The Citroën DS3 Cabrio continues to show that the French company wants to offer quirky vehicles that give potential buyers a completely different package to the norm.
The DS3, in our opinion, is one of the better looking superminis and this Cabrio especially so with its Landaulet-style roof. The shape isn’t far-removed from that of the regular DS3, but Citroën has added detailing in the guise of 3D-effect LED lights at the rear and a chrome-finished handle at the back of the car.
Citroën has kept the B- and C-pillars and given its DS3 Cabrio a canvas folding roof that, when completely open, sits behind the heads of rear-seat passengers. The disadvantage of this is that it seriously impairs rear visability when it’s open and occupants get less of a cabrio and more of a massive sunroof feel. Also, while the fact that the roof does not fold into the boot frees up some space and the cab now allows the DS3 cabrio to offer 184 dm3 of luggage capacity, the way the boot opens, flush with the rear end of the car, means that the opening is more of like a letterbox, making loading the space difficult. That said, this roof does come with its advantages: the vehicle feels more rigid than a conventional cabriolet and the roof can be operated up to 120 km/h.
There are three open positions that allow the roof to be totally or partially open.
There’s an aerodynamic deflector net at the front of the roof opening that deflects air currents and prevents air buffering. We found that this deflector creates a lot of wind noise.
Inside, the DS3 Cabrio is much like other recent Citroën products in that it has a three-dial instrument layout and lots of chrome accents. Standard features includes an audio system with CD, MP3 and USB compatibility, ABS with EBD, six airbags and cruise control.
There’s a lengthy options list available to buyers so as to make personalisation of this vehicle a fun (and potentially costly) affair. For those who like it simple, Citroën also offers a number of bundled packages.
This VTi 120 comes equipped with a naturally aspirated 88 kW/160 N.m 1,6-litre four-cylinder engine. Testers noted that you really needed to stir through the five-speed manual ‘box to get the car going. This didn’t seem to hamper consumption, though, with a low combined fuel-route figure of 5,6 litres/100 km.
Dynamically, the DS3 is not quite on par with the likes of the Mini Cabriolet. The steering is a touch vague and the gearbox even more so. However, it rides very well, only becoming flustered over truly poor tarmac surfaces.
TEST SUMMARY
While not overtly sporty or dynamic, the DS3 Cabrio is an engaging car to drive thanks to the innovative roof. And although it doesn’t fit the true definition of a cabriolet, the roof does request fewer compromises than the one in the Mini. In fact, we liked the Cabriolet so much that a number of us proclaimed it our favourite model in the entire DS3 range.