DS 3 E-Tense | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

DS 3 E-Tense | Test Drive

11 September 2023 Redazione News, Tested

Words Marco Rallo Photos Richard Montagner

You know that moment when your colleagues assign you a test drive and you pick up the car not knowing what will it be? It recently happened to me during my test with the new DS DS 3, also called DS3 – or stylized DS 3 – ok, you got that, right? I approach it, I observe it, I appreciate how the French brand definitively detached from Citroen has pursued a well-defined identity, which focuses on the refinement of stylistic solutions both for the exterior and for the passenger compartment. Looking at it from the outside, there are no references to the type of engine, but I notice that the Crossback suffix has disappeared, replaced by the simple numerical nomenclature. An even cleaner and more minimalist style, where unusual lines cut through the rear side glass, making the body of the DS 3 streamlined almost as if it were a two-door. All thanks to that fin which on the other hand limits the air-to-breathe and the brightness for those sitting at the back.

There are five doors and five seats on board, with the rear ones only partially sacrificing space for head and legs. In addition to a new grille, the light clusters also change, now with LEDs on the whole range and no longer just optional. There are also new 17 or 18-inch wheels and a further refined passenger compartment, with a steering wheel that integrates new functions, a 10.3” screen for the excellent multimedia system and the traditional rhomboidal layout in the center of the dash, kept also for the pattern and shapes present on the tunnel which integrates some controls – such as those of the windows – and the traditional gear lever, even though it is a model with a single speed.

Exactly, you got it right. It takes me a few moments to realize that I’m not behind the wheel of a hybrid DS 3, but the new E-Tense, 100% electric and with a 54 kWh battery pack. Important figures, especially taking into account that the dimensions of the car are small, so the fear that usually involve small electric propulsion cars vanish when I notice that the declared range of around 400 kilometers is more than realistic, obviously provided that the energy recovery during braking takes the most out of it. And it is precisely here that the specific power of the E-Tense comes into play, with 155 horsepower which not only makes it brilliant and agile in city traffic, or on secondary roads, but is able to regenerate electrons precisely due to the fact that it has an engine that facilitates a release such as to ensure that the braking phase is exploited intelligently.

The leather seats with “point-pearl” stitching are beautiful and incredibly comfortable, reconfirming that the DS brand does not confine the solutions that make it perhaps the only one capable of providing such stylistic refinement only to its top of the range models. The DS 3 E-Tense therefore soon proves to be a crossover of just over 4 meters in length (4.12), 1.79 in width and 1.53 in height capable of sneaking everywhere, making use of the instantaneous thrust of an improved electric power unit that best supports a height from the ground that offers the possibility of not being too subtle approaching sidewalks, speed bumps or roads that are not in perfect condition. The seating position is excellent and after removing a few blind millimeters on the front three-quarters, you immediately get in tune with the little Frenchie, forgetting that if I had been able to choose a few days ago, I might have opted for a hybrid variant, or even diesel. Not anymore, at least not now that I’ve tested the potential of the E-Tense and that I’ve realized that my visits to the charging station aren’t that frequent, not even with assiduous daily use for a home-work commute which in my case involves even a dozen kilometers outside the urban center.

The new DS 3 has a very attractive starting price, with the 101 bhp 1.2 starting at just over €28,000. To have an extra pinch of liveliness and therefore reach 131 bhp, you need at least €31,150, while the diesel version equipped with a 131 bhp 1.5 unit starts at €33,500. The E-Tense – 100% electric – represents the top of the range and requires at least €42,050 for the Performance Line set-up and at least €48,550 for the Opera, like the one of our test. Other intermediate trim levels are the Performance Line+, Rivoli and – excluding E-Tense – the entry level Bastille Business. Finding the most suitable one for your needs and above all for your personal tastes is a child’s play and despite the challenging price of the E-Tense, at least due to the fact that it is still a compact car, the DS 3 will be able to make the everyday life better than usual thanks to sophisticated solutions that no competitors are able to offer, especially in this specific segment.