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Downunder DS3
Just picked up a new DS3 DSport THP 150 here in Sydney. My wife having had a series of C3's I know I am going to have to learn how to maintain and repair it myself and was wondering what the best place is to find a Lexia 3 that will support the DS3 for fault finding and reprogramming things like the DRL's etc. Obviously someone with an online shop and international freight capability would be needed but most people have that now and of course there are a millionon ebay but who do you trust?
450km's so far and very impressed with the car compared to my wifes C3 VTI120 4 spd auto. So good to have a manual gearbox that works well even if a little overgeared and widely spaced ratio's. The economy is great! Still on the first tank from the dealer and averaging 7.0L/10km. The engine is very flexible and torquey far more so than the Audi A1 which was on the list but not as good as the outrageously priced A1 Sport engine. Power wise it falls somewhere inbetween the two and in real world driving easier to live with if you want a manual as the 7spd auto in the A1 Sport kills the paddle 5 spd single clutch auto in the enthusiastic but gutless 1.4L DStyle we get here now!
The handling is a real transformation of the C3 sedan and the DS3 really rides quite nicely with spectacular low speed handling with more finesse than the mini and just a little less verve.
The cabin does make you feel claustraphobic coming from a C3 panaramique though but at least there are 5 seats and seatbelts and a decent boot and a non fold flat hatch.
Mine is a Dec 2011 build and the specs here seem to change with the wind and the prevailing whi of the importer Ateco. Mine doesn't get the centre armrest or auto headlights and wipers but has bluetooth and reverse sensors for instance. I see the centre armrests are available as non genuine spares but I am not convinced in a manual they are a great idea as I kept elbowing it in the test drive i had before ordering and buying the car that then came without the armrest?
450km's so far and very impressed with the car compared to my wifes C3 VTI120 4 spd auto. So good to have a manual gearbox that works well even if a little overgeared and widely spaced ratio's. The economy is great! Still on the first tank from the dealer and averaging 7.0L/10km. The engine is very flexible and torquey far more so than the Audi A1 which was on the list but not as good as the outrageously priced A1 Sport engine. Power wise it falls somewhere inbetween the two and in real world driving easier to live with if you want a manual as the 7spd auto in the A1 Sport kills the paddle 5 spd single clutch auto in the enthusiastic but gutless 1.4L DStyle we get here now!
The handling is a real transformation of the C3 sedan and the DS3 really rides quite nicely with spectacular low speed handling with more finesse than the mini and just a little less verve.
The cabin does make you feel claustraphobic coming from a C3 panaramique though but at least there are 5 seats and seatbelts and a decent boot and a non fold flat hatch.
Mine is a Dec 2011 build and the specs here seem to change with the wind and the prevailing whi of the importer Ateco. Mine doesn't get the centre armrest or auto headlights and wipers but has bluetooth and reverse sensors for instance. I see the centre armrests are available as non genuine spares but I am not convinced in a manual they are a great idea as I kept elbowing it in the test drive i had before ordering and buying the car that then came without the armrest?
. My quick purchase was forced by the sudden death of the clutch in my commuter, and I couldn't front the extra $6000 it was going to cost me at that point in time to get the cheapest Sport that was around. My short commute doesn't include any exciting driving, and much of my recreational driving of late has been done in TAS in another car. If the new pricing then had been what it is now, I'd more likely be driving a Sport as well!
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