Should You Buy a CITROEN DS3? (Test Drive & Review)
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
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Today I'm in this Citroen DS3 - a car I wasn't excited about in the slightest. Let's see what it's like.
I've borrowed this car from my colleague - it's listed on his website:
www.nickfordatromileygarage.c...
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#citroen #ds #citroends #dsds #ds3 #highpeakautos 
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My missus has a diesel one of these 14 plate, owned for 4 year and done 100k...not had one single problem with it.
Timeless design and tax free.
It's spot on.
I own a 1.6 HDI, so far traveled 100000 km without any issue, even no rattle, better than all the VW I experienced before. Most important: looking at it still makes you happy 😄
Do they make the cars better in their home market 🤔?
Hi. Any updates? How was your car performing in next years? I am thinking about buying ds3
Maybe I have been watching Hubnut for too long, but that review seemed to back up a lot of his positives about Citroen. Rides well, handles well, safe in an accident and parts are cheap. Sounds good to me!😁
I test drove one when they just came out (in yellow/black combination as you do) and was very very impressed by it. Ten years on and the design still looks relatively fresh, which is really odd, given how adventures it is.
I don't quite agree on the whole "picking custom colours will affect the car's resale value". I mean c'mon, this is a Citroen we're talking about here. If you're really worried about resale value, you buy a Toyota Yaris.
Actually, in most markets, the DS3, like the Mini and the Fiat 500, retain a high resale value, quite unlike the Toyota Yaris...
It does sort of affect the resale value. I saw one for sale with these really ugly brown leather seats and same colour centre console fitted the owner had opted for. So not all options are things all people will like. The basics like black are more agreeable with most people.
Drove one to Ireland and back and it was so comfortable, just floated down the motorway effortlessly, the 1.2 PureTech is surprisingly good around town and on motorways, and excellent fuel economy
My brother, an avid Citroen fan, had one of these some years ago. It was a 1.6 diesel and I borrowed it for a full day and was impressed. Very good seats, excellent steering and roadholding, and quite quick, just like you’re saying. Small on the outside, a bit bigger inside.
i love how you demonstrated the not fitting car manual glove box situation 3 times, as if there was hope for it to eventually find its way in
Who cares the car is ace to drive 😊
The 'DS' button is linked to DS Assist, the recovery service - if it is still subscribed to. The button needs pressing and holding to ring the call centre. Same for the SOS button, press and hold and it ring the emergency services. Or, if the car is in an accident, it alerts the emergency services to your problem and sends out your coordinates. A great feature and quite unique for small cars.
Thats right. I've since discovered that when it started dialling a helpline. Confusingly theres also an SOS button
I have had my DS3 dSport for five years now and it is superb. It is as good as it was when I first got it even with 208k miles I now have on the clock.
What engine does yours have?
1.6 DSport 118BHP, it now has 258,000 on the clock!@@axnn1
I have a DS3 from 2012. I LOVE her. Never failed me, always passes the MOT. I love the G force when I put my foot down on my 1600. My girl is cheap to insure and the only times I have called out the RAC they have sorted it in minutes. I LOVE my DS3
Is it the 1.6hdi?
Thanks. for giving one of these cars a review, cheep and cheerful but economical, great car!
I have one my self, and I love it. 1.6 e-hdi is surprisingly good on fuel, as you said, and it’s so comfortable and easy to drive. Would recommend ;)
Still can’t get over the renault wind you did a while back, when this lockdown is over I shall start looking to buy one. 😁
Great review Matt. I'm on my 4th Citroen and i love it! The key to trouble free Citroen motoring is maintenance!
Good review, as per, even if it does look like a training shoe! All the best with getting back to the showroom if that's how it pans out ✊🏻
These were great looking little cars when they came out,went toe to toe with the mini look wise, and had some nice colour combos, always worried about French cars, quite flimsy and cheapish interiors, but i have a wee soft spot for these.
