Citroen Picasso DS3 Cabrio review (31/07/2013)

IT may be that Citroen’s parent company PSA is in the throes of a serious collapse in market share across Europe right now and that the owners are becoming increasingly keen on a sale or part-sale of the group to General Motors, but ironically the French marque has hardly been in a better place in recent times in terms of its product line-up.

While the ‘C’ range of cars are decent competitors in their respective segments, it has been with its Picasso line of MPV variants and the newly reinvented DS range — the DS3, 4 and 5 models — that Citroen has really upped the ante. People who poo-pooed the brand for years on the basis of its allegedly complicated technology and the near absence of residual values when you tried to trade them in have been busily eating their words of late.

Another good example of the rude health Citroen currently finds itself in wheeled into the driveway chez Colley recently in the shape of the DS3 Cabrio. Not only did the car immediately press all the right buttons

visually, but also turned out to be a truly cracking little car when we got it out on to the open road.

I’m not, I must admit, a particularly big fan of the Cabrio breed as a whole, largely because taking the roof off any car will lead to a serious downturn in the overall integrity of the chassis because its torsional rigidity of the car is seriously compromised.

I’m not saying such cars are unsafe — far from it — but the absence of a roof generally leads to chassis flexing and that has serious consequences handling. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule and I would have to say that whatever chassis stiffening the Citroen people have done here, they’ve made an excellent job of it.

There are also those who would maintain that the Cabrio breed is largely the domain of female drivers; however, in this instance there is every reason to laud Citroen for producing a performance convertible that will fit the bill for any demanding driver — male or female.

The regular DS3 we already know to be a fine driving machine — one which is right up there dynamically with the likes of the Mini Cooper. The amazing thing to me is that Citroen has produced a Cabrio version which, dynamically, is largely every bit as good as its roofed sibling.

Grip levels are really impressive, the handling is exceptional with a fair degree of the limpet-like, go-karty feel of the Cooper in evidence, and a ride quality that I found to be surprisingly well-rounded and easy to live with.

Mention of the Mini Cooper is particularly appropriate here as the test DS3 Cabrio was powered by the same 1.6 litre THP turbocharged petrol engine that is fitted to the BMW-made machine; it was originally a co-production between the Germans and PSA anyway, so its appearance here should not be any surprise.

With some 155bhp on tap and in a body which, despite all the heavy accoutrements which come with having a retractable roof, is only 25kg heavier than its regular counterpart (most such cars are as much as 100kg heavier), which is quite light, the performance of the car is impressive indeed (see panel). I found it to be an engaging and purposeful drive.

The specifics of the roof tell us that it can be opened and closed in 16 seconds and this can be done while you are on the move as well — at least up to a speed of 120km/h. The car also differs from many ‘rag-tops’ in that the canvas roof is made from a very thick material. It’s sound-proofed, and therefore unusually good.

It has to be said as well that the style of the DS3 Cabrio lives up to the high-quality DS standard. Not alone is the cabin a classy and comfortable place to be, but the decor is of a very high order as well.The specification in the ‘Sport’ grades as tested was well up to the mark — particularly at the price.

Citroen also claims this to be the only ‘genuine’ five-seater in the class, but I’d have to say that if you’re over about 5’5”, you won’t really enjoy

sitting in the back of this thing for long periods.

Accommodating the mechanics of the folding roof also means that the boot opening is akin to a letterbox — narrow and long. Citroen says the DS3 Cabrio has the biggest boot in the class and that may be the case, but trying to get anything thicker than a box of fags into it might prove problematic.

But these are small quibbles in the overall context of this excellent little car and I would have to say that for anyone in the market for a small Cabrio, the DS3 represents a really good choice. And, by comparison with the Mini convertible, it also offers excellent value for money as it is about 5,000 cheaper.

I really liked this a lot and can recommend it with little equivocation.