Joie de vivre

Facelifted DS 3 has head-turning style.

Although it’s now chopped off its parent company’s name, DS is still linked with Citroen in most people’s minds.

And well it should be: the brand takes workaday models from the established French car maker, gives them a makeover, bumps up the price tag and sends them out into the market place.

It’s a formula that’s working for DS. Here we’ve got the DS 3, the smallest car in its range, which is pitched against the likes of the Mini and Fiat’s 500.

Prices start around the £14,000 mark and there’s a £2,500 premium to pay if you want the cabriolet model.

My Prestige spec car weighed in at £19,295. That’s a lot for a car the size of a Fiesta but times have changed and people are happy to pay big money for good small cars.

Gone are the days when everyone was married with kids at 25 and needed a cheap estate car. Now many 30-somethings have no kids, no need for a huge car and plenty of disposable income – hence the popularity of cars like this and its rivals.

The DS 3 has been given a facelift, with the biggest change being a new front end with smarter LED headlights.

Realising customers want to stand out, there are more options to individualise your car, with colour options for the body, roof and mirrors. In a neat touch, the key fob matches the colour you choose.

Inside, the cabin is much as before but benefits from the addition of a freshly added 7in colour infotainment screen that incorporates the latest smartphone-compatible technology. There are smarter trim choices too and the option of classic DS “watchstrap leather” seating and laser engraving on the dashboard trim and door mirrors.

Diesel drivers get the choice of 1.6litre BlueHDi 100 and BlueHDi 120 units, both offering a good balance of power and efficiency.

The 100 variant is class-leading in terms of emissions, producing just 87g/ km of CO2. Fuel consumption is good too. Theoretically, it could be capable of more than 90mpg and even the pokier 120 version can approach 80mpg.

There’s also the 1.6 petrol option my car came with, which delivers more than 60mpg on the combined cycle and is a smidge smoother and more refined than the oil burners.

The DS 3 isn’t the last word when it comes to sharp handling. It’s grippy enough to be safe and it doesn’t roll around but a Mini is far more entertaining.

The flipside is the DS has a much more comfortable ride and is by far the better companion on long journeys.

Where the DS 3 steals a march over those rivals is practicality. The Mini and 500 are tasked with looking cutesy and retro. In reality, this translates into no room in the back and a titchy boot.

The DS 3 is built on the C3 platform which has to compete against the likes of the Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and Renault Clio. It can’t afford to give ground on practicality so it has usable rear seats and a boot that can swallow a week’s shopping or luggage for a long weekend away.

The updated DS 3 hasn’t changed much but it was a winning formula any way. It’s very stylish in an elegant and understated way. I found heads turning on trips around Dundee. Trends are hard to predict but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was seen as something of a design icon by car historians in a decade or two’s time.