Citroen DS3 DSport Cabrio 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $32,990
Options fitted (not included in above price): Metallic Paint $800
Crash rating: Five-star EuroNCAP (pre-2009 rating)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 137
Also consider: Alfa Romeo MiTo QV (from $30,000); Ford Fiesta ST EcoBoost (from $25,990); MINI Cooper S Cabrio (from $48,800); Peugeot 208 GTi (from $29,990)

Citroen's DS3 in DSport Cabrio form is a capable rival for the MINI Cooper S Cabrio... but for less than 70 per cent of the MINI's purchase price.

That price advantage is offset by a 20kW power deficit (the Citroen producing 115kW), but the DS3 develops the same maximum torque figure (240Nm) as the MINI. Ironically the two cars share the same engine architecture.

The sporty soft-top hatch comes with a long standard equipment list, which features among other things leather-bound steering wheel, electric windows/mirrors, cruise control, satnav, Bluetooth with audio streaming, 17-inch alloy wheels and aluminium-faced pedals.

The car on test featured a blend of darker tones, some bright work, piano black gloss and carbon-fibre-look trim decorative trim. It was attractive, as were the seats, which were comfortable and snug as well.

Yet finding a seating position that placed the driver far enough away from the pedals, but still within reach of the wheel, verged on impossible. Throw in close placement of the pedals and the footrest, and the driving position was less than ideal. Even cranking the squab forward to an upright position couldn't overcome the lack of reach in the steering column or the proximity of the pedals. Jacking up the seat base did help a little, surprisingly.

Using the available adjustment in the driver's seat for an optimal position left zero knee room for any passenger confined in the rear. There was space under the front seat for toes, but even little tackers quickly felt the onset of claustrophobia. With the folding fabric roof eating into head room as well it was tight indeed for adults. Kids did love having the roof open, however, and offered no complaints about wind buffeting, thanks to the wind deflector at the leading edge. With the roof fully lowered, however, it bunched up in place of the rear window, obstructing vision to the rear.

Citroen claims that the DS3 Cabrio's boot is the largest in the category at 245 litres. Nevertheless, the boot space was not especially practical. The cantilever-style operation of the boot 'lid' was clever, but almost anything longer than about 1.5 metres needed the rear seat(s) folded forward. That was assuming too that the object concerned was narrow enough to fit through the aperture.

The Citroen's major instruments were reclined slightly, but were easy enough to read. Most of the DS3's major controls were located appropriately, other than the indicator stalk on the left of the steering column. The audio system featured a volume-control toggle on the left side of the head unit, which was a bit of a stretch considering how the DS3 is sized. Two remote control stubs concealed behind steering wheel spokes at the 4 O’clock or 8 O’clock positions allowed the driver to skip through audio tracks, change source mode or set the cruise control, but weren't very intuitive to use.

On the move, the DS3 Cabrio was surprisingly quiet, given the engine noise penetrating the soft-top roof on start-up. It was good noise, though. The engine was sporty sounding and not sanitised, as its specification would suggest. At lower revs the engine produced a sporty burble but refinement was compromised slightly at 5000rpm. On stretches of freeway there was some minor driveline vibration with the engine ticking over at around 2000rpm, but the 'permeable' roof allowed more wind and road noise through to the cabin. The 205/45 R17 Bridgestone Potenza tyres were noisy, and this was exacerbated by the Cabrio’s design.

The turbocharged four-cylinder delivered healthy torque, for pulling away in traffic on a reasonably light throttle -- and the car's low kerb mass helped there too. Torque was also manifest at 80km/h in fifth gear on a steep hill or dawdling along in a high gear at 1500rpm or less... without any labouring. Power faltered in the last 500 revs up to the 6000rpm redline, but the mid-range surge was great and -- combined with having the right ratio on hand from the six-speed manual transmission -- never left you running out of revs as the car accelerated out of a corner. Fuel consumption for the week was 8.1L/100km.

The gear shift was light and precise, delivering a tactile quality to cog-swapping, but the whole process was hindered by the high clutch take-up and the position of the pedals, as mentioned above. First gear was short for quick launches, but second felt high, as did other intermediate gears.

The Citroen certainly mustered enough power and torque to spin wheels from a standing start, but the stability/traction control still let the wheels spin and grip, while keeping the car on the straight and narrow.

Even a brief drive in commuter traffic immediately endeared the DS3 for its light and communicative steering. It was fun and easy to drive, although the ride comfort demonstrated none of the traditional Citroen suppleness.

That firmer set-up contributed to the DS3's prompt turn-in and impressive levels of grip. Handling was very consistent, with little understeer when power was applied and lifting off mid-corner tightened the line, but didn't have the car getting all squirrely. Brakes, which felt over-assisted initially, proved dependable and produced strong stopping from higher speeds. Both the car's braking and the cornering will leave drivers confident to press on harder.

Some shimmy and shake over bumps pointed to the DS3's lower degree of rigidity with the fold-back cabriolet roof in place of old fashioned steel. But what sort of owner will pummel the DS3 over typical country roads where this might pose a problem?

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...

Don't forget to register to comment on this article.