Wednesday 3rd March 2010

Geneva: Citroen DS3 R Joins The Hot Hatch Fray

Feisty French newcomer looks the part; should go well too

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The Swiss may be neutral, but the French have gone on the offensive with the official unveil of Citroen's new DS3 Racing in Geneva.

Citroen's effort at premium hatchbackery went down rather well in the shape of the standard DS3, and we'd put good money on the hot hatch follow-up doing the same.

The DS3 R is set to have 197bhp and 203lb ft of torque, so performance should be among the best in the class (bearing in mind the 154bhp version manages to hit 62mph in 7.1secs). We'd say a 0-60mpg sprint in the mid-sixes ought to be on the money.

The DS3 R is also designed to provide a sportier ride than its standard siblings, as well as sharper steering. Inside, the DS3 R has been given a make-over too, with bucket seats and big dials giving it the requisite hot hatch feel.

The main rivals for the DS3 R will be the Clio Renaultsport 200 and the Mini Cooper Works. "We want to combine the charm of the Mini with the performance of the Clio, but at a good price," says Olivier Quesnel, Citroen's motorsport boss.

There may be a bit of a queue for one, too - the DS3 R is a proper homologation special designed to satisfy 'R3' rally regs (how long has it been since we've had one of those?), which limits the annual production run to 1000 units.

The DS3 R will find its way to UK showrooms later this year, priced at roughly £17,500.

[EVS777]

Dont bother!....those wheels are

[m4tthew]

Coming soon to a McDonald's car park near you..

[Wilburo]

Homologation special?

[Hairspray]

That is utterly fantastic! Would really love one of these instead of a MINI etc. All the reviews of the standard car so far have seemed really good!

[ukaskew]

m4tthew said:

Coming soon to a McDonald's car park near you..

At that price? Not for 7 or 8 years.

I hope/assume those are 'show' wheels, some 'rally' look items (I'm thinking Compomotive TH3s or Speedline 2118s) would look approx 1000 times better and make a lot more sense.

[zakelwe]

The new Skoda vRS version of the Polo GTi looks very frumpy compared not only to this but also the Polo. Shame as it looks like it could be up to £2000 cheaper.

Andy

[paynter17]

m4tthew said:

Coming soon to a McDonald's car park near you..

[Dagnut]

They should be checking for a gas leak in the design office at Citroen....that's just a mess

[Spokey]

Has Chris Bungle escaped from his padded cell again?

[wab172uk]

I must have a bit of Chav in me, cos I really like this car. Even like the Grey & orange paintwork.

[Wayne King]

I like it! Even the colour scheme aswell. Agree on the wheels though, not the best, but easily changed.

[Beefmeister]

article said:

the DS3 R is a proper homologation special designed to satisfy 'R3' rally regs (how long has it been since we've had one of those?), which limits the annual production run to 1000 units.

I thought the homologation rules meant that there had to be a minimum of 1000 units made, but i could be (and often am) wrong...

[boolay]

article said said:

0-60mpg sprint in the mid-sixes ought to be on the money

Not sure if that's economical or not!

[soad]

Don't mind the general shape of the car. Lose those stickers, wheels + different colour scheme.

[pits]

I do like the look of these

[rfn]

Have PH stopped proof reading their articles again?

0-60mpg sprint!? It may be economical but I'm not sure it's capable of 60mpg!

[soad]

rfn said:

Have PH stopped proof reading their articles again?

0-60mpg sprint!? It may be economical but I'm not sure it's capable of 60mpg!

Well spotted, an easy mistake to make perhaps. Easy to get excited at those car shows.

[CoopR]

I like it a lot, even the colour scheme Proper little fun hothatch.

[collateral]

The numbers are legit, but it does look like something from Need for Speed. Bet the ride is horrible too - those wheels look much too big

Now where did I leave my pipe and slippers?

eta Are manufacturers sticking their necks out a bit following the success of the Focus RS? Only a good thing imo

Edited by collateral on Wednesday 3rd March 14:28

[JohnoCup]

I really like this car, but as others have rightly pointed out, not in that ruddy awful paint scheme.

Single colour, no graphics and better alloys and I've have that in a heart beat.