Until yesterday I had never heard of or seen these before here in Australia. When I checked the second hand prices they are super cheap, now I know why. If they have so many issues parts would be ridiculous in Australia. What might be cheap and easy to find up there in the UK would be several times more here (Probably 4 times more). Thanks for making this video, I appreciate your honesty 😀👍
Another great review Matt
...but don't expect anything else from you. ...always entertaining , informative & fun...cheers !
Thanks
Thanks for doing this Matt, it's good to promote a brand whilst pointing out the naff bits , overall a good town car ,there is a Citroen dealer near where I live, so I see a lot around. 😎
Haha thanks
Far better than follow the sheep dreary fiestas, corsas run of the mill stuff.
Great reviews, always watch them even if some cars don't really interest me.
Keep up the hard work, hope next week you will be busy in the showroom.
I hope so! Thanks for watching
Nice friends reference, I respect that from a man
Haha cheers
High Peak Autos where everyone knows your name?
Im not a big French car fan but i always like those. Im so glad i never got to listen to stormzy ... When i paseed my test back in 89... We had right on time by black box and paradise city by guns and roses they was the days
Haha and Fine Young Cannibals
Weren't they described as looking like a training shoe on a certain popular motoring programme once?
Seriously though, before this review I wouldn't have considered one but now I am not so sure...
Great review (as ever!). You have the knack of being objective and entertaining at the same time. Just the right balance of style and substance.
Keep em coming.
Thanks! I appreciate it :)
Its amazing how many of these sold in Europe, around France, Spain and Portugal there everywere especially in cities. I always thought it had a nice sophisticated vibe to it especially in matt black with a tan roof.
The UK was/is its biggest market.
I did drive a DS3 1.6 THP for about 5,5 years. A very nice sporty car to drive, still looking good imho. The 1.6 THP engine is a great engine when it works, but it’s huge realibility problems are infamous. Unfortunately i have experienced that as well.
Hello again Matt. Just thought I'd let you know that due to this very informative video, I've now traded in my Pluriel & bought a 19 plate DS3 with 800 miles on the clock (ex-motability car)!! You were right about the performance, it's excellent & the auto gearbox is far superior to the Pluriel's. Thanks once again for your great channel & kind regards.
Very good! I like the DS3. Theyre always good sellers so I cant be on my own
Love them sold loads in the south as used cars. I even bought a bright yellow one it looked like a Big bumblebee and it sold 😂 with in 10days. Good to see you dude
Haha good stuff. You would'nt lose that in a hurry!
High Peak Autos It was disgustingly horrible the colour it was bright yellow but it was so cheap it was on real
I've ALWAYS hated Citreon's, but now cos I watch all your video's and we have similar likes/dislikes, I was quite surprised by it and tbf, it faired better than I expected! Maybe I won't "sneer" at the the DS3's when I see them, thanks Matt yet another quality review!!
Daughter has one on the drive bang on review as always nice drive looks good inside and out very pleased with it
Good stuff
Seat have now done something similar dropping the seat name from any Cupra model, Great review again
Thats right
Have an early 2013 1.6 petrol ds3 for my first car and it is great love her to bits
'The other tat they make ' 🤣🤣🤣🤣just like the kings new clothes...! Great review with the usual dry delivery...
Haha exactly
I rented one of those in France and it was a pretty smooth ride on the highway (much better then Fiat 500 or VW Up).
I liked the robot transmission. My only issue was a screaming rear wheel ball bearing, considering the car had only 18k kilometers, that's a bit tough.
But nonetheless a pretty cool car I enjoyed.
I had a ds4 myself and it was a fantastic car and very well speced and also got my mates asking what car it was.... My wife also still has the 2014 DS3 it's black with a pink roof and trim so that was her sold lol but she still loves it 3 years later and it does still look pretty nice especially after a clean up....which I need to do haha but all in they are good cars. So much so I'm thinking of getting another ds4 but the 2l diesel performance line edition as it looks really nice. And speced compared to a vw and looks better than say an Astra.
I think you are far to honest to be a successful salesman. Love the reviews.
The 1.6l engine is a very reliable one now, it has been used in peugeot 308 t9 and no reported issues. It had issues with timing chain on previous generation but it is now used in 308, 3008,5008 and other peugeot/citroens, good little engine now nice and spritely. I prefer it to the 1.2 3cyl
Seriously thinking of getting one used to succeed my now ancient C3 mk1. That was surprisingly good for the money (and age) and 2016-2018 ds3 here is basically the same money, or cheaper, than entry level Polo of same age while better equipped and a lot more punchy and special.
I drove a DS3 hire car in Lanzarote in 2013 and loved how smooth it felt. Glad I found this review as I always said I'd want to buy one when the prices come down as used. This positive review has helped me to know I'm not going for the wrong car, but I can't decide on this or a Mini Cooper SD. I prefer comfort so I guess an SD being 'rough' sounds off-putting.
Thanks Matt. Thought I’d watch this one before bedtime. My other half looked at buying a DS3 but opted for a 1.6 Suzuki Swift Sport 2014 3 door. No hot hatch by any means, more of a warm hatch but totally competent. We used to tow it behind our Motorhome before we traded it in for a brand new twin axle wobblebox back in 2016. The thing is I put her off a DS3 in favour of the Swift purely because Suzuki was more reliable than a french car. The thing is the DS is more of a looker than the 2014! Suzuki though. Looks alone won’t win the battle for reliability will it? Or will it? OK! It’s my bedtime. Need sleep but seems I’m getting addicted to your honest reviews. 👍
I've always liked the Swift. I've had lots of them over the years
I actually had that dreary regular C3 as my daily commuter for a tad over three years (2010 to 2014), mostly because it was also surprisingly good and comfy at road speeds. It was also frugal (diesel) and aside a specific fidgety problem (solved by software update), it was also reliable. The mrs and I have had 8 Citroëns in the past and we feel they're A LOT more reliable cars than people generally think. I wanted to buy a DS3 instead, but the price difference between the two was awful here back then. Biggest drawback of the C3 was the other people on the road. Here, smaller and maybe a bit feminine car apparently invoked certain rage among other drivers, because I was dangerously tailgated at ANY speeds, shamelessly cut in corners and overtaken at insane places and the last nail in the coffin was when some idiot tried to overtake me on single lane roundabout. Soon after that I traded my C3 into much bigger sports saloon, and since then into big SUVs.
Great review! I have one and love it!
Got myself the 1.6hdi version making around 150bhp and it’s great fun
I rented a couple of these when they were relatively new. Both diesels. Really liked the first one. Second one was a bit rubbish. 5 speed box as opposed to the other ones 6 and rattles from both doors.
I'd love to see you review a Saxo VTS / VTR. If you can find one that hasn't been crashed, stolen, or turned into rust.
Plenty in the scrap yards 😉👌,I worked years ago with a bloke who thought the 2CV had a V6 engine. Keep up the good work 👍
That would be dangerous with a V6 😂
Well over 50k now Matt - good for you!
Thanks!
Another good review from the master cynic!!,it's definitely a good looking car & PSA have come on leaps & bounds in the last few years & do make some desirable cars these days
Haha thanks
Excellent review ! Best performer !
Thank you very much!
I can tell you’ve got a soft spot for this car! 😁 Great review again. 👍🏽
Thanks
Gordon Ritchie yeah, it’s called a swamp 😂
I've had my 2015 dsport blue hdi for a year now and had absolutely zero issues with it. Best car I've ever owned. They certainly have a luxurious feel to them, lovely cabin, nippy economical diesel engine, zero road tax and costs me £200 a year to insure. Mine also has the facelifted front with the LED lights with dynamic scrolling indicators. I would highly recommend this car.
Do you still have it ? My daughter has just looked at that model today.
@@captainfpv6775 yes I still have it. Still a great car but have experienced some issues with it since my post a year ago. The adblue pump failed and had to have the adblue tank replaced, DS contributed 67% of the bill but it still cost me over £300, it's a very costly item if it fails. Also water pump leaked so had to have cam belt and water pumped replaced. Other than that it's been fine and I still love driving it as much now as the day I bought it. It certainly has a premium feel.
