How hot is it?

Sitting at the top of the DS Automobiles line-up, the 3 Performance Black is the French manufacturer’s attempt at a hot hatch. Simon Davis reports

With its matte black paint and gold wing mirrors, the DS Performance Black is a fairly mean-looking thing. Adding to its sporting credentials are massively flared wheel arches, an aggressive-looking body kit, black 18-in alloy wheels and twin exhaust pipes. Our car also featured the optional DS Performance Exterior Graphic Kit for added visual impact. Altogether, these styling features make for a car that is certainly imposing to look at. To some, they might make the DS 3 Performance look rather tacky and over styled, but then again, isn’t that part of the fun of owning a hot hatchback? In the cabin, the Performance is much the same as the regular DS 3, save for the massive bucket seats. DS has also thrown in some mock carbon-fibre panelling on the steering wheel and doors, while the dash was the same gold colour as our test car’s wing mirrors. Its appearance certainly attracts a fair deal of attention from other motorists. If you’re after a hot hatch that likes to shout that it has a more power than its regular siblings, you’ll likely find the DS 3 Performance a more appealing prospect than some of its more understated rivals. So long as you choose to sit in the front two seats, you’ll find the hot DS 3 has more than enough space. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the back seats. Unfortunately, the car’s boot is compromised by the folding canvas roof. While it may boast 245 litres’ worth of space, the boot aperture is incredibly small. Because of this, and the fact the DS 3 Performance Cabrio isn’t really a true convertible in the traditional sense, it might be worth opting for the hard-top. For a hot hatch that’s packing a considerable 207bhp under the hood, the DS 3 Performance Black doesn’t feel as fast as its numbers might suggest. Sure its quick, but the manner in which it picks up speed just isn’t terribly exciting. The good news is that the DS 3 is pretty sweet through the corners. There is an abundance of grip, and the Torsen limited-slip differential works well to keep you on the road and helps to minimise understeer that can often plague cars of this nature. At £25,295 the DS 3 Performance Black Cabrio isn’t exactly the cheapest hot hatch you can get your hands on. That said though, it does come with a healthy dose of standard kit including satellite navigation, a reversing camera, front parking sensors and hi-fi system. The DS 3 Performance Black Cabrio is by no means the pick of the bunch from the current crop of hot hatchbacks. As the little DS is a rather niche choice anyway, perhaps this is a car that will appeal to someone looking for a hot hatch that’s slightly left of field.