CITROEN DS3

Long-termers we still miss

Paul Horrell: I had a run of all the posh superminis: R56 Mini, Citroen DS3, MiTo, Audi A1. It was around the time our kid arrived, but I love small cars and didn’t want to capitulate to the SUV/MPV obvious.

The DS3 was great to drive, with a spirited 1.6 turbo and vivacious chassis. A three-door version of an ordinary supermini, OK, but it was set up just so. It also had room in the boot, unlike the Mini, for collapsible versions of toddler stuff: buggy, cot, high chair, stair gate.

It was wholly reliable and superlikeable. It was also distinctive without being odd – a formula the later DSs haven’t quite nailed.