Good review as always, none biased
Thanks
Great review, would be interesting to see you reviewing megane 3 coupe
Looked at one myself , I’m a driving instructor so all the super mini’s were on my radar when buying,
When it came down to it I went with an F56 Mini Cooper , but the 1.2 110hp version of the DS3 was a very close second..
The reasons were rear visibility ,cup holders, and I found the DS harder to judge the width of initially (you’d get used to it as an experienced driver no problems but learners have enough to think about without adding a vague sense of where the car begins and ends to it) ,
This was of course a consideration as an instructor, the mini felt nimbler , more responsive , easier to judge gaps in, park and seats were more comfortable, with better lumbar support.
If it were for me personally I might well have opted for the DS just to be contrary , it would have to have been the DS3 racing, the styling on them is imho really nice and a good alternative to the more traditional looks of the mini.
Regarding Mini reliability ,my Cooper 1.5 T has been faultless , 50k miles in now and other than the servicing it’s been solid , which says something as both gearbox and clutch work hard on a driving school car...not sure the Citreon could take as much abuse but that pure conjecture I’ll admit.
Very stylish car, think they could have been braver with the trim like the original DS. A great review again
That DS button on the dash is for the assistance. Press it a few seconds to enable the call for assistance. Cheers, Matt.
I enjoy watching these reviews of cars we don't get in North America. Interesting little car.
Thanks!
Good review as ever!
Thank you
It looks spacious good to see you
Very balanced review - nice one! You have a good way of reviewing this sort of car that you don’t feel strongly about one way or the other. Most reviewers resort to slagging them off because they are not something better, but you seem to find all the positives! Sub=scribed
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for subscribing
I own a 2009 model, 1.6 VTi 120hp, it is an amazing NA engine, I love the heated leather seats too. It is overall an amazing first car to have! Pretty useable even at higher speeds. I really recommend it to anyone for their first car, but make sure to get a NA engine not a turbocharged one, because they can be unreliable after they’ve run a lot of miles.
Congratulations on 50k subscribers.
Thanks!
The one that I had didn't have an armrest or a cup holder, which was v. annoying. Was fun to drive, and if I put it in cruise at 60mph on the motorway I used to get 70mpg. Wouldn't buy a used one, but as a 3 year lease they might make sense as you can hand it back just as all the bits start falling off and breaking!
I found this review very interesting. A DS3 seems like the natural progression to the ageing Pluriel I have, but I had no idea that DS Automobiles existed. Quick look on Autotrader and there are quite a few for sale but all seem to have only a 1.2 engine. I was just wondering Matt if, in your opinion, the small engine would give a reasonable performance coupled with an automatic gearbox, as I can't drive a manual? Once again, a really good and informative review. Also, if you've now been able to re-open your showroom, I hope you do as well as you deserve to! Kind regards and thanks for a great and humorous channel!
Thanks! The 1.2 is pretty nippy even as an auto
Funnily enough we were in the market for a new second car back in 2003 and the C3 (DS predecessor) was on the list of possibilities.
We went to a Citroen dealership in Newcastle and while looking around a brand new display model the sun visor and glove box lid came off in my hand. We did off at the speed of many antelope before being given a bill. Although Citroen do “pen” a nice looking if somewhat eccentric car they seem to be made from spit and papier-mâché so wouldn’t even accept one as a competition prize.
Being French they Come with a free white surrender flag which fit like a glove in the glove box😉
Hahaha
Thank you I like that , wondered what it was like! Its a good looking car.
No problem 👍
Don’t ask me why, to this day I have no idea what I was thinking, but in 2007 I bought a c4 Picasso 2.0 hdi VTR + I test drove it and was impressed with the solid feel and tech etc, got a great deal on a new one - and put 50k on it in a year, now it never broke down but after that 1st year it had so many rattles, squeaks and creaks I just couldn’t stand it, by the time I could get out of the lease I’d given it to the mrs and was driving around in a 1997 base model Audi A4 with no a/c and no remote unlocking, but I’d happily drive that all day every day over the c4 and that’s kinda my issue with Citroen.
Had mine 3 years I love it
I always find the seats in French cars so comfortable.
Looks ok... May be you should do a review on the current shape fiat Panda be interesting to hear you review compared to the DS3 .
