Tuesday 15th April 2014

Citroen DS3 Racing Cabriolet: Driven

Does removing the DS3 R's roof add some excitement missing from the hatch?

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If Heston Blumenthal were to tackle car engineering, the result may be quite similar to the DS3 Racing Cabriolet. It comprises so many divergent elements into one complete car that knowing how to approach it can be quite a challenge.

Visibility a slight issue with the roof down!

Unfortunately, and rather unlike snail porridge or bacon and egg ice cream, the DS3 R cab never really comes together as a cohesive whole. From the DS3 Racing hatch, something less exclusive, more affordable and with greater focus would have been ideal. So Citroen has made a rarer and more expensive cabriolet. The resulting car comes across as quite desultory and rather bemusing. What purpose should it serve?

There's a fascinating lack of harmony that permeates the entire driving experience. Badged a Racing, some edge and zest could justifiably be expected and yet it just seems absent. The engine, the same 1.6-litre THP seen in everything from the Mini Cooper S to the Peugeot RCZ, isn't that exciting. It can be hugely amusing in the Mini and, with further development, ludicrously fast in the RCZ R but it's neither in the Citroen. It doesn't feel as revvy as in other installations, and is disappointingly quiet too.

Interior is nice, but not £29K nice

Some very rangey gear ratios (second is good for nearly 70!), allied to a rather vague and long gear shift further dull the hot hatch vibe. Going for third and feeling the lever slide up straight from second rather than slightly across is a rather unnerving experience!

A lack of verve from the drivetrain almost mandates a more relaxed style, using the engine's strong torque and enjoying top down driving with little wind interference. The latter of course especially useful for hearing the various comments about quite the kind of gentleman that drives 'DS 03 BOY'...

But this is a DS3 Racing, surely it can't be a car for mincing around in? Drive it with some commitment and it's actually far from unenjoyable. The paradox expands. It feels quite neutral, not committing to under- or oversteer particularly early and actually quite easy to find a flow with. It's less frenetic than some hot hatch rivals yet still agile, quite French in its approach at higher speeds. The ride feels a touch too harsh around town.

Well if you want a rare and expensive cabriolet...

Hit the (very good) brakes hard though and the hazard lights continue to flash for so long that you begin to believe they've been inadvertently pressed. The traction control button is buried away down by the steering column. Again, the DS3 R seems fundamentally designed to discourage spirited progress despite some genuine ability. Driving a hot hatch quickly? The temerity of it!

There are some nice details inside the Racing, the seats in particular feeling great even if they are a little too high. The dials are funky, the real carbon very cool and it feels like a good hot hatch cabin. Certainly not a £29K one however.

Citroen is legendary for its simple and uncomplicated hot hatches, of which the DS3 R cabrio patently is not. It is unclear what Citroen hopes to achieve with just 10 of the 100 open DS3 Rs coming to Britain but those coveting a Citroen hot hatch resurgence will be disappointed. After a wealth of positive reviews for the standard DS3 155, to not have built on that auspicious start is a shame. Perhaps some of the techniques employed in the C-Cactus could be applied to make a sub-tonne DS3 to evoke its illustrious hot hatch past. Or perhaps a slightly quicker C1? It called be called the GT... For now the DS3 R cabrio remains a flawed but likeable curio with Citroen still very much in the hot hatch wilderness.

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CITROEN DS3 RACING CABRIOLET
Engine: 1,598cc 4-cyl turbo
Gearbox: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 207@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 203@2,000-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 6.5 secs
Top speed: 145mph
Kerbweight: 1,231kg (Citroen's quoted 'mass in service' figure)
MPG: 44.1 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 149g/km
Price: £29,305

[WCZ]

ugly!

[wst]

I guess it could be a fun challenge to see how many laps of <insert *track* here> you could manage with the hazard lights flashing continuously just from the braking zones.

[Shambler]

Nice to see they have got the bumper colour similar to the rest of the car.

[Theallotmentman]

So a Citroen Plurial with better kit then! Sorry but £29k for a nippy Citroen seems vastly over the top to me. What could I buy for that money.........let the list making commence.

[G0ldfysh]

2 weeks too late Citroen, oh wait you're not joking?

[Axionknight]

Looks crap compared to the hatch and presumably the engine is just as poor and unreliable - google DS3 racing engine problems to see what I mean, one lad, who is a member on here, Stefan I believe his name is, had two of them and rejected both as the things engine gave up the ghost, twice.

