Citroen DS3 - Any good?
Discussion
My girlfriend is considering the DS3 as her next car when she has to change in a few months time.
A little background - She currently drives a peugeot 107, her fist car. She's 28 and been driving about 2 and half years. She likes the look of the DS3 and the next step is to take one for a drive. She especially likes it in black with a pink roof and mirrors...oh dear.
Whilst i consider myself a true petrolhead i must admit to knowing absolutely nothing about these cars - although i have previosuly owned several 'older' french cars - which were fun, if a little unreliable!
We will be looking at 10 plate cars or newer (prob when they first came out) and nothing more than a 1.6 120 bhp i should imagine, with around 20k on the clock. She probably does about 8k miles a year if that. There doesnt seem any point getting a diesel for that mileage?
So what are peoples thoughts and experiences - positive and negative - is there anything in particular we should be wary of?
What is the MPG like? Service intervals? She likes her gadgets and luxury's so is there any specific model / trim good for this? Do they all have ipod / phone connection? Any must have's?
Thanks
A little background - She currently drives a peugeot 107, her fist car. She's 28 and been driving about 2 and half years. She likes the look of the DS3 and the next step is to take one for a drive. She especially likes it in black with a pink roof and mirrors...oh dear.
Whilst i consider myself a true petrolhead i must admit to knowing absolutely nothing about these cars - although i have previosuly owned several 'older' french cars - which were fun, if a little unreliable!
We will be looking at 10 plate cars or newer (prob when they first came out) and nothing more than a 1.6 120 bhp i should imagine, with around 20k on the clock. She probably does about 8k miles a year if that. There doesnt seem any point getting a diesel for that mileage?
So what are peoples thoughts and experiences - positive and negative - is there anything in particular we should be wary of?
What is the MPG like? Service intervals? She likes her gadgets and luxury's so is there any specific model / trim good for this? Do they all have ipod / phone connection? Any must have's?
Thanks
I've got a 10 plate 120VTi which has now done 23,000 miles, so my DS3 experience almost exactly matches your criteria!
It's a great little car! Absolutely nothing's gone wrong - the only problems I've were a couple of trim rattles, fixed under warranty.
The 120VTi is probably the best petrol engine - the THP engines have suffered a few problems &, depending how she drives, the smaller VTi's may be a little underpowered. The 120 is, for me, the best performance/economy compromise. I don't drive for economy but I'm getting about 38 mpg overall, up to 45 on long motorway trips. For me,buying new, the extra cost of a diesel didn't seem worth it.
As for equipment levels, it depends on the model & the option packs chosen. There are three trim levels,DSign, DStyle & DSport. All have cruise control & speed limiter, front fog lights, RDS radio/MP3 compatible CD player, leather steering wheel, etc. DStyle adds more stuff like air con, LED running lights, dark tinted rear windows, while DSport adds auto air con (climate control), "connecting box" (Bluetooth/USB) & a few sporting touches. There's a whole range of options, either individually or in packs, so the only way to know what you'll get is to actually look at a car! (120VTi's are all DStyles).
I'd always considered Citroens "cheap & cheerful"; the DS3 doesn't fit that stereotype. Quality-wise, it's streets ahead of the Alfa 147 it replaced . . . probably not a difficult thing to achieve!
It's a great car to drive. The ride is not bad for a small car - firm, but not harsh - & it handles well. It's a quiet motorway cruiser, despite the 120 only having a 5-speed gearbox, & tyre noise is reasonably low.
Service intervals for petrol engined cars are 20,000 miles or two years, with a recommended annual service which is basically a full service without the fluid changes.
As I said, it's a great little car; I've never had a car that's attracted so many positive comments!
Good luck in finding a used one - in my, & other DS3 owners', experience Citroen dealers are crying out for them!
It's a great little car! Absolutely nothing's gone wrong - the only problems I've were a couple of trim rattles, fixed under warranty.
The 120VTi is probably the best petrol engine - the THP engines have suffered a few problems &, depending how she drives, the smaller VTi's may be a little underpowered. The 120 is, for me, the best performance/economy compromise. I don't drive for economy but I'm getting about 38 mpg overall, up to 45 on long motorway trips. For me,buying new, the extra cost of a diesel didn't seem worth it.
