Skip advert
Advertisement

DS 3 review - Does French hatch match a Mini for fun? - Design

A car first, now a brand, the DS3 is Citroen’s spin-off that’s aiming at the premium players

Evo rating
Price
from £13,995
  • Entertaining drive, fine styling, interesting interior and plenty personalisation makes for a fun Mini rival
  • The Mini does everything a little bit better

It might not be the newest premium hatch on the block, but the DS 3 still looks fresh, helped by a mild facelift in 2014 and further revisions when the model became a standalone DS product.

The reverse shark's fin on the B-pillar in body colour piercing the blacked out pillars is a neat visual trick, while DS uses LED lights to tremendous effect to create a distinctive face at the front and very cool 3D-effect tail lights. The scope for personalisation is vast, while the DS wheel choices are all distinctive. There’s even the option to colour-code the ignition key.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Squat proportions, extremely neat detailing inside and out and some clever surfacing and colour use continue to make the DS3 look fresh despite its age. The Performance models are neat, too - their colour schemes and trim appendages are among the more tasteful options in the hot hatchback class.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The Abt Audi RS3-S is a 478bhp five-cylinder BMW M2 rival
Abt Audi RS3 S
News

The Abt Audi RS3-S is a 478bhp five-cylinder BMW M2 rival

German firm Abt Sportsline has developed a new Audi RS3 tuning package to sit beneath its limited-run RS3-R upgrade
2 May 2024
BMW M2 v Mercedes-AMG A45 S – £65k performance machines go head-to-head
BMW M2 v Mercedes-AMG A45 S
Group tests

BMW M2 v Mercedes-AMG A45 S – £65k performance machines go head-to-head

Hyperhatch versus sports coupe, four-wheel drive opposes rear, auto confronts manual. Despite their differences, the AMG A45 S and BMW M2 are still cl…
3 May 2024
Best fast estate cars
Best fast estates header
Best cars

Best fast estate cars

For do-it-all transport, nothing nails the brief like a fast estate. And in 2024 there’s a new leader of the pack – BMW’s M3 Touring
3 May 2024