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9 Months with my e-HDI 90 DStyle+ and now over 15,000 miles, so I though I would give an update.
I used to run a Lotus Europa S as an everyday (and track) car with a VW T5 Transporter for mountain biking and the days I had to take more than one passenger. I used to have a company fuel card so I wasn't overly concerned about fuel economy.
Redundancy and a new job with a mileage allowance meant making some changes. A 160 mile a day commute (not every day some days I get the train to central London), meant that I needed a more fuel efficient car and something smaller than the van to use as my daily drive (it made no sense to keep using the Lotus). So the van went and not long after I bought the DS3 I changed the Europa for a more track focused S1 Lotus Elise as I no longer needed any daily comforts from it.
So how is the DS3 doing
Still loving the looks and I generally get very positive comments from everyone who has seen it. I expected some hairdresser comments as I spend most of my working time on building sites, but they have been rare.
Being careful I can manage over 60 MPG (indicated) driving hard I can manage over 50 MPG
Nothing has fallen off yet (I had a couple of Citroens in 90s and they were prone to bit falling off). Had the first service which was a pleasure, especially as I didn't have to hand over any money
I think the ride could be quite harsh for some people, but I like the firm suspension. I was very pleasantly surprised with how well it handles and the Bridgestones grip incredibly well.
Performance wise the 90 bhp engine is absolutely fine for every for motorways and city driving, the only time I would like a bit more power is for spirited driving twisty country lanes, but even then it is huge fun with the power it has and I won't be getting it remapped (this is the first car in 11 years I haven't had tweaked, although if I didn't have the Lotus I probably would).
The thing that makes me smile most though, is that having used it a couple of times on Lotus runs when the Lotus has been unavailable, other than straight line acceleration, it can stick with a group of Lotus mile after mile.
Below is a short video from the anual Winter Warmer run from Ockham Common (A3 junction of M25) to Hayling Island (Hampshire). 40 cars split into groups of about 5 cars about 70 miles miles through some fantastic roads in Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire. I was the last car in the last group. Excuse the camera misting up and the forward facing one not being HD quality, I had it mounted on the outside of the car. The rear facing camera is on the lead car of our group. (This is an MSA registered run, no police presence visible on any of the route, nor has there been in previous years, so I guess we must all behave pretty well, despite making progress in the national limit sections of the run)
Love my DS3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXNTLkOPe0
I used to run a Lotus Europa S as an everyday (and track) car with a VW T5 Transporter for mountain biking and the days I had to take more than one passenger. I used to have a company fuel card so I wasn't overly concerned about fuel economy.
Redundancy and a new job with a mileage allowance meant making some changes. A 160 mile a day commute (not every day some days I get the train to central London), meant that I needed a more fuel efficient car and something smaller than the van to use as my daily drive (it made no sense to keep using the Lotus). So the van went and not long after I bought the DS3 I changed the Europa for a more track focused S1 Lotus Elise as I no longer needed any daily comforts from it.
So how is the DS3 doing
Still loving the looks and I generally get very positive comments from everyone who has seen it. I expected some hairdresser comments as I spend most of my working time on building sites, but they have been rare.
Being careful I can manage over 60 MPG (indicated) driving hard I can manage over 50 MPG
Nothing has fallen off yet (I had a couple of Citroens in 90s and they were prone to bit falling off). Had the first service which was a pleasure, especially as I didn't have to hand over any money
I think the ride could be quite harsh for some people, but I like the firm suspension. I was very pleasantly surprised with how well it handles and the Bridgestones grip incredibly well.
Performance wise the 90 bhp engine is absolutely fine for every for motorways and city driving, the only time I would like a bit more power is for spirited driving twisty country lanes, but even then it is huge fun with the power it has and I won't be getting it remapped (this is the first car in 11 years I haven't had tweaked, although if I didn't have the Lotus I probably would).
The thing that makes me smile most though, is that having used it a couple of times on Lotus runs when the Lotus has been unavailable, other than straight line acceleration, it can stick with a group of Lotus mile after mile.
Below is a short video from the anual Winter Warmer run from Ockham Common (A3 junction of M25) to Hayling Island (Hampshire). 40 cars split into groups of about 5 cars about 70 miles miles through some fantastic roads in Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire. I was the last car in the last group. Excuse the camera misting up and the forward facing one not being HD quality, I had it mounted on the outside of the car. The rear facing camera is on the lead car of our group. (This is an MSA registered run, no police presence visible on any of the route, nor has there been in previous years, so I guess we must all behave pretty well, despite making progress in the national limit sections of the run)
Love my DS3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXNTLkOPe0