THEGAYUK

Tag: Citroen

All the latest breaking news on the Automaker Citroen. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Citroen.

  • CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback

    CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    In 2009 PSA the parent company of Peugeot Citroen and now Vauxhall resurrected the DS name. They used it to denote certain models in the range as premium: for example the Citroen DS3 Citroen DS4 Crossback. It was always part of the Citroen range, then in 2015 PSA decided that they would make the DS a stand-alone luxury brand, a halo brand if you will. 

    DS7 Crossback reviewed

    On face value, the DS7 Crossback is just a large SUV. There are a lot of them about, 5 seats, nice interior, nothing particularly unusual or special. 

    However, what PSA has allowed to happen under the DS brand, is something a bit fresh and unique, something a bit more fun. 

    They have injected some fun and style back into motoring. It’s a really lovely place to be.

    The DS7 Crossback is typically French in its ride and handling. By that, I mean French cars are renowned for having excellent ride quality and the DS7 is no exception.

    It rides very well, very supple, soaking up the bumps with ease, but at the same time it’s poised, it handles well and it turns in sharply. I don’t know how they do it, to be honest.

    This model is the Premium and sits exactly the middle of the range. It has a 1.5 litre turbo diesel engine that produces 130 bhp and 300 Nm torque, so it isn’t desperately fast but it’s perfectly adequate.

    The DS7 interior is a beautiful thing. Nappa leather upholstery adorns front and rear seats which are electrically adjustable and have a built-in massage function. 

    You will find Nappa leather on the dashboard, on the door cards and on the centre console, all with a diamond quilted pattern stitched into the leather. That diamond is a DS styling trait and you will see it repeated on the switchgear, the headlights, exterior styling, in fact all around the car.

    Headlights are fascinating. That sounds odd I know, but on the DS7 you have LED projector headlights and when you look through the headlight lens, there are three individual projectors. When you turn the car on the three individual projectors do a little dance for you. They rotate 180 degrees, one at a time, then rotate back again, ready to do their job. 

    This is not just for show, the projector headlights turn with you as you steer, shining light onto parts of the road that would otherwise have been left in darkness until you arrive. An attribute carried over from the original Citroen DS 21 way back in the ‘60s

    Why should we settle for something that is nothing more than transport? Something that is perfectly good at its job just isn’t good enough anymore, as no end of faceless, soulless, boring SUVs out there. They pretty much all do the same job and they do it very well. They’ll take you where you are going, it will be comfortable and generally reliable.

    Is this enough? I just think it’s time for us to enjoy our cars again. 

    Can’t we have something that funky, fun, chic and adventurous? Life’s too short to drive boring cars, that’s what they say, and I think DS has taken that on board.

  • The Gay UK Motoring Honours List 2020

    The Gay UK Motoring Honours List 2020

    2019 was a busy year for us at THEGAYUK motoring section and I’d like to thank all the manufacturers and PRs who helped make it possible. We could not do this without their continued support. 

    It was easy to pick my joker card for the car I’d have if I had the funds this year. It will comes as a surprise but I’ll explain why later. The number 2 position proved far more difficult for me to select. There were many cars to choose from with a few manufacturers making it more difficult because they had more than 1 in the firing line. You couldn’t see the carpet in the library for all the pictures.  In the end I settled it over a vodka based cocktail and a blast of Mel and Kim F.L.M.

    So let’s start with The Gay UK’s New Years Honours list.

    3 Citroen Berlingo £24,925

    It had to happen and I’m sure you all expected this so don’t start rolling your eyes at me for this. Simply put, there isn’t a vehicle out there that can match the Berlingo for space and comfort for 5 or 7 with the extra length model at this price.

    That space also has added visibility to swallowing huge loads and the low boot lip is a boon over an equivalent SUV. There is a compromise with the Berlingo and that comes from its van origins. You can’t escape these and it shows in the handling. Not that you’d think this was a problem judging by how fast you see the van piloted around. 

    Add it all together and it makes for a satisfying long distance cruiser that can also become everything you can think it could and it will. 

