Pity South Africans are such committed brand ambassadors for their preferred car marques that they won’t even give something new half a chance to prove itself. Perhaps I’m just a cynic who’s not in touch with current trends. Perhaps my fellow countrymen are slowly showing a mindshift, slowly opening their eyes to new things, trying out brands they’ve never tried before. For if they do, they might find a bag full of pleasant surprises. Like the new Citroën DS3, launched to the local media last week Thursday.
Having seen it in pictures over the past few months I felt the French were on to something exquisite. Citroën once had a reputation for the different, unique, innovative, even niche. Somehow all that was lost during the past 20 years or so, but it seems the le French flair is back on again.
Comparing the DS3 to its natural rivals is only natural, yet a few things stand out. One is that this is the first of its kind for Citroën. Those over the age of 30 will remember the company’s DS cars from days gone by. They were inventive, futuristic, ahead of their time. They were the premium cars of their time. Most of all they were big family cars. Lately the brand aims to go back to those days. Why just a month ago it emerged as a finalist in the 2010 World Car Design of the Year for the C3 Picasso, underpinning that something fundamentally good is happening at Citroën. In fact, since its relaunch to the Mzansi market in January, at least three all-new models have been introduced.
The DS3 can be viewed as the culmination of the massive design tastes found there. It captures the essence of what Citroën used to stand for and hopes to represent once again; quality, innovation, technical excellence and a different personal touch. Does it match up to its competitors, the MINI and the Alfa Romeo Mito?
Definitely. For instance, eleven body colours are available, including black and burgundy. Different roof colour options will be offered too, giving customers a potential 38 combinations to individualise their cars. At 3.9 metres long, 1.7m wide, 1.48m high and a wheelbase of 2.46m, the DS3 is the largest car in its class. Actually it’s about as big as the MINI Clubman. Boot space is a maximum of 980 litres with the rear seats down.
The front grille is accentuated by the new Citroën double chevron, large headlights, round foglights and standard LED daytime running lights. Lovely for this trendy segment. Standard wheels are 16-inch silver alloy types with 195/55 16 Michelin tyres, while the more expensive models feature 17-inch silver alloys shod with 205/45 R17 Michelin rubber. To match those wheels and tyres a sports suspension is specified across the board.
There aren’t too many roads around the Gauteng and North West areas where the DS3 was launched, that offer challenging curves to bring out whatever sporting promises the car and its makers have made. But from the little I experienced it certainly is a major segment contender. Steering is a little on the light side but there isn’t too much understeer either, giving it a good spread of safety and excitement. I loved the feel of the flat-bottomed wheel itself though, very self-assured and full of grip.
Of course the engines are at the heart of any motor vehicle and paradoxically the DS3 shares its with main rival boxer, the MINI. Bottom of the range is a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor dishing out 88kW at 6000rpm and 160Nm at 4200rpm. It is said to propel the car from 0 – 100km/h in 8.9 seconds, reaching a top end of 190km/h. Average fuel consumption is claimed at 5.9 litres per 100km and C02s are 136g/km. At sea level it probably performs well enough but at high altitude it’s barely adequate.
The turbocharged 1.6 THP on the other hand is a bit of a gem. Maximum throttle there is 115kW made at 6000rpm and peak torque is 240Nm at a relatively low 1400rpm. Driveability is quite superb. Citroën claims a 0 – 100km/h time of 7.3 seconds, average fuel consumption of 6.7 litres per 100km and C02 emissions of 155g/km. The top speed is 214km/h.
Accessing those forces is a choice between a 5-speed or a 6-speed manual gearboxes, both of which are available immediately at launch. An automatic model starts selling later on this year.
Citroën SA is quite keen on bringing the mad DS3 Racing Edition here, but that will depend on a number of factors, including possible pricing and stock availability. I’d like to speculate that the 147kW pocket c4 would cost around R310 000 to bring here. I hope there’s at least 20 folks out there willing to part with that kind of dosh for a race-bred stunner such as that.
Safety issues which are unfortunately almost always listed last, are the most important. For the DS3 they include ABS with EBD, ESP, 6 air bags and cruise control.
Interior appointments include leather seats for the THP Sport, air conditioning, electronic folding mirrors, a CD player and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s even a factory-fitted air freshener on the dashboard. A unit I drove at the launch emitted an irritating whistling sound through one of the air vents when the air con was switched on. Hopefully it will be sorted out by the time that particular car is sold. Otherwise things seem solid, inside and out.
These days being different is not such a big deal anymore. And if you can be unique but at the same keep the same features and performance as others, what’s stopping you? Try the new DS3 and be surprised. Pleasantly.
Citroën DS3 Pricing
DS3 Style (R199 000)
DS3 Style Design Pack (R209 500)
DS3 Style Techno Pack (R211 000)
DS3 THP Sport (R255 000)
No comments:
Post a Comment