Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A boring car? Non! Non! Non!
SOME years ago, I decided the best engine and gearbox combination on the planet was the VW-Audi group’s 2.0-litre turbocharged, four- cylinder petrol motor and its associated manual six-speed transmission.
Lately, the group’s twin-clutch auto gearboxes have made the engine better.
However, rapidly rising as a contender is the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol motor found in a host of Citroën and Peugeot products and in various states of tune, from about 100kW up to just on 200kW in the coming Peugeot 308GTi.
Coupled with a slick, mechanically satisfying six-speed manual transmission, it is a recipe for petrolhead heaven.
Interestingly, the motor was first jointly developed with BMW, which used it in the MINI Cooper S.
I hear the French have since gone further along their own development trajectory.
In what some would consider a mild state of tune – a mere 120kW – the engine does duty in the top model of Citroën’s quirky small hatchling, the DS3 Sport. I say quirky because the two-door design melds elements of a hatch with a sense of a station wagon.
There is nothing else like it out on the road and, to make it even more exclusive, there are plenty of customisation options, from colours to design, that will turn your car into something truly unique.
Even without the multiple customisation options, the DS3 is a funky looker – and, interestingly, that holds true whether it is the entry-level 60kW version or our range-topping Sport test car.
Inside, there is a classy, wellscrewed- together interior with instruments and controls that are more conventional and effective than you might have expected in a French marque known for its doing things differently.
On the Sport, there is a leather steering wheel with real aluminium parts which is a tactile delight.
Coupled with good feedback and a grippy front end and direct response to steering inputs, the set-up makes you want to tackle fast corners.
The 120kW on offer is not enough to test the good chassis, but is more than enough to bring a smile to your dial. Anyway, getting a sub-8 seconds from 0 to 100km/h is not shabby at all and, I must confess, I dished out a few surprises to some – including the young dude driving a previous generation Ford Focus ST, who could not get away from me, no matter how hard he tried.
In civilised, as opposed to hooligan, mode, the DS3 proves a quiet and soothing companion, able to deliver fuel economy of less than 8l/100km in the city and about 6 l/100km on the highway.
Admittedly this is not a family car. However, as a funky fashion statement, the DS3 cuts it.
Sitting behind the wheel, threa- ding your way through corners, tasting the odd bit of turbo boost, is one of the better motoring experiences around and is definitely proof positive that the French do not make boring cars.