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
RRP
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

Honda Prelude goes (very) red for Europe with the 2027 Limited Edition
Honda Prelude 2027 Limited Edition
News

Honda Prelude goes (very) red for Europe with the 2027 Limited Edition

The Honda Prelude has been given a special edition for the 2027 model year, but the makeover isn’t exactly what we were hoping for
29 Sep 2026
The engineer so good he got banned, and designed a £30k sports car you can buy
Richard Hall Great British Sports Cars
Features

The engineer so good he got banned, and designed a £30k sports car you can buy

From 1:10-scale beginnings via building kit cars, Richard Hall’s passion for engineering led to the creation of his own modern‑day Lotus Seven interpr…
27 Sep 2026
New BMW 3-series revealed – M3 power for the M350 Audi S5 rival
BMW 3-series M350
News

New BMW 3-series revealed – M3 power for the M350 Audi S5 rival

On top of being as fast and powerful as an F80 M3, the new M350 will come with a drift mode too
29 Sep 2026