    2 Lexus LC500 £87,885

    This was the tricky one and in the end, I wanted to feel a million dollars without actually having to fork out a million. 

    V8 5 litre petrol power, growling exhaust, the ability to cruise in comfort and its looks are what those on the outside will see. Those fortunate to see inside will be well placed in a cockpit meticulously put together by Lexus Takumi masters.  

    A large small volume coupe is a difficult car to make and manufacturers have to go all out like Audi and new comers Polestar and they then also charge you a fortune for it. 

    Here the Lexus LC500 manages it so well and despite it costing almost £88,000, it is great value without the cost cutting compromise. It would be so easy for Lexus to fit switchgear from its parent company and it hasn’t.

    The extra cost option that comes with the Lexus as standard is that people will let you out in traffic. You can’t put a price on that.

    1 Suzuki Jimny £19,149

    The Suzuki caused a bit of a riot and ruined my otherwise planned honours list. Arriving as it did at the end of 2019, I didn’t expect to be sitting here, just after I’d written awful things about its flaws saying that it’s my number 1 choice for 2020. But there we go, nowt queer as a gay motoring journalist!

    And why? Its possesses human qualities that make the Jimny almost become anthropomorphic. You can’t help but melt at its cute looks and this makes you talk to it. You are never alone in a journey in a Jimny.   

    It never lied either at what it was and with that, it never pretended to be anything other than an honest little workhorse that would give you all it can and then some to get you were you needed to go.

    It’s the classic Grant Mitchell look. Heavily flawed with good intentions but cover him in the right clothes and he’s a winner.   

    If It Was My Money

    My must have is the Jaguar F Pace SVR. It only had one competitor with us this year and that was from Alfa Romeo. While the Stelvio Quadrifoglio was a mighty beast to drive, it was on the go all the time. And when it wasn’t, the cockpit quality let it down. This made the F Pace SVR all the better. To use both cars gung-ho powers all the time isn’t possible. About 80% of your time would be just normal driving and it’s that 20% of wild fun that gets over thrown by a cockpit and luxury feel that won the day. 

    And let’s not think the F Pace SVR is all about looks. What it lacked over the Stelvio in power prowess, it more than made up for it with being an absolute scream to drive at its limit and then beyond when the screaming gets louder. 

    Stuart

    xx 

  • CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback Ultra Prestige, Diamonds Aren’t For Everyone

    CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback Ultra Prestige, Diamonds Aren’t For Everyone

     ★★★★ | DS7 Crossback Ultra Prestige

    Diamonds Aren’t For Everyone.

    What Have We Got?

    Here we have the new DS 7 Crossback. The Avantgarde company from Citroen.

    It’s a largish SUV vehicle aimed at the upper ends of the SUV market. It’s an ever-growing market where luxury and comfort speak for themselves. Can it take on the big premium brands?

    What I’m trying to say is, does this diamond encrusted DS 7 have the range?

     

    Driving

    Overall it is a bit of a disappointment. The 225bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to the 8-speed automatic doesn’t encourage vigorous driving. From the looks of the DS7, that at first seems a shame.

    That feeling soon evaporates when you drive it in a more conservative way. This Ultra Prestige spec model wasn’t fitted with the new adaptive road assist system that analyses the road and adapts the ride accordingly. I’ve heard mixed reviews about that. On this model, then, we have standard springs and shocks and it all works well.

    At night time when the powerful adaptive headlights highlight imperfections in the road, nothing seems to be transmitted back into the cabin. And if it was, the majority of the time it was a muted “thud”

     

    Inside

    Here is where the DS7 Crossback stands out. The quality game has been upped quite a lot. Soft touch plastics and rubber where it matters, washable hard plastic where it doesn’t. And then there is the DS’s signature interior layout with stylised switches in the centre console and around the cockpit.

    And this signature is in diamonds. Everything is pretty much diamond shape. It’s a love it or hate it experience but for me, I rather like it, especially the front door armrests that illuminate at night with diamonds. It blends itself into the digital display on the fascia panel.