I had a ds3 diesel for five years(40000 miles) with no issues whatsoever, nothing broke. Just service items, brakes, tyres and battery. Lovely car, thoroughly recommended.
Finally a video where I’m able to take a fairly good look at your watch! :D love the Rolex Explorer II Polar dial.. don’t care about the car tbh. :)
Nothing wrong with your eyes!
And your into your overdraft again because 😎
Great review as always. Really wanted to know what that button does but after a google, nobody knows!
I've since discovered today, if you press and hold it then it connects you to Citroens emergency assist
What I'm wondering about is whether the bad reputation of Citroen is just a thing of the past now and they're much better built than in the early 2000s, or maybe they just put more care into the DS3, or maybe I'm just lucky but I've had no issues with my DS3 at all. Sure I only did 50k miles in it, but it's all city driving and I've been driving mine every single day for the past 9 years and everything just works. The key works, the mirrors unfold perfectly, the satnav works, nothing rattles or squeaks, no warning lights on the dash. The only things that broke were the mechanism in the passanger seat to get in the back (which was cheap to fix) and the metal strap for the muffler rusted and fallen off and I didn't even notice untill the car went for it's yearly service (it was cheap to replace as well). Only the engine makes more and more noises every passing year but that's on the Germans so...
Citroen are obviously trying to go down the same road as Toyota and Nissan and now Seat with their Cupra badge more profit for a few extras, I like the look and style of this D's 3 and wonder what it would be like in automatic, Citroen did bring out the Pluriel sometime back which was a throw back to the old 2CV, keep on entertaining us thanks Pete
Cheers!
I bought a 2016 1.6 diesel ds
4 months ago
Love it
I drove Citroens for years and loved them. With their build quality, modern ones are little more than automotive carrier bags. Cheap to buy, cheap to repair (often), but very disposable. Compared to the Avante, DS, SM, CX, GS, GSA, BX, XM, and C6, recent models are a pale shadow of previous models. Pity.
The C4 is rather excellent, i find.
I have a 2011 1.6 diesel and it's a fantastic car to drive on any road, great fun through Sharp bends. Not sure about your claim that it will go wrong and bits of trim breaking, mine is still as new and apart from servicing and tyres it has not caused any issues. The seats are very comfortable and it's great cruising on the motorway.
Never known issues with French cars and trims falling off tbf. Seems to be a thing that German cars do. Fading buttons and armrests remind me of Golfs! The French always make pretty well screwed together cars.
Any DPF issues?
@@neutralfan..1627 Hi no DFP issues so far. It' has FSH and does long journeys. Perhaps that is best with this engine. Fantastic car and still turns heads.
@@stephendigby4684 I've just purchased a ds3 where it's literally gone back to the dealership for a dpf regen ALREADY..
Nailed it on the head matt styling is great, and I love the look of this car. Pug and Shitroen nailing the design recently. I genuinely hope they sort the other shit out - mainly reliability.... cos I'd have one of these in a minute. I still maintain the only French car I would ever have is a renault, but recently Pug has been upping their game. Time will tell if the 3008 is a decent 2nd hand buy.
I agree. I love the styling of the new Peugeot 308 and 508 - they look great
Had a Scenic a few years ago, would never buy French ever again. They suffer from BFO ( bits fall off ) too much for my liking
They age very quickly! Like a fat bird in a nightclub!
My wife drives a 2015 1,2 puretech 110bhp and she thinks its a great little city car and i have to agree. Fun to drive since it's so tiny and doing 55 mph feels much quicker than one would expect and decent handling too. Never have had any issues with it after three years. So if you want a tiny city car and only need two seats ( no one will wants to sit in the backseats ) it's a good car to check out. Cheap to buy and reliable ( so far ) with low running cost. My Audi has had more issues at about the same mileage and twice the cost of every thing. Surprised me and we're now looking at the new DS4 since we no longer need two cars ( pensioners ) and i really love the design of it! 😎
I am very tempted!!
