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Yet again a great prize for our beloved car 
The first Car Star of 2011 starts with one of the best new car launches of the previous year; the DS3. The launch of a whole new marketing strategy for Citroen, the DS3 was launched as a high-end version of the C3 and designed to offer something akin to the MINI without the BMW-sized price tag.
What came as a bit of a shock for the motoring world was just how deftly Citroen pulled this off with the enthusing reviews and accolades quick to follow the in the wake of the arrival of this nifty little supermini.
Citroen moves uptown
While Citroen’s reputation continues to flourish under the success of the DS3, the French car maker plots the launch of further upmarket models; a DS4 to partner the C4 and a DS5 to partner the C5. If they are anything like as good as the DS3, they will be well worth a test drive.
Unlike its two key rivals in the fashionable and comfortable city car stakes; the Mini and the Fiat 500, the Citroen DS3 does not pander to past glory instead, despite its name, the DS3 is magnificently modern.
Winning ‘Car of the Year’ status from Top Gear magazine (not known for praising small and humble modes of transport) and ‘Small Car of the Year’ from Fifth Gear, the DS3 attracted praise for almost every element it possesses. Described as ‘staggeringly good-looking’ by Fifth Gear, the DS3 also eeked out praise for its revised version of the C3’s driving dynamics. With stiffer suspension, lowered body and the absence of a 1.1 litre engine as in the C3 range, even the base model DS3 delivers 0-62 in 10.6 seconds, accompanied by agile and assured handling. All of which makes it pretty nifty for a 1.4 litre supermini. And that’s before you consider the range topping Sport models, the 1.6 THP 150hp DSport dispatches that in 7.3 seconds, a model Top Gear’s Clarkson says he wants more than he doesn’t want lung cancer. Fairly definitive, I think.
Spoilt for choice
With a choice of 38 roof and body colour combinations, the DS3 is truly a car you can make your own, ensuring you stand out not just because of your smart-looking choice of car but because it will look different to your neighbours parked next to it (who will have bought theirs after enviably eyeing yours up).
As costs rocket as we start 2011, the Citroen DS3 should prove a solid choice too, thanks to its sub-100g/km CO2 choice. With new Congestion Charge rules now in force, the DS3 is also one of a host of new vehicles which qualifies for exemption to the capital’s driving fee. Plus the 1.6 HDi 90hp DStyle 99g model, with just 99g/km of CO2 and 74.3 mpg (combined) is road tax free as well as incredibly fuel efficient. While this little eco-hero may be one of the lowest emitting cars you can buy today, it is no slow or dull-witted drive, no, instead the little car retains all its fun drive and remains slick and smart in both its interior and exterior.
Described by Citroen as an ‘assertive, urban supermini’ the DS3 in three well-equipped trim levels- DSign, DStyle and DSport – with a choice of three petrol and two HDi diesels ranging from 90hp to 150hp. All three DS3 petrol engines were co-developed with BMW, hence you can be sure that this car can truly rival Mini in its driving performance.
Customers can specify body colour, roof colour and roof graphics, as well as a host of other features like chrome door mirrors, chrome rubbing strips, up to 17” alloy wheels in different styles and colours, front LEDs, upholstery material and colour scheme, and even one of six colours for the dashboard and gear knob.
There are also equipment packs to choose from, which include features like automatic headlamps, rear parking sensors, MyWay satellite navigation, Connecting Box (Bluetooth with USB socket), and a front central armrest.
Despite the extensive list of choices and equipment packs, the DS3’s extras are reasonably priced, for example a mid-range 1.6 16V VTi 120hp model in DStyle trim, specified with a metallic body colour, contrasting roof, chrome door mirrors, chrome rubbing strips, 16” white diamond-tipped alloy wheels, LED diodes, mistral and cloth interior, a shiny black dashboard and the Connecting Box with HiFi system has an OTR price of £14,650 – just £950 more than an un-personalised model with the same engine and trim.
Coming to a street near you?
Despite so much praise from the motoring press, the Citroen DS3 seems bewilderingly low in numbers on the road; I personally have yet to see one out in the real world. With so many superminis achieving roaring trade over the past couple of years, thanks in the most part by a whole lot of belt-tightening by British consumers, it seems surprising that the Citroen DS3 has yet to multiply in numbers in the same way the Fiat 500 and Hyundai i10 has done of late. Could it be that people are suspicious of the Citroen name and think the DS3 is little more than a priced-up C3? If so, I entreat you to repent your hostility towards this budget French car maker, it is truly a reformed sinner, which is now offering to you the perfect city car solution.
Or maybe it’s that the base price of the DS3 is marginally higher than the base price of the Mini Hatch (£11,880 compared to £11,560), which admittedly is a bit of a let down. Still if like me, you like the idea of a luxury city car, then I might overlook this small difference (after all you are more likely to be able to negotiate a good deal with a Citroen dealer than a Mini one, not to mention that parts and repairs will be cheaper with Citroen than with its German rival when the time comes for such things).
I’m sick of the sight of the same old cars on the road, and being a ‘difficult type’, I almost instinctively hate any car which becomes massively popular (I appreciate that may be a terrible quality in a motoring writer, especially as popular cars are often popular for a good reason). Still as I’m fed up of the sight of the Mini Hatch/Ford Fiesta/Fiat 500 and award the Citroen DS3 this month’s Car Star for being a truly brilliant alternative to the banal and boring competition. After all, it is a model we can afford to have a few more of on the road before it becomes commonplace. Besides it truly is worth checking out if you are seeking a new supermini this year, even if you are not completely converted to Citroen like Clarkson, you definitely won’t feel you wasted your time taking it on a test drive.
http://www.roadtestreports.co.uk/new...h-citroen-ds3/
The first Car Star of 2011 starts with one of the best new car launches of the previous year; the DS3. The launch of a whole new marketing strategy for Citroen, the DS3 was launched as a high-end version of the C3 and designed to offer something akin to the MINI without the BMW-sized price tag.
