Citroen DS3 VTi 1.6 Reivew: French Kiss

What we like:

Unmistakable Gallic style and character

spacious cabin

well-finished cabin for a French car

evocative DS moniker

impressive ride comfort

What we dislike:

Numb steering

not as sharp handling as the Mini

style comes at a price

slurring gearbox only has four speeds

Inside, the DS3's funky and stylish character continues. The seats and door trims are upholstered with patterned fabrics while surfaces on the dash can be had in contrasting colours or to match the exterior colour. The cowled instruments look fantastic and the steering wheel chunky to hold but most of the other switchgear and parts are shared with other regular Citroen models - no bespoke toggle switches like in a Mini here.

Quality and finishing is not bad for a French car but where the DS3 truly outshines the Mini is in the interior space department. Passengers in the rear will have little to complain about any lack of head or legroom while the large rear windows give passengers in the rear a feeling of airiness and space. For added convenience, the rear grab handles are mounted on the B-pillars so rear passengers who have less flexible physiques can use it to manhandle and pull themselves out of the rear compartment.

The DS3's boot is pretty big for a car this size - in fact, it is significantly more voluminous than the Mini's mediocre sized trunk. Furthermore, the DS3's rear seat backs split/fold 60/40 should you require more boot space for larger shopping items.

Other than sharing the same stylish and funky traits, the DS3 is quite a different animal to its closest rival, the Mini. The French car is more focused on comfort while the Mini is more handling focused. The Mini is also not as practical as the DS3 on the inside.

The DS3 shares little with the iconic original DS but thankfully, it possesses the latter's unmistakable Gallic charm to make it a very likable small car indeed.

Credits: Story and Photos by Raymond Lai