What’s not to like?

Matt Kimberley lets his hair down in the new Citroen DS3 Cabrio

The DS3 has been something of a barnstormer for Citroen, selling 36,000 in the UK alone since it was released as a rival to the cutesy Mini and Fiat 500. A soft-top version was inevitable, and the only surprise is how long it’s taken to arrive. It’s not a full convertible where the entire roof folds down into the boot or behind the rear seats. Instead it has a simple sliding canvas panel that folds neatly away into a stack above the boot without taking up any luggage space or forcing the rearward bodywork into a cha-cha-cha. That helps brings unique advantages in the sector; one dominated by female buyers by a ratio of 4:1. The DS3 Cabrio’s roof is operable at speeds of up to 75mph so as long as you’re not being naughty on the motorway you can always slide the roof back when the sun comes out. It’s like having a huge electric sunroof. Extra bracing has been added to the chassis to compensate for the loss of rigidity at roof level, and the overall weight increase is just 25kg. That’s as little as a quarter of what’s usually added to soft-tops adapted from hatches. The roof can slide back to just over the front seats, to behind the rears while keeping the rear window in place or it can collapse completely, which blocks the rear view but gives the maximum open-air feel. There’s a pop-up deflector at the top of the windscreen that’s designed to redirect the air flow over the car and reduce wind buffeting for the occupants, but on a wildly windy day during the test it was difficult to judge how well it copes. On the other hand the boot could be easily judged, and while its letterbox-type opening is hardly massive it’s marginally bigger than the Mini Cabriolet’s and the Fiat 500C’s, with a much bigger space behind it. The plastic, relatively flexible and lightweight lid opens with a clever design that dodges the problem of parking too close to a wall. The Cabrio drives just like the hatchback, with a driver-friendly mix of smooth engine, predictable handling and a generally comfortable ride that makes it very easy to live with. Fashion and customisation are at the heart of the DS3. It’s a big seller because you can reflect your own personality in the options you pick for it, and its young (and young-at-heart) buyers love that. From zebra-stripe roof decals to coloured alloy wheel caps there are over a million possible combinations. Image is vital for cars in this sector and both men and women can sculpt the DS3 Cabrio into whatever style they want. The base car’s natural ability to cross the gender divide translates into a unique strength amongst the convertible competition but the Cabrio also drives sweetly, carries five people instead of its rivals’ four and has by far the biggest boot in the class. What’s not to like?