My friend has a older one of these like a 2012 and his reverse sensors have stopped working and just make the sound of when your too close to something but that's the only problem he's had with it pretty nice cars too
Funny video, love the antidotes
Hopefully this is going to be my first car. We've had 3 my over 9 years. So hopefully this will be my first car.
i like the slant from auto makers, on having a GT or SUV for the weekends and a small compact city car for the daily commute. Cheap on fuel and annual charges, including Insurance.
However in New Zealand, diesel vehicles (and any vehicle that uses a fuel that isn't taxed at source (electric)) have to pay Road User Charges (RUC) based on weight and axle configuration. The fuel is not taxed at source unlike Petrol or LPG. So on the DS at 70mpg thats 3.36l/100km. Diesel in NZ is $1.14 per litre and a whopping $7.30 in RUC per 100km (Upto 3500Kg GVM).
That works out to $11.13 per 100km. That $11.13 in a petrol car would have to use 6.47 l/100km (43.7 mpg @ $1.72/litre) to be as expensive. The 1.2l petrol one would use way less that that, and so, is a cheaper option in NZ.
The high cost of the road tax (RUC) makes owning a fuel efficient city car pointless here unfortunately.
So we use bigger cars as the cost of ownership is no worse that small cars. Government tax systems in each country defines what we drive. (safety rating, CO2 emissions, GVM for example)
That seems a weird way to tax motorists
Good review, I’ve had three DS3’s all have been reliable, never had any of the issues you mentioned! Best value small car around, most are well equipped, blue tooth, parking sensors, auto lights a wipers as standard on most models. Now got a 2015 165 THP, bought last November for 6k with 40k on it. Brilliant car, thinking about getting re-mapped....Buy one, you won’t be disappointed 👍
I quite fancied the rare Ds3 racing which had 207hp, but was too expensive at the time, compared to the normal c3, the ds3 appeared more reliable.
Out of curiosity if you’ve had 3 and neither have had issues. Why would you get rid to get another one.
Sister’s driven a 1.6 diesel (surprisingly quick) for 2 years and just had issues with the parking sensors, other than that, faultless
Yeah I've had to replace a couple of parking sensors too
I had a copper brown & white one ...looked fantastic ...but it had to go ...back shattering suspension ...and in the winter those metal inserts on the steering wheel & gearstick were ice cold
Hahaha yes I forgot to mention that. Its annoying in the winter
Could you do a video on a Mazda 2 2007-2015 please 🚗 when you have the time 🙂
That front end looks like my mum when she sees me playing Minecraft
Hahah
What are your tips when buying a second hand ds3 petrol version? I prefer one with some more power under the hood....I have a Peugeot 206 GTi from 2003 know with 130hp
A mate has just got one, the doors rust under the mirrors. I do like it though.
Would you please review a Ds 5 as I'm looking to buy one and would really like to hear your thoughts on it.
At least its window reflection makes your arm look like Arnies!! Your right arm I mean! Always liked citroen and there quirky designs. Cheers
Hahah I hadn't noticed
Hi Matt, brilliant review as per bloody normal mate. Must say I bet you can not wait until June the 1st for the grand reopening. I bet you a penny to a pound the first job on the agenda is washing all those cars ( True or False ) 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 Reg`s Steve as always 👌
Hi! Thanks! Yes youre right. Everything needs a good wash
I've got a 2013 1.6 thp which is quite economical and nippy, I think they've stopped doing the thp engine though.
Im looking to buy the exact same one but diesel and it drove 97 thousand km. 1,6 Blue HDi Sport 100Hp. Do you think it is too much km?
Neighbour had one less than a year old. Spent more time in the garage fortunately under warranty. Pretty but still french build quality
I'm a Citroen fan and a High Peak Autos fan - make sense of that. Please review a Cactus :)
I quite like the cactus
@@HighPeakAutos What's not to like? (Don't answer that)
In the old days the USP of Citreon's was the ride. Can't imagine what the ride will be like with those over-sized wheels. Get rid of those and put a proper 1.6 8v engine in and I might consider it.
I wondered what these are like so thanks for filling me in. Unlike you I have a soft-spot for French cars. I wanted to buy Mrs Twit one......but she wanted an Audi A1 🙄