Top Gear announced its car of the year for 2010, and surprisingly, Citroen claims the top spot for the first time in the contest’s 11 year history, winning the title with the fantastic little Citroen DS3. The DS3 fended off competition from a dozen of the most desirable cars of the last 12 months, and it is easy to see how.
Since its release in spring 2010, it has been strong competition for the small hot hatch used car market, including the Mini, Fiat 500, Audi A1 and Fiesta to name but a few. With its super cool looks and stand out from the crowd colours, and colour options it is difficult to find two the same! A used Citroen, especially a diesel used Citroen is becoming a very popular option – mainly as they are so economical, and getting even more stylish then ever!
The used Citroen DS3 is available with a good choice of petrol and diesel engines, so it is easy to pick something super economical and high in performance without compromise! And with the three petrol engines also being designed by BMW, it has the same engine as its biggest rival the Mini. A used Citroen DS3 will not have a resale value as great as the Mini though. Starting with the entry level 1.4VTi, which gives you 95bhp, it manages the 0-62mph test in a healthy 10.6 seconds and still gives you a very useful 49mpg. Which when compared to the rest of the range is certainly not poor, and with the two diesel engines giving a return of around 70mpg and one with emissions as low as 99g/km Co², this really is an economical sporty little used car.
When I was lucky enough to get myself one of these fantastic little used Citroens, I chose to go with the 1.6HDi 90bhp, and picked up the extremely well equipped “White Edition”, this came with the LED diodes, chrome door mirrors, 17″ ‘Belone’ black diamond tipped alloy wheels (which were in excellent condition for a used car), air conditioning and sculpted front seats to name but a few, and continues to deliver on average 72mpg.
It was a struggle to find a used Citroen DS3 in the 1.6 diesel engine but my local dealership Budgen motors worked extremely hard to get me one! It handles well and is genuinely a really great car to drive, with minimal body roll in the corners and nice responsive steering. It gives me plenty of grip and feel through the steering, which then gives me a lot of confidence when I drive a little quicker on the smaller and more twisted country roads! Although the ride is a little hard, I think that this is to be expected with the sports suspension, the overall comfort is excellent, and with its small dimension and pretty good all round visibility it really is nice and easy to park and drive around a busy town or city, even for a young girl like me, and with the powerful economic engine it is outstanding on the motorways with minimal engine and exterior noise.
Although it is only available as a 3 door, interior space and comfort is not compromised, with ample head room and plenty of space for 2 or 3 adults in the back. Boot size is certainly not an issue with this little used Citroen, as it comes with a very sufficient 285 litre boot, bigger than the mini hatchback, Fiat 500 and Alfa Romeo Mito.
On top of all this the Citroen DS3 was awarded the maximum 5 stars Euro NCAP, making it one of the safest used Citroens and small sports hatch cars on the road today, and 2011 will see the eagerly anticipated release of the DS3 Racing, the first ever road going vehicle created by Citroen racing, with a 1.6 high pressure Turbo engine generating 207bhp, a fantastic blend of style, innovation, technology and driving thrills.
So if you are looking for a used car, and especially a used Citroen that will turn heads and bring back the fun and excitement into driving, then I Highly recommend the Citroen DS3.
