and above... I was eaffortlessly keeping up with a BMW on the Motorway (you can imagine what speed) before I realised how fast I was going and slowed down.
Its not that economical - Mine was around 49mpg when I picked it up ut its going up the more I drive it. Currently at 54.2mpg with a good mix of town and motorway driving.
Handling is mediocre - I drive quite windy roads to work and don't have any issues. Put my foot down round a roundabout (hit 40mph) and the car felt great no issues what so ever
It brakes mediocre - Now I did have a Fiat Punto for 10 years so not sure I have a great frame of reference but I think they're great.
The sound system is mediocre/shit contrary to most opinions - My husband is in the AV industry and he isn't blown away by the stereo. He says the Bluetooth conection is a bit fuzzy and prefers to connect by USB but I have no issues - Had my music up loud this morning!!! :-)
My bros cheaper Megane coupe is better equipped and better assembled - Why didn't you go for the Megane? Personally, I think they're a bit boring to look at. My only compliant about the build quality is that my glove box doesn't look like it shuts properly on one side when I look at it from the drivers seat but not enough to cause me any headaches.
Its relatively expensive - As you say expense is relative
You cant turn traction control off as far as I can tell - Isn't there a button to the right of the steering wheel that does this?

[Bigfeet]

Nothing wrong with personal opinion and sorry to hear that you are not liking your car but the thing that not everybody is going to feel the same about things as others. The only thing I can ask is why your opinions are as they are.

It rattles - Granted there have been a couple of issues here, but most of them are easily sorted
Its slow - Not sure what you expected and how you mean, the HDI is faster through the gears than the THP at speed.
Its not that economical - HDI 110 only return around 50-55, if you are expecting the book mileage than you will be disappointed.
Handling is mediocre - DS3 are set-up for real world driving, hence the setup is a little softer than some but when it's late and your tried and looking at just getting home there is nothing worse than driving a steam roller. Citroen understand this and have tuned the suspension as such.
It brakes mediocre - That I find very hard to believe I'm sorry. Again what are you looking for here?
The sound system is mediocre/shit contrary to most opinions - I will admit I love the sound set-up in the DS3 Hi-fi and for a factory system it is one of the better ones without spend a kings ransom. Remember there that bass is felt rather than heard. Also the speakers need bedding in so turning the volume up full straight away will do harm.
My bros cheaper Megane coupe is better equipped and better assembled - Thats your opinion and I respect you for it
Its relatively expensive - If you felt this why did you buy then, there are many much cheaper cars on the market.
You cant turn traction control off as far as I can tell - On the HDi you can only turn it off up to 28 mph. This is because of torque steer at higher speeds caused by the diesels torque over the THP.

At the end of the day it's nice to hear opinions from owners even when they are bad.

[x6411]

All I can say is.. Shame on you for not taking a test drive

[Dangerousfish]

From the looks of things you're comparing the DS3 to a long line of luxury BMW's and other "hotter" hatchbacks.

Granted the DS3 is Citroen's "premium" range but at the end of the day, it's still a Citroen.

[ZACK]

You Must Have The Lemon....

[Sameer_DS3]

Thing is I did take a test drive and either I was blinded by the looks or it felt genuinely good on the test. I drove the hdi and the thP but when I drove the hdi the guy who came out with me didn't let me touch the throttle. However when I drove the thp it was at Worleys high Wycombe and they just handed me the keys and said have a play which I did and I thought it was sharp. Maybe the hdi engine weight numbs it down but I didn't think it would be that noticeable.

[furryjen79]

Aww its sad you're so dissapointed. But like you said even if performance wise you're not convinced, you've got yourself an amazing looking car and they say the mpg will get better as you run it in so hopefully what you lose in performance over the petrol you will make up in economy over the longer term.

I know its no short term consolation but If you got it on Elect 3 at least you can try the petrol/racing or something else when you come to change. However, I would definately just talk through your concerns with your dealer just to check it isn't a 'lemon' as Zack says.

[Sameer_DS3]

Plus It's not like it's been a long time since I've owned a cheap car I px'd a Clio diesel for my ds3.

[lufc_lad]

The thing i agree with you is the handling, it doesn't handle like a sporty car.

[ZACK]

The thing i agree with you is the handling, it doesn't handle like a sporty car.

Really ?

Have You Actually Chucked It Around A Track Or Through Narrow Country Lanes At High Speed ?

With A Comment Like That I Don't Think You Have, The Setup As Biggie Said Is Set Up For Comfort But It's Still A Very Sporty Ride And Is Quite Impressive.

When I Went Over To France For The Citroen Meet They Made Us Weave In And Out Tight Cones And Go Around Sharp Corners At High Speed And The DS3 Was Fantastic