DS 3 review

Before Citroen handed the 3 over to its DS foster parents, it was treated to new powertrains, so engineering wise there’s little new here. As far as driving goes, the 3 remains a tidy, fairly chuckable little supermini that’s not ultimately as gratifying as a Mini, but little else is. It’s certainly good enough to match an A1, and the popular 1.2-litre turbo triple is a sweet, thrummy, eager motor. The 1.6-litre diesel is similarly popular and able.

With thoughts of the engaging old Citroen DS3 Racing foremost in our mind, we had high hopes for the Performance, which borrows the Torsen diff and 205bhp 1.6 engine from Peugeot’s 208 GTi Peugeot Sport, but it’s foiled by characterless power delivery, locked-down handling and unnecessarily stiff suspension. A Fiesta ST does the hot hatch funster thing better. So does an S1. And a Cooper S… you get the picture. Oh, and avoid the Cabrio at all costs, because FOR £2,400 extra you effectively get fleeced for an XXL-sunroof and a bodyshell that shudders with horror every time there’s a ripple in the road.