What came as a bit of a shock for the motoring world was just how deftly Citroen pulled this off with the enthusing reviews and accolades quick to follow the in the wake of the arrival of this nifty little supermini.
Citroen moves uptown
While Citroen’s reputation continues to flourish under the success of the DS3, the French car maker plots the launch of further upmarket models; a DS4 to partner the C4 and a DS5 to partner the C5. If they are anything like as good as the DS3, they will be well worth a test drive.
Unlike its two key rivals in the fashionable and comfortable city car stakes; the Mini and the Fiat 500, the Citroen DS3 does not pander to past glory instead, despite its name, the DS3 is magnificently modern.
Winning ‘Car of the Year’ status from Top Gear magazine (not known for praising small and humble modes of transport) and ‘Small Car of the Year’ from Fifth Gear, the DS3 attracted praise for almost every element it possesses. Described as ‘staggeringly good-looking’ by Fifth Gear, the DS3 also eeked out praise for its revised version of the C3’s driving dynamics. With stiffer suspension, lowered body and the absence of a 1.1 litre engine as in the C3 range, even the base model DS3 delivers 0-62 in 10.6 seconds, accompanied by agile and assured handling. All of which makes it pretty nifty for a 1.4 litre supermini. And that’s before you consider the range topping Sport models, the 1.6 THP 150hp DSport dispatches that in 7.3 seconds, a model Top Gear’s Clarkson says he wants more than he doesn’t want lung cancer. Fairly definitive, I think.
Spoilt for choice
With a choice of 38 roof and body colour combinations, the DS3 is truly a car you can make your own, ensuring you stand out not just because of your smart-looking choice of car but because it will look different to your neighbours parked next to it (who will have bought theirs after enviably eyeing yours up).
As costs rocket as we start 2011, the Citroen DS3 should prove a solid choice too, thanks to its sub-100g/km CO2 choice. With new Congestion Charge rules now in force, the DS3 is also one of a host of new vehicles which qualifies for exemption to the capital’s driving fee. Plus the 1.6 HDi 90hp DStyle 99g model, with just 99g/km of CO2 and 74.3 mpg (combined) is road tax free as well as incredibly fuel efficient. While this little eco-hero may be one of the lowest emitting cars you can buy today, it is no slow or dull-witted drive, no, instead the little car retains all its fun drive and remains slick and smart in both its interior and exterior.
Described by Citroen as an ‘assertive, urban supermini’ the DS3 in three well-equipped trim levels- DSign, DStyle and DSport – with a choice of three petrol and two HDi diesels ranging from 90hp to 150hp. All three DS3 petrol engines were co-developed with BMW, hence you can be sure that this car can truly rival Mini in its driving performance.
Customers can specify body colour, roof colour and roof graphics, as well as a host of other features like chrome door mirrors, chrome rubbing strips, up to 17” alloy wheels in different styles and colours, front LEDs, upholstery material and colour scheme, and even one of six colours for the dashboard and gear knob.
There are also equipment packs to choose from, which include features like automatic headlamps, rear parking sensors, MyWay satellite navigation, Connecting Box (Bluetooth with USB socket), and a front central armrest.
Despite the extensive list of choices and equipment packs, the DS3’s extras are reasonably priced, for example a mid-range 1.6 16V VTi 120hp model in DStyle trim, specified with a metallic body colour, contrasting roof, chrome door mirrors, chrome rubbing strips, 16” white diamond-tipped alloy wheels, LED diodes, mistral and cloth interior, a shiny black dashboard and the Connecting Box with HiFi system has an OTR price of £14,650 – just £950 more than an un-personalised model with the same engine and trim.
Coming to a street near you?
Despite so much praise from the motoring press, the Citroen DS3 seems bewilderingly low in numbers on the road; I personally have yet to see one out in the real world. With so many superminis achieving roaring trade over the past couple of years, thanks in the most part by a whole lot of belt-tightening by British consumers, it seems surprising that the Citroen DS3 has yet to multiply in numbers in the same way the Fiat 500 and Hyundai i10 has done of late. Could it be that people are suspicious of the Citroen name and think the DS3 is little more than a priced-up C3? If so, I entreat you to repent your hostility towards this budget French car maker, it is truly a reformed sinner, which is now offering to you the perfect city car solution.
Or maybe it’s that the base price of the DS3 is marginally higher than the base price of the Mini Hatch (£11,880 compared to £11,560), which admittedly is a bit of a let down. Still if like me, you like the idea of a luxury city car, then I might overlook this small difference (after all you are more likely to be able to negotiate a good deal with a Citroen dealer than a Mini one, not to mention that parts and repairs will be cheaper with Citroen than with its German rival when the time comes for such things).
I’m sick of the sight of the same old cars on the road, and being a ‘difficult type’, I almost instinctively hate any car which becomes massively popular (I appreciate that may be a terrible quality in a motoring writer, especially as popular cars are often popular for a good reason). Still as I’m fed up of the sight of the Mini Hatch/Ford Fiesta/Fiat 500 and award the Citroen DS3 this month’s Car Star for being a truly brilliant alternative to the banal and boring competition. After all, it is a model we can afford to have a few more of on the road before it becomes commonplace. Besides it truly is worth checking out if you are seeking a new supermini this year, even if you are not completely converted to Citroen like Clarkson, you definitely won’t feel you wasted your time taking it on a test drive.
http://www.roadtestreports.co.uk/new...h-citroen-ds3/
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