    It doesn’t all work though. The speedometer bar and incredibly difficult to read at a glance. It is a bit form over function. Thankfully there are always clear digital display readouts.

    Living with it

    Sadly I feel the DS7 will be overlooked because it’s French and that is your problem. As the SUV market grows and grows, it will soon start to get more competitive and quality, which from some manufacturers, isn’t up to their hatchback offerings. Here in the DS7 Crossback, the game is high. There is a return to French and quirky style. It’s a welcome return.

    DS has been striving for an air of opulence in their products and finally, they have got it. It connected well as a comfortable drivers car, making the driving experience a pleasurable one that was relaxing. It has space for five and the fixtures are above the norm.

    Verdict

    The late Joan Rivers said “I don’t work out. If God had wanted us to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor”, DS has bent over backwards to give us a quality product for not a lot of money. You’d be fooling yourself not to bend over and take a closer look.

    Love

    Quality feel

    Price

    Different

    Loathe

    Steering wheel pads set to high

    Front wheel tramp from a standstill

    Poor rear door architecture

    The Lowdown

    Car –  DS7 Crossback Ultra Prestige

    Price – £46,260 (as tested)

    MPG – 40.4 – 36.2 mpg (WLTP combined)

    Power – 225bhp @ 5,500 rpm

    0-62mph –  8.3 seconds

    Top Speed –  141 mph

    Co2 – 125 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroën Berlingo Flair, We Go Berlin’Go’

    CAR REVIEW | Citroën Berlingo Flair, We Go Berlin’Go’

    ★★★★ | Citroën Berlingo Flair

    What Have We Got?

    Here we have Citroën’s third incarnation of the 23-year-old Berlingo. In 23 years there have been just 3 generations of Berlingo. People keep coming back for more and it doesn’t seem that its van derived origins are putting people off.

    So has the Berlingo 3 (B3) got what it took Berlingo 1 (B1) to make it a success? It moved car derived vans up a notch in the UK and the Multispace people carrier became an acceptable mode of transport for us English.

    Driving

    B1 was a soft lolloping cruiser. Never managed to do anything wrong because its engines were never known as rapid units of propulsion. Cruise and comfort was the name of the game. 

    B3 has retained the echos of B1. It rides softly and it will cruise you and 4 others with plenty of space and comfort. Despite the soft ride, it is devoid of excessive body roll. The only roll you seem to get is you in the seats. They cater for all types of body and as a result, they do lack side support for most shapes and sizes.

    The 110PS 1.2 3 cylinder petrol engine manages to carry the boxy body well. The gear change is easy and 3rd 4th are mostly used through town. On the open road, it will reach a comfortable cruising speed easily. Only when a level of urgency is required, does it need a few gears dropped but it will never break your neck in outright performance? 

     

    Inside

    The Berlingo is known for its space. Here B3 demonstrates more luxury over B1 with little exposed paintwork and far better fitments of trim. There are some coloured smatterings around the door cards and the seats are brightly covered. Sound deadening stretches over the boot floor.

    B3 doesn’t improve on the uncovered window trim on the front door. This time it gets bigger with 2 types of weatherstrip mould into one. Like the rear doors, this needs a cover. B1 suffered from this thought on a smaller scale.

    As before, there is the ever useful ‘modutop’ storage facility and panoramic glass roof option. At £750, it is expensive but worth having. 

    Living With It

    If you need to carry people, or boxes or people in boxes, there is very little that can beat the Berlingo. Space requirements will be essential if a Berlingo is to be on your shopping list. And it does this better than almost anything this price and more. It has also managed to retain the original B1 dimensions, give or take a few inches.

    Low boot low lip, rear sliding doors and high driving position make getting in and out of the Berlingo easy. You are making very little compromise with a Berlingo just as long as driving dynamics are not your number one priority.  