As for equipment levels, it depends on the model & the option packs chosen. There are three trim levels,DSign, DStyle & DSport. All have cruise control & speed limiter, front fog lights, RDS radio/MP3 compatible CD player, leather steering wheel, etc. DStyle adds more stuff like air con, LED running lights, dark tinted rear windows, while DSport adds auto air con (climate control), "connecting box" (Bluetooth/USB) & a few sporting touches. There's a whole range of options, either individually or in packs, so the only way to know what you'll get is to actually look at a car! (120VTi's are all DStyles).
I'd always considered Citroens "cheap & cheerful"; the DS3 doesn't fit that stereotype. Quality-wise, it's streets ahead of the Alfa 147 it replaced . . . probably not a difficult thing to achieve!
It's a great car to drive. The ride is not bad for a small car - firm, but not harsh - & it handles well. It's a quiet motorway cruiser, despite the 120 only having a 5-speed gearbox, & tyre noise is reasonably low.
Service intervals for petrol engined cars are 20,000 miles or two years, with a recommended annual service which is basically a full service without the fluid changes.
As I said, it's a great little car; I've never had a car that's attracted so many positive comments!
Good luck in finding a used one - in my, & other DS3 owners', experience Citroen dealers are crying out for them!
The missus has the Dsport, great fun!! Mind you needed new discs at 11k which were replaced under warranty even though the car was over 12 months old and waiting for a set of new wheels also under warranty (5 weeks waiting list), the centre cap suffers corrosion other than that it does seem to be put together pretty well.
Thanks Dave for the comprehensive reply, very useful.
I will take her down to try one out from an approved used Ciotroen dealer shortly. As i thought the lower engied ones might be a little underpowered so the 120VTI Dstyle or Dsport seems the one to go for and i am sure will be plenty responsive enough considering what she is coming from!
It seems to come with plenty of kit which will go down well and the seats look comfortable. I'm sure Citroen are crying out for sales at the moment, especially as the reviews of the 208 seem to be more positive than you would expect from Peugeot.
cheers
I will take her down to try one out from an approved used Ciotroen dealer shortly. As i thought the lower engied ones might be a little underpowered so the 120VTI Dstyle or Dsport seems the one to go for and i am sure will be plenty responsive enough considering what she is coming from!
It seems to come with plenty of kit which will go down well and the seats look comfortable. I'm sure Citroen are crying out for sales at the moment, especially as the reviews of the 208 seem to be more positive than you would expect from Peugeot.
cheers
Thanks Dave for the comprehensive reply, very useful.
I will take her down to try one out from an approved used Ciotroen dealer shortly. As i thought the lower engied ones might be a little underpowered so the 120VTI Dstyle or Dsport seems the one to go for and i am sure will be plenty responsive enough considering what she is coming from!
It seems to come with plenty of kit which will go down well and the seats look comfortable. I'm sure Citroen are crying out for sales at the moment, especially as the reviews of the 208 seem to be more positive than you would expect from Peugeot.
cheers
I will take her down to try one out from an approved used Ciotroen dealer shortly. As i thought the lower engied ones might be a little underpowered so the 120VTI Dstyle or Dsport seems the one to go for and i am sure will be plenty responsive enough considering what she is coming from!
It seems to come with plenty of kit which will go down well and the seats look comfortable. I'm sure Citroen are crying out for sales at the moment, especially as the reviews of the 208 seem to be more positive than you would expect from Peugeot.
cheers
My wife has a DS3 with the hdi 90 engine. She absolutely loves it. We have covered 18k miles in 2 years and have had absolutely zero problems with it. We are due to change it in the next 6 months or so, I am pushing toward a Fiesta ST but she wants another DS3, the convertible this time. If we do get another we will go for the 120bhp petrol though, we don't do enough miles to warrant a diesel really.
si_xsi said:
I'm sure Citroen are crying out for sales at the moment, especially as the reviews of the 208 seem to be more positive than you would expect from Peugeot.
