Green goddess

Citroen has taken its iconic name and been reinvented for the 2000s with the DS3. Although not as radical as the original, Richard Gooding finds out how the small car with the big name stacks up

Founded in 1919, Citroën was the first mass‑production car company outside the USA. André-Gustave Citroën’s four-wheeled creations were often groundbreaking and innovative (the Traction Avant was the world’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive car) and revolutionary (the 1955 DS – pronounced ‘Déesse’ in French meaning ‘goddess’) featured disc brakes for the first time on an European car, as well as power steering, power brakes and power suspension), but from when Peugeot took over the company in 1976 until the late 2000s, much of the company’s famed radicalism disappeared. Cars were wisely and cost-effectively built using shared parts and platforms, sadly diluting Citroën’s reputation for wackiness. However, the DS3 brings some of that radicalism back. The first of a line of premium cars to bring back the ‘DS’ nameplate, the C3-based supermini blends modern avant-garde design with fun dynamics.

Built to take on BMW’s rejuvenated MINI, the three-door only DS3 has striking looks, and just like the German giant’s premium small car retro mash-up, a big part of the DS3’s appeal is personalisation. With customers able to specify 28 combinations of roof and body colours (and that’s before wing mirror, wheel options and graphics are added), very few DS3s will look the same. ‘My’ car was finished in Ruby Red pearlescent paint with a Moondust Grey roof, and while the chrome door mirrors are an acquired taste, but the 17‑inch black ‘Bellone’ alloy wheels look great. The ‘shark fin’ just behind the doors is an important design feature, and while the ‘floating roof’ is also a nod to the MINI, the DS3 looks modern and original, as its ‘anti‑retro’ launch marketing campaign suggested.

Stylish mantra
The DSport e-HDI 115 Airdream/Stop & Start isn’t particularly cheap at £17,610 OTR, but represents good value over the more mundane and mechanically almost-identical £16,535 C3 Exclusive (the 112bhp MINI Cooper D starts at £16,180). Inside, there’s everything the stylish urbanite could wish for including digital air-conditioning, leather sports steering wheel, alloy pedals, cruise control, ‘Connect Signature’ Bluetooth/USB hi-fi system with six speakers and steering wheel-mounted controls, and a carbon fibre-look dashboard panel. This car certainly does the stylish mantra well, with even the instrument needles looking otherworldly different from the norm. The cabin is nicely-trimmed and constructed, too. Yes, there are cheaper-looking plastics as your eyes wander down towards the floor, but on the whole, it looks prestigious and a cut above some other superminis. Everything works nicely, and it feels sporty, too, the black headlining making you feel cocooned inside.

In accordance with modern-day values such as economy, the DS3 has also been developed with one eye on the environment. 
The lowest‑emitting DS3 pumps out 
91g/km of C02, but the even the version here – the DSport e-HDI 115 – undercuts the
100g/km barrier, despite its go-faster pretensions. The 1.6-litre, turbo-diesel engine produces 115bhp, transferred to the front wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox, unusual for a diesel supermini, premium or not. Sixth gear is primarily an overdrive or economy gear, though; in urban areas at low speeds the engine grumbles if its in the top ratio. It does mean that the car cruises quietly, though – at 70mph, the engine is only turning over at 2000rpm. The Gear Efficiency Indicator (GEI) lets you know when to change gear, although it’s a little hidden away, being offset being in the third dial so you don’t always see it. The dashboard’s multi-function on-board trip computer shows current fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, distance covered, average speed and range on remaining fuel.

The DSport e-HDI 115 Airdream’s Stop & Start system works the same way as the Volkswagen Group’s – knock the car out of gear, take your feet off the pedals, and the car cuts the engine. Touch a pedal or slot into first gear, and the car restarts. A green ‘eco’ light illuminates in the rev counter display during the process, and the whole system can be switched off via a dashboard button. The dashboard infotainment screen also tells you how much time you have been in ‘eco’ mode with the engine off, but the stats are reset every time the key is taken out of the ignition.

The car marries performance and parsimonious thirst well. While performance figures aren’t usually of concern for us at GreenFleet, a 0-62mph time of 9.7 seconds and potential economy of 74.4mpg is appealing. Presumably that’s not at the same time, though. During my time with the KP62 VDX, the highest economy figure reading I saw on the car’s infotainment system was 60.2mpg, the lowest 48.8mpg. When real‑world values are taken into account, my blend of 25-mile, single-journey commutes and longer trips averaged 53.1mpg. Yes, that’s still 21.3mpg down on Citroën’s official quoted figures, but it’s still commendable for the amount of fun the car delivers.

Alert and responsive
Part of that fun comes from the sports‑orientated handling. I initially thought the suspension was too hard, but over the course of my tenure with the car, it’s nicely balanced, although the ride can be joggly at times. Wind roar from the larger non‑eco‑minded tyres can be tiresome at times, but overall the sports/comfort balance is nicely judged. The steering is equally nicely weighted, more on the heavy side than light, and although feedback isn’t there in abundance, you can place the car accurately, and it feels incisive, alert, and responsive.

In Citroën-speak, ‘Airdream’ signifies the company’s environmental commitment and advanced efficiency. A benchmarking scheme, it has three demanding criteria which a vehicle must achieve before it can wear the name. Firstly, it must emit no more than 140g/km CO2; secondly, it must be produced at a factory that meets the rigorous ISO 14001 certification; and lastly, it must be 95% recoverable. Only e-HDi, electric or Hybrid4 engined Citroëns currently qualify. While it may be true that in DSport guise, the DS3 isn’t the ultimate embodiment of this environmental ethos, but rather a warm hatchback with an eco‑conscience, the small, premium Citroën still comes highly recommended.

Details
ENGINE: 1560cc, 4-cyl turbodiesel
CO2: 99g/km
MPG (combined): 74.4
VED: Band A
BIK: 14%
PRICE (OTR): £17,610 (including VAT. £19,455 as tested)