This is the Citroen DS3 supermini, the first car in a DS range that has been launched at the Frankfurt motor show.
The French firm hopes that this rival for the Mini and Fiat 500 will give the Citroen brand an image boost. It has announced that 100 cars will be made available for pre-ordering in the UK online from today, with deliveries set to begin next spring.
See the Citroen DS3 picture gallery
The new car is based on the next C3, itself not due until next year, and the production car has stayed remarkably close to the concept that was the star of this year’s Geneva show.
Mark lloyd, chief designer, said: "The interior of the DS3 was created for this car, and then we decided to put it in the C3. We chose different colours and trims for the C3.
"The B pillar is the most emphatic feature of the styling, maybe it will be copied - that’s a real sense of flattery."
The only obvious external differences are the tailpipes — a twin outlet replaces the concept’s large single exhaust — and a conventional aerial instead of the concept’s BMW-style fin. Even the wheels are the same.
The complex bodywork features a fully glazed rear, with conventional C-pillars replaced by the rear window. At 3.95m long and 1.71 m wide, it’s very similar in size to the ford Fiesta, although Citroen claims it has worked hard to reduce the weight of the car.
Buyers will be able to customise the exterior and interior of their cars. There are four colour schemes for the roof — black, white, blue and red — and graphics are also available. Door mirrors can be specified in body colour or chrome, and the coloured wheel centres are available in what Citroën describes as “an infinite variety of colours”.
Inside, the dashboard insert is available in six different finishes, with five different gear lever trims to choose from. And the key features a small disc painted in the same colour as the car’s body.
Engine choices consist of two diesels and three petrol motors. The diesels are 1.6-litre HDi units with either 90bhp or 110bhp; the lower-powered unit emits just 99g/km of CO2. The four-pot petrol engines have outputs of 150bhp, 120bhp and 95bhp. All engines come with five or six-speed manual gearboxes.
Underneath the DS3 is the new C3 chassis, which uses MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear. Citroen claims the suspension has been reworked to increase refinement, but it will be tuned to be sportier than the C3.
Citroen is making much of the DS3’s interior space. The car has a 285-litre boot, comparable to that of the Fiesta. But that’s more load space than in the Fiat 500 and Mini, and Citroën is also promising that the DS3 will offer “five real seats”.
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Re: Citroen DS3 revealed
The ride quality would be a very important point for me, it's why I've driven French for years. In recent years though, they've started to emulate the Germans and this is a Bad Thing. My wife's C3 was awful in this respect. Citroen - and especially Peugeot used to be able to make cars that rode superbly and managed (against all science) to go round corners as fast as you dared.
I drive from central England to the Algarve from time to time, and would have done so in a 2CV in preference to a C3. That's not a good recommendation.
Citroen need to sort this because it would really set their cars apart, much more than the styling, which only gets people in the doors of the dealerships. It's the test drive that will make the difference for many, bearing in mind that this won't be a car sold purely on its sticker price. We shall see when the DS3 hits the road.
Autoexpress recently ran some shots of a 'new 2CV' without commenting on it wearing a new DS badge. DS4? If so, nice.
Re: Citroen DS3 revealed
G'day TegType2, your comments about the DS3 suspension getting it right, for me, hits the mark. Sadly, in Australia, many small Euro cars have been severely criticised for their poor riding qualities. The worst offender here is the latest Fiat 500. The Punto and Ritmo also get a fair bashing on this point. Peugeot 307 regularly received bad reviews on its riding quality, as did the new 308 to some extent. Also the larger Pug 407 received what I consider the worst criticism for a large expensive Euro car. It says a lot in favour of the new Ford Fiesta that this car receives outstanding reviews for its ride and on road dynamics. So Ford shows small cars can get it right. However, other Euro makes seem to have regressed in suspension design and this comes out in reviews. I hope for the sake of the DS3 that Citroen does get it right with the suspension otherwise the car will be difficult to live with. Perhaps one solution is for the company to actually thoroughly test the car over many conditions and not rely on computer modelling. I mean how could Fiat get it so wrong with the 500? Small cars have so much to offer these days, so Citroen get it right! rnp1946{Ray]
Re: Citroen DS3 revealed
I think that the DS3 looks pretty smart - not too sure of the headlamps arrangement though. The real trick will be convincing enough punters that it is worth a premium over the C3 and is a credible competitor to the MINI - although Fiat seems to have managed this with the 500 (although even my mum reckons the Panda looks like Postman Pat's van).
I can't help but feel that many of these upscale hatch makers are missing a trick by not having 5-door versions though. I used to drive a MINI but found after a while that transporting kids on a regular basis and having to run my parents to hospital appointments meant that I soon grew tired of the 3-door layout and its limitations.
I walk past a parked Mito every day and love its looks but 3-doors-only puts me right off. Come on car makers, just cos I want two extra rear doors doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to get a bit of style too, surely?