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Going head-to-head with talented rivals meant Citroën’s DS3 had plenty to prove, but ten years after its launch, is it still worthy of your cash? Chris Randall finds out.

With the MINI and Fiat 500 attracting thousands of style-conscious buyers it was no surprise that other manufacturers wanted a slice of the action, and one of them was Citroën. Its entry into the market was the DS3, a model that eschewed the retro-look of rivals for something more contemporary. Built at the Poissy plant to the west of Paris, it made its world premiere at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and retained much of the styling of the concept revealed in Geneva that year. Alongside the funky looks Citroën promised that personalisation would be a key part of the new car’s appeal, an approach that had paid dividends with the MINI and Fiat.

Indeed, such was the choice of colours and trims available that the company launched an on-line configurator so buyers could build their perfect specification. Their confidence paid off, and by July 2011 more than 10,000 examples had been sold in the UK. That number just kept on growing, the range bolstered by the arrival of a Cabriolet variant in February 2013.

The following year Citroën had announced that DS would be a separate brand, and sales continued until 2019 when it was replaced by the DS3 Crossback. We’re concentrating here on the pre-facelift model on sale until 2016.

Trim & equipment

Before adding the wealth of personalisation options there were three basic trim levels – Dsign, Dstyle and Dsport. Ranging from £11,700 to £18,775 that was just the beginning as buyers could then indulge their tastes with almost forty body and roof colour combinations, along with a selection of body graphics, wheel designs and interior trim/dashboard colours.

The choice was a bit mind-boggling and few examples will be the same, so it’s ultimately a case of finding one that suits you. And to celebrate 100,000 orders for the DS3, Citroën added even more colour and roof choices in July 2011, including Fuschia Pink. Suffice to say not all buyers chose a tasteful combination. Equipment-wise, even the entry-level model got cruise control with the Dstyle adding air-conditioning, frontbumper LEDS, privacy glass and 16-inch alloys. Plumping for Dsport brought chrome exterior trim, digital air-con, eight-speaker audio, drilled alloy pedals and 17-inch wheels. And there were plenty more options, from auto headlamps and wipers to parking sensors, ‘My Way’ satellite navigation and the ‘Connecting Box’ with Bluetooth/usb inputs.

What then followed were a raft of special editions, starting with the ‘Orla Kiely Collection’ in January 2011; based on the Dstyle HDI 90, 500 were made with unique colours and graphics and a £16,000 price tag. Others included the ‘Red’ editions of January 2013, the ‘Pink’ special edition featuring lots of, well, Fuschia Pink, and ‘Dark Light’ of September 2015.

The Cabriolet was available in all three standard trims and was priced from £15,045 to £19,675 and all models were

What goes wrong

The DS3 was a sporting addition to the Citroën range, so some examples will have been driven accordingly. There’s nothing especially complicated about servicing, although it seems service intervals were revised from July 2012; maintenance was required annually rather than every two years, so ensure the paperwork shows evidence of regular attention.

The HDI diesel motors have a good reputation and apart from the cambelt change at ten years/112k miles – we’d do this sooner for peace of mind, and change the oil at 6000 miles to protect the turbocharger – there seems little in the way of problems.

The same can’t always be said for the THP petrol engine, though. The main issue concerns stretching of the timing chain and replacement is likely to cost £400-600 at a specialist; if there’s no record of it being changed then it should be the first job on the list. Specialists also report problems with the cylinderheadmounted fuel-injection pump which can suffer from low pressure, and poor running can also be caused by excessive coking on the backs of the inlet valves which can occur at quite modest mileages, especially on town-bound cars (also afflicting MINIS with this engine – see the ‘Decoking’ feature in the March 2016 issue of CM).

To add to the potential woes some owners also report excessive oil consumption and cooling system issues on the THP engine. While it’s true that plenty of cars have given no trouble at all close scrutiny of the service history and a thorough test drive is wise.

Transmission

Both petrol and diesel versions of the DS3 were equipped with five- or sixspeed manual gearboxes, depending on power output. The latter is a robust unit with a decent shift quality, and makes the best use of the performance on offer. And while the five-speeder isn’t a bad ’box it does seem more prone to developing whines at higher mileages, so it’s worth listening for this on a test drive. At the same time, ensure the clutch isn’t past its best as hard use will have taken its toll.

If two-pedal driving was required then buyers were offered the alternative of a four-speed automatic, and while it appears reliable enough it wasn’t exactly cutting edge. Gear shifts aren’t especially slick and it blunts performance and economy, so buyers are better opting for the sixspeed EAT6 unit that was offered with the Puretech petrol engine from 2015.

Running gear

Borrowing the underpinnings from the C3 supermini meant this sportier interpretation retained the same suspension arrangement of struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.

It was thoroughly conventional but ensured the DS3 struck a good balance between handling and ride comfort, attributes that still impress today. There’s really not much to report in terms of issues but it’s worth checking for fractured coil springs and for rattles and creaks that belie tired bushes.

The brakes are equally straightforward with lower trims getting a disc/drum set-up and the Dsport having discs at the rear; budget around £300 for a full set of quality discs and pads if you want to renew them yourself.

There’s also the usual blizzard of acronyms signifying all manner of driver assistance tech, including Electronic Brake Assist and traction control, so just check that there are no dashboard warning lights indicating problems.

The steering was an electrically-assisted arrangement, and while not as sharp as keen drivers would like, it’s troublefree. The last check we’d carry out here is the condition of the alloy wheels as corrosion appeared quite early on some models, requiring rectification under warranty, and there’s the usual risk of unsightly scuffs.