    The Verdict

    Now this might come as a surprise, it’s a well-kept secret, I really like Berlingo’s. I’ve nothing but praise for B3. There are a few things it doesn’t do well. These are however down to your driving style over functionality. And if it’s performance and on the edge handling you want, buy a sports car. Berlingo 3 has remained faithful to its original concept. It just got better at it. 

    Berlingo has become more competitive to those ever-popular but space compromised SUV’s. B3 can now come with a host of safety equipment like the active brake, collision alert, park assist and adaptive cruise to name a but a few. It’s everything you’d expect in a car and not a van. The spacious CDV market has evolved.  

    Would I have one? That’s not really a question, is it? Would I bring it indoors on a cold winters night and wrap it under a blanket? What do you think!

    Love

    Ride comfort

    Space

    Standard/available equipment

    Loathe

    Comfortable seats lack side support

    Uncovered front window trim

    Awkward rear door internal handle

    The Lowdown

    Car –  Citroën Berlingo Flair 110PS

    Price – £ 24,295 (as tested)

    MPG – 37.5 – 42.4 mpg (WLTP low/high combined)

    Power –  110PS

    0-62mph –  11.5 seconds

    Top Speed – 109 mph

    Co2 – 119 – 132 (WLTP g/km)

  • The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Citroën Berlingo

    The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Citroën Berlingo

    The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

    An irreverent look at a certain car.

    The Citroen Berlingo Multispace

    The 1998 – 2013 model was a step in the right direction when the Berlingo came out as a van. It raised the game in the CDV (car derived van) market. Instead of taking a humble hatchback, this was a purpose-built van on a hatchback chassis. In this case, the Citroën ZX.

    This meant it had van like space in the cabin and storage appropriate for its van moniker. And then Citroën added windows and seats to it and sold it as a cheap lifestyle vehicle and judging by their sales literature, it was aimed at the young get-up-and-goers. Truth is, it’s easy access and comfortable seats sold it to the silver surfers who bought it in their droves.

    They even fitted it was an optional electric folding sunroof that went almost the entire length of the vehicle. A sunroof, in a van! an ELECTRIC folding roof IN A VAN!! That’s the French for you.

    And it sold in big numbers. Nothing could match it for small road space and huge interior dimensions.  

    It’s not that bad to drive either and when it was launched, even Jeremy Clarkson had a soft spot for it. In fact, it was almost universally liked by every road tester.

    The Berlingo has one thing that it lacks and that is street cred. Despite being seen as a young active lifestyle persons transport for five, it was a box on wheels. It was easy for old people with arthritic hips to get in and out of and its floor pan was easily adaptable for wheelchair ramps. If ever there was a truly multipurpose vehicle, the Berlingo was it.

    Buying one is easy. Oil leaks are the main culprit and some will have seen the welding torch, though rust isn’t really the killer for the Berlingo. Lack of maintenance and collapsing rear trailing arm bearings are.

    About £600 to have that fixed. Also, driver seat foams collapse. It’s about £130 to replace that and this I know because I bought one for mine. I own one. And remember the old people that bought them? Safe to say they wouldn’t have thrashed them. To be fair, there is little to be gained from thrashing the 1.4 petrol or 1.9 diesel. The 1.8 petrol was far more spirited, it’s harder to find one.

    It does what it does very well. It will carry you over great distances comfortably and swallow huge amounts of cargo. It’s just that it’s not very attractive and that’s why it’s an “ugly car”

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroën C3 Aircross Flair

    ★★★★☆ | Citroën C3 Aircross Flair

    WHAT IS IT? | DRIVING IT | CLIMB INSIDE | LIVING WITH IT | VERDICT

    Citroën’s new C3 Aircross replaces the Picasso MPV and enters the ever-so-confusing mini SUV type party. This model is the Flair S&S Puretech 110 Auto. Being a crowded party the C3 Aircross needs to be good.

    With starting prices from around £14,000 with the ‘Touch’ model, here THEGAYUK has the top of the range ‘Flair’ to tinker with.