Edited by Axionknight on Monday 14th April 12:32

[JDMDrifter]

£29k

[dukebox9reg]

Axionknight said:

Looks crap compared to the hatch and presumably the engine is just as poor and unreliable - google DS3 racing engine problems to see what I mean, one lad, who is a member on here, Stefan I believe his name is, had two of them and rejected both as the things engine gave up the ghost, twice.

Edited by Axionknight on Monday 14th April 12:32

You would have hoped at this point especially with the RCZR engine development work for Pug that the issues would have been rectified.

The interior, yes its nice compared to a Fiesta for example as the wife had a C3 with basically the same interior with the built in nav and a fingerprint happy gloss black dash but the plastics are all scratchy especially on the doors and anything under that nice shiny black bit.

£29k, rather have a Abarth 500 (595 nowadays??) than this if I wanted a 'fake' convertible.

Makes a Mini Cooper S Convertible look a bargain.

[Kitchski]

Article said:

Citroen is legendary for its simple and uncomplicated hot hatches

Erm....





Carry on....




As for the DS3? No, you're alright. I'm a lover of Citroens old, but the newer stuff has been pretty pants (C6 excepted). And when they get all chintzy like this, trying to attract Mini/RCZ/TT potential customers or whatever mundane-mechanical-wrapped-up-in-a-chintzy-body type cars you care to name, I switch off even more.

Citroen: make them interesting, or make them good. The middle ground is not where you belong.

Edited by Kitchski on Monday 14th April 12:52

[David87]

Shambler said:

Nice to see they have got the bumper colour similar to the rest of the car.

I was going to say that!

[Riley Blue]

That's had a pot of ugly paint poured over it!

[theJT]

I don't get it.

Surely the point of a cabrio is the sense of space and air around you... which I don't see how you get by simply driving around with the sunroof (ok, quite a big sunroof) open, which appears to be what this amounts to.

That "hood" now covers the entire back window, and you've still got enormous glass slabs either side of you, so what in gods name is the point?

[GTEYE]

I can understand the purpose of the cooking DS3s, as alternatives to run of the mill MINI's, Fiat 500s, etc in the circa £15k market.

But at £29k I struggle to see who would ever be in the market for this? Perhaps its passed me by, but why is the DS3 Racing so darned expensive? I can't see that it offers anything particularly bespoke, I think most of the mechanicals are shared elsewhere? At this price point, its surely well out of its depth.

A far cry from Visa GTI's, AX GT & GTI's, Saxo VTR & VTS to name a few from Citroen's back catalogue, this looks like its trying far too hard.

Edited by GTEYE on Monday 14th April 13:34

Edited by GTEYE on Monday 14th April 13:57

[craig_m67]

David87 said:

Shambler said:

Nice to see they have got the bumper colour similar to the rest of the car.

I was going to say that!

I quite surprised that Pistonheads would even bother with their press releases. There is no way in the world (even down under) that this company can be taken seriously as a quality manufacturer until they provide this gent** with a new car.

Congratulations Citroen; absolutely no respect globally in less than 24hrs.

• http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1394968&mid=0&nmt=Brand+New+Citroen+DS5+%2D+plenty+of+faults+and+bad+paint+job

[dirty_dog]

"Butterz"

[B10]

£30k for what is really a 2 door C3 with some funky bits and a big sunroof.
Also starting to look a bit dated.

[Quhet]

Looks a bit of a mess, I'll pass

[StefanVXR8]

Axionknight said:

Looks crap compared to the hatch and presumably the engine is just as poor and unreliable - google DS3 racing engine problems to see what I mean, one lad, who is a member on here, Stefan I believe his name is, had two of them and rejected both as the things engine gave up the ghost, twice.

Edited by Axionknight on Monday 14th April 12:32

Yep, that was me and they are still getting failed engines! The unfortunate girl that bought one of my old ones that had a new engine fitted and that has also now failed, and what are Citroen doing about it? Nothing, burying their heads in the sand and denying there is an issue!

I wouldn't have one of these if someone gave it to me.

Stef

[GHF1975]

StefanVXR8 said:

Yep, that was me and they are still getting failed engines! The unfortunate girl that bought one of my old ones that had a new engine fitted and that has also now failed, and what are Citroen doing about it? Nothing, burying their heads in the sand and denying there is an issue!

I wouldn't have one of these if someone gave it to me.

Stef

Out of interest, what actually went wrong with your engines?

[Axionknight]

GHF1975 said:

Out of interest, what actually went wrong with your engines?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1108194

See details here.