Citroen DS3: Fourth report

After months out of the loop while injured, I’m now back to full fitness – so I can banish my unwieldy crutches to the bin once and for all! Many people would simply look forward to being mobile again, but I’m most excited about getting back behind the wheel of our Citroen DS3.

After breaking my left foot on holiday earlier this year, I’ve been confined to driving autos. Luckily, we’ve had a Ford Mondeo Estate with a PowerShift gearbox on loan, so I haven’t been stranded. Yet while I’ve enjoyed driving the 2.2 TDCi load-lugger, it simply hasn’t been as much fun as our turbo supermini.

So after weeks apart, it was with trepidation that I got back into the driver’s seat. Would I still adore the DS3? Or had my misty-eyed love been playing tricks on me? Well, it seems absence does make the heart grow fonder. The Citroen’s compact dimensions are great in London traffic, and its livewire performance makes nipping through crowded streets much less stressful.

It impresses on open roads, too, where it is incredible fun to drive. Its low-slung red leather seats cosset and hold you in place, while the punchy 1.6-litre engine revs freely and keenly, providing strong acceleration. 

Our months apart haven’t been without incident, though, as I’ve spotted some scratches in the smart grey paint. Yet I’m confident they will polish out without too much difficulty.

The interior is standing up very well despite having been used for a variety of tasks. I’ve carried garden rubbish and piles of shopping in the DS3, and even transported my family and baby granddaughter in it, with all that entails. There’s not a scuff mark to be seen inside, and the ‘shiny black’ facia still looks glossy and fresh.

The cabin does have its faults, though, however small they are. For example, the tiny glovebox is next to useless, and the gimmicky air freshener ran out in the first month. I haven’t bothered to find out how to change it yet – which shows how much I miss it.

Also, the passenger seat has developed a very loud squeak, which will need to be investigated. And to round things off, the windscreen collected a huge crack recently after being hit by a stone that flew up from a freshly resurfaced road. 

So, having only just got the DS3’s keys back, I’ll have to hand them over to one of Citroen’s dealers. Let’s hope they display the same enthusiasm and effectiveness as the car.

Extra Info

“The flagship DSport is the pick of the DS3 range. Its willing engine, nimble handling and classy interior come into their own on cross country jaunts. But it’s not perfect. The stereo is fiddly to operate – switching to medium wave stations is a chore. Plus, as Lesley says, the sat-nav isn’t as good as rival systems.”

Stuart Morton, Chief Sub-Editor