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroën C4 Cactus Flaire Blue HDi 100

    ★★★☆☆ | Citroën C4 Cactus Flaire Blue HDi 100


    Softer Edged Prickly Character

    The Overview | The Drive | The Cabin |  The Verdict

    Here we have Citroen’s revamped C4 Cactus. Now in its fourth year, Citroën have tamed the design down quite noticeably while making some changes underneath. In short, the Cactus is a sort of hatchback SUV crossover built to a price while saving weight by not including items Citroën deem superfluous for this kind of car like. Gone are the air bumps and bulky patches on the bumper. Instead, we have the new corporate front but still retaining the unusual interior. We take the Flaire Blue HDi 100 diesel for a drive.

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroen DS3 Performance

    ★★★ | Citroen DS3 Performance

    I don’t feel cheated by this car. The Citroen DS 3 Performance is all the name suggests. It has it in abundance.

    To the trained eye and fact finding motor buff you might be thinking this is a re-bodied Peugeot 208 GTi Sport. You will in fact be correct in thinking this. However Citroen have tweaked it a little to suit its customers preferences. These included a change in spring rates that make it feel a little softer. If truth be told there is a bit more fluidity in how it rides on the road compared to the manic 208.

    Now here comes the surprise. For me THEGAYUK tested the DS cabrio in 2016. I wasn’t complimentary about it in all areas. One thing I did mention was the ride. It wasn’t as good as the now replaced C3 yet in this hard as nails street racer I can live with it. It fills a void that the normal DS3 missed perhaps because this is a somewhat different car.

    The handling is taught. The traction is amazing. Even on really wet roads it holds on like I have never known anything to do so. One very wet roundabout was tackled with spirit and it held the line I pointed it in. The torsen differential is an amazing bit of kit. Added to the wide 18” alloy wheels and it all adds up to one sticky road slug. It won’t let you down. Just watch out for the curbs. The smart Nemesis lightweight alloys have a protruding lip.

    What helped the feeling of ultimate security in fast cornering was a set of body hugging bucket seats. From the outside they don’t look welcoming at all in their black cloth covering. Sit in and you are very much placed in control. It’s all very easy to get set up comfortably and you’ll need it. The interior is very dark. It did feel like I was stepping into the depths of hell. Not such a bad thing knowing how hellishly fast this DS3 could be.

    Unlike its Peugeot 208 sibling, there were things I didn’t notice. The exhaust boom was gone and the throw of the gear lever didn’t feel as long. The DS Performance felt much more fluid in its behaviour. Even in dense city bumper to bumper traffic it felt quite at home in.

    Out on the open road the engine of a modest 1598 cubic centilitres wrings out a very useful 208bhp at a 6000rpm. 221 Ib.ft of torque is at a lowly 3000rpm giving you almost 4000rpm to play with in ripping up the asphalt in the 0-60mph sprint of 6.5 seconds. The 6 speed gearbox makes rapid climbs through the rising speed easy. Sometimes too easy and the rapid climb is sometimes abruptly halted by the rev limiter thankfully there to prevent you throwing a piston through the bonnet. It happens all too quickly and yet sneakily. It’s not a power pack that makes you abundantly aware of what it’s doing because it’s so smooth.

    Stopping the rapid Avantgarde delight is a beautiful all discs Brembo braking system. Stupid hard application of these plus the wide wheels and torsen differential make it all to easy to get carried away. Even mid cornering when you think you might just have bitten off more than you can handle will see you safely out the other side unless you really are stupid. More likely will be the rear end letting you know first. It’s nice to know it has a few surprises. It does though feel less of a handful with the different spring rates compared to the 208 GTi sport.

    The DS Performance is an easy car to live with. In someways I wanted it to be a little more raw. Despite its bright yellow exterior paint and black wheel arch extensions, it was subdued to those outside of the car. In someways it looked like a normal DS3 with some options added. It’s I suppose my place to say if that is a good thing or not because it is ultimately up to you to decide if you want your rapid hatchback to be discreet without external bells and whistles.

