New Citroen DS3 Invades Planet Earth

Lock-up your daughters, clear your diary, and prepare to face the new Citroen DS3. This radically styled city car earns Citroen points for focusing on style, personality, and driver satisfaction. The result is a fantastically capable vehicle that, unlike some previous offerings from the manufacturer, enthusiastic drivers genuinely adore.

Now, despite being styled like something from another planet there are various conventional engines to choose from. The most powerful is the 1.6-litre 150bhp petrol that propels the DS3 to 60mph in 7.1 seconds, and races towards Jupiter at 133mph. This model averages 42mpg, but if you need to travel all the way to Neptune the 1.6-litre 90bhp diesel is a more economical choice. This returns a combined average of 70mpg and hits sixty in 10.9 seconds.

The DS3's handling is very, very entertaining.

It genuinely feels like a properly sorted run-around and is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. This fun focused handling means the DS3 has impressive body control, sharp steering, and plenty of traction for negotiating those tricky corners by the Milky Way. These characteristics give the DS3 sporty credibility that will hopefully be inherited by its forthcoming siblings.

The interior, in contrast to some modestly priced French vehicles, feels properly screwed together. Just as well considering the amount of gadgets. The entry level Dsign gets electric windows, power mirrors, and a CD stereo with steering wheel mounted controls. The Dstyle adds air-conditioning and LED lights, and the top of the range DSport has Bluetooth, a USB connector, and an alarm to stop it being pinched by an unscrupulous alien.

According to Motoring.co.uk's database, prices for the new Citroen DS3 range from £11,700 - £15,900. Not bad considering how much fun you will have, and considerably cheaper than a brand new spaceship.

By Stephen Turvil, motoring.co.uk

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