DS3 Performance Cabrio: Kiss By The Sun
DS3 PERFORMANCE CABRIO
KISSED BY THE SUN
Words: Tommaso Mogge
Photography: Giorgia Rossi
That peace – the birds chirping happily and fly from one branch to the other, the sun is standing in the blue sky and the trees seem to have taken even more vivid colors than usual. Summer is here and even though I do not feel the same emotions as when it represented the start of school holidays, the relaxation that sends you a day like this is something imponderable. I headed for the Langhe, a chest of green and good wine located in Southern Piedmont, I did it with a car which has two personalities, but that is actually able to offer you more than you can imagine. Let’s call it a sports car, or a convertible, or even a luxury hatchback, because the new DS3 Performance Cabrio is all this and much more, and its lively yellow paint just makes me happy and welcome a playful working day.
DS is at Citroen as Performance is at Racing – make two quick computing and you will notice that only names and badges have changed but the recipe is a natural continuation of what we drove a few years ago with the small and sparkling French hot-hatch, able to be customized from bottom to top (like the Mini Cooper) and to be pleasant for a wide audience, with a new style and all you need to enjoy the landscape around, especially when driving along the valleys of this magnificent land where for a few moments you can set aside the sporting side in favor of the convertible one. Welcome DS3, with that Pegasus yellow along with black pillars, or the 18-inch diamond-cut black wheels – but be careful that watching this car with extreme sympathy would be a mistake as it will do things seriously and the consistent price tag (about 30,000 Euros for the convertible version) is the proof. I keep looking at all the details of the exterior, the maniacal search of a class touch that is only seen at the second or third look, such as the logos in the headlight caps, or the new DS badge with the three stripes to represent the Performance version. There is so much to see, but the double tailpipes at the back urges me to get at the wheel and ignite the engine, figuring out what the small transalpine rebel is capable of – no more wait, so I open the big driver’s door and I am greeted by two sports front seats, very contoured but at the same time soft and comfortable, finished in alcantara, fabric and leather. On the dashboard, you recognize the typical style of the previous series, but the DS logos are a constant, while the 6-speed gear lever has close rations and promises to give me tons of fun. The small 1.6 4-cylinder is generous thanks to its 208 horses, which make it one of the few B-segment cars with four seats and retractable roof to boast such a power.
Once the engine is alive, the instrument panel comes to life: very simple and easy to read, it consists of three items that from left to right bring you the tachometer, speedometer and fuel level indicator, along with typical information on real time consumption, trip, etc. At the center of the dashboard, the sat-navigator disaply, just above the climate controls and the manual gear stick. I begin to move, savoring the warm asphalt of the Langhe beneath me, with the front tires always making a good hold, despite having to handle 300Nm of torque at just 2,000 rpm: the pedals are soft and the clutch has a long run, while the brake requires more delicacy than usual, due to the known sensitivity of the brakes fitted on French cars. After just a few miles, I’m already in tune with the DS3 Perf. and I start to push things a bit with a good noise that is always ready to come out of the exhaust, especially during gears changes. There is no Sport button proving that you can decide straight away and better than any electronic control how to actually drive this car: a moment can be ideal to deal with traffic and the moment after, opening the roof, a fantastic way to enjoy the blue sky above you. Just the roof is a fundamental aspect that differentiates the Convertible from the Coupe – obviously, you say – but I point to the fact that in addition to partially opening it, you will be able to fully retract it until folding the rear glass in the luggage compartment. The complex mechanism however has to adversely affect two aspects, secondary to those who have in mind only the purity of driving and the sportiness of the hatchback in question, but to be present for those who can’t give up the practical side of a car that can still be used daily. The opening of the luggage compartment is really unusual, with the little door opening – just a little – sliding upwards and offering a small space to put stuff inside. We had serious troubles fitting backpacks and photographic equipment, I do not imagine you having to look for something in the suitcase loaded first. An aspect that certainly does not ruin my overall judgment on this car, but that in terms of daily coexistence can give some extra annoyance.
When I finish watching the details and the soft side of the DS3, I decide to take advantage of the lack of traffic to understand how much racing spirit has remained in the DNA of the French pepper. All I have to do is to downshift a couple of gears, looking at the tachometer needle splashing up and throwing the gas on the floor. It is ready, responsive and strong thanks to a well-packed frame, although it does not have a very low center of gravity. There are no problems in directional changes, not even during the worst ones, and brakes are always ready to retrieve some aggressive cornering, while understeer is limited thanks to a Torsen self-locking differential that performs really well. 208 horses are a number that today may seem honest, but with a weight and a car body like this allow a good acceleration, so as to burn the 0-100 in 6 seconds and a half. From a curve to the other you do not even feel the need to engage a lower gear and you can take advantage of the remarkable torque curve to throw your head down for a drive to the limit, the latter really high, especially in terms of grip. Another noteworthy aspect is the direct and precise steering, which also makes the most sustained pace on b-roads an entertaining game – while on the motorway it would have been preferable a bit tighter. During long runs, you realize that getting familiar with the gearshift is more difficult than usual, requiring caution not to bump in gear changes and wasting time and precious revs. The DS3 Perf. is really hot and wants to run fast, but it does understand me when I get captured by the perfect landscape on the roadside and I inevitably slow the pace. It is then time to set the navigator back, precise and intuitive, and head to the restaurant to put something in my stomach, noting that fuel consumption has been pretty acceptable – keep for good 5.4 l/100km, a figure that inevitably is designed to increase if you put the 1.6 turbo under stress.
Parking on the roadside, I step down and decide to enjoy the last rays of the sun on this glittering day. The DS3 Performance looks nice everywhere you put it, and after testing its dynamic capabilities, I continue to observe all those details, the desire to represent a new “luxury hatchback” niche, reviewing the amount of fun it has given me. It’s not going to be ideal for going on vacation, or for carrying around a lot of friends – as the front seats offer little room in the back for legs and head – but it will be a faithful partner in crime, at the same time suitable for a complete drive in full relax. Certainly the price is challenging, but there is so much quality and substance, which is not neglectable in a car of this size, which had to and has been able to spin both of the goals it has in mind.
DS3 PERFORMANCE CABRIO (2017-)
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder 1.598cc – turbo
Transmission – 6-speed manual gearbox
Power – 208 hp @ 6.000 rpm
300 Nm @ 2.000 rpm
Weight – 1.235 kg
Acceleration – 6,5 sec.
Top Speed – 230 kph
Price – from € 30.400