    I can recommend the DS 3 Performance. For my money I’d buy the convertible. A little less rigid I’ll grant you but I can’t think of a faster and affordable way of getting wind in the hair this side of wing walking on a Cessna aircraft. And you can’t do that every time you want to pop to the shops.

    Likes

    Price
    Easy to live with
    Available with a soft top

    Loathes

    Alloy wheel lip exposed to curbing
    The DS3 looks are getting old
    Very dark interior

    The Lowdown
    Car – DS 2 Performance
    Price – £ £23,355 (as tested)
    MPG – 52.3mpg (combined)
    Power – 208 bhp 6000 rpm
    0-62mph – 6.5 seconds
    Top Speed – 143 mph
    Co2 – 125 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroen DS 5 Blue HDi 180 auto Prestige

    I am in a bit of a pickle. I’ve spent a week with Citroen’s DS flagship brand and its 5. The problem I have is I am not sure if it is trying to be an MPV or a hatchback or somewhere in between.

    CAR REVIEW | Citroen DS 5 Blue HDi 180 auto Prestige

    It took me around 13 miles to feel comfortable in it. The driving position options are vast as you would expect with electronic memory driver seat with massage facility. The steering wheel alters for rake and reach. It’s just where do you position yourself in a car that has a high waistline and low windows? So 13 miles in I found it. Where it felt comfortable.

    I altered that three days later and soon found it best to sit just a little bit higher. If anything it’s the dashboard that makes it awkward at first. It’s huge! So big in fact that there are side windows between the windscreen post and door frame.

    It’s a nice place to be in. The French have a history of reinventing the dashboard of cars. Sadly no one else follows but to hell with it, this is Citroen. In an age were fascias are all becoming as similar as the outside, it is nice to know the DS 5 does it differently.

    For a start, there is a clock with hands just above the start button. Next to it on the infotainment screen is a digital clock. The clock itself is an optical illusion. Tall and narrow in shape and yet it always looks like the arms are going to get stuck around the 3 and 9. It’s a little bit of old in a lot of new.

    Some design bits don’t quite fit at first. The red digital parts conflict with the white printed parts and then there is the digital speedometer read out below the normal speedometer. It gives you many options all at once and not to good effect. You soon forget all this and forgive it because you’re soon too busy hunting for the window switches.

    DS 5 comes with the usual infotainment system that carries a tradition of annoying me with its grey over black on the satnav screen at night. Thankfully this can be changed. What can’t sadly is the pedantic way the finger touch inputs work. The screen is too flat and too far away to be really handy and this is amplified by the fact you need to touch the coloured logo spot on to get the phone system to display a text message that then needs further fingering to get it to read it out. It’s as distracting as using your phone by hand. Something we do not endorse so on a personal note this is a failure.

    The interior door panelling is finely sculptured as you’d expect in DS. Red lights highlight the door handle and cup holder. There is no apparatus on the doors. This works well. It means you keep your right hand on the wheel at all times. Remember I said about hunting for the window switches, they are found on the central tunnel in finely sculptured buttons. It’s all a break from the norm and I am starting to like it.

    If I can be blunt the inside is what Saab should have been doing. The cockpit is a mixture of automobile and aircraft. There is even a roof tunnel between the front glass panels for glasses and switches for the sun blinds. Opened and it makes the cabin feel light and airy. Rear seat passengers will also feel happy in the DS5. They will moan however at the window switches. In keeping them clutter free like the rears, they placed the window switches in the centre between the front seats. Nothing bad except 2 things, they are too far away for easy reach and they work upside-down. Down is up and up is down!

    Outside also has its mix of good and bad. Sadly in black, you can’t see the fine details unless up close. What is now missing is the absence of the Citroen chevrons. DS is now a stand alone product. So it manages to retain some Gallic charms and being outside of the double chevron is probably why it has been allowed to grow to an in between car of hatchback MPV and be so very different from anything the PSA company has to offer.

    The headlights are a nice place to start in terms of design. They are some 21” in total length. At night time the outer edge is illuminated in a brilliant white while inside that keep you focused with their steering ability. The headlights themselves blend seamlessly into