I think you may have slightly misinterpreted my comment. Citroen dealers appear to be crying out for used DS3s - they are all practically begging owners to sell their cars back to them! The DS3 has certainly been a big success for Citroen - looking at the registration figures on "How Many Left", if the trend for the last three years continues it may well outsell the C3 this year.I have the Sport plus 150bhp model, will be 2 years old in August and is just coming for 20,000 miles so first serivce is due. Apart from a annoying rattle in the first months of onwership, a quick fix and the middle caps going its been a good car to own. And not forgetting curbing the wheels, again fixed thanks to Lepsons.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=105...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=105...
I've driven a number when my C6 has been in for service or MOT. I found I much preferred the diesel ones over the petrol as they were less crashy and I felt a better drive. I also was surprised to find that to me the 95 BHP e-diesel felt more sporty and more 'urgent' than the 120 BHP 1.6 (!).
Aside from the ride, which is crashy and harsh compared to others (and as I said a lot better in the diesel), the interior feels very well made and also solid. Gear change I found to be rifle bolt like, which again I liked.
Of course the nest thing it to get here to try a few
Aside from the ride, which is crashy and harsh compared to others (and as I said a lot better in the diesel), the interior feels very well made and also solid. Gear change I found to be rifle bolt like, which again I liked.
Of course the nest thing it to get here to try a few
S10GTA said:
dapprman said:
I've driven a number when my C6 has been in for service or MOT.
I don't believe we have had the pleasure of a Readers Car for your C6.....I must admit, I am obsessed with them. I will be getting one in the next 18 months (hopefully)
Pugland53 said:
If we do get another we will go for the 120bhp petrol though, we don't do enough miles to warrant a diesel really.
Mines been used for short journeys this week and has averaged nearly 50mpg around hilly sheffield. My 530d does 22 used on the same routes. I've not looked at the petrol mpg but doubt mid 70s on a run is possible like it really is on this car.Try both I guess.
So we took a trip to our local Citroen dealer yesterday and took out a new DS3 style plus 120 vti petrol and 95bhp deisel. I say we, my Girlfriend did the driving and she is smitten. Some of the style plus models come with the nice looking black 17 inch wheels and sports front seats too.
So we are now looking closely at low ish mileage 12 plates in either white with black roof, tourqoise blue with black roof or black with black roof. She said both were great to drive, petrol obviously quieter and in her words less clunky to drive
but the diesel better mid range pull..
Overall reviews and recent surveys seem to be good but would be interested to learn if anyone else has had any issues with theirs.
So we are now looking closely at low ish mileage 12 plates in either white with black roof, tourqoise blue with black roof or black with black roof. She said both were great to drive, petrol obviously quieter and in her words less clunky to drive
but the diesel better mid range pull..Overall reviews and recent surveys seem to be good but would be interested to learn if anyone else has had any issues with theirs.
I sell them, fantastic motors, on my second company DS3, it's the e-HDI I have so balances the MPG of the RS6 well. I would never have considered a French car in the past, but if I were looking for a small car and didn't get one through work, this would be a serious contender. Great deals on new ones at the moment, try and get the later one if used with the new style 3D LED rear lights.
The later cars have better screen for the info too.
Since writing last weve had ours over to france doing 1800 miles in a week no sweat.
As above, you really wouldnt believe how good they are unless youve driven it. Ours has about 200lbs of toque to its quite swift if needed to be as long as you enjoy changing gear a lot
Since writing last weve had ours over to france doing 1800 miles in a week no sweat.
As above, you really wouldnt believe how good they are unless youve driven it. Ours has about 200lbs of toque to its quite swift if needed to be as long as you enjoy changing gear a lot
Mrs Saleen needed a cheaper to run car for her commute so the MX5 has been sold and has been replaced (collect on Saturday) a 2011 DS3 e-HDi DStyle Plus Airdream with lots of toys including power fold mirrors etc, £0 road tax thanks to the stop/start technology.
All the reviews point to them being good so fingers crossed for a couple of years trouble free cheap motoring.
All the reviews point to them being good so fingers crossed for a couple of years trouble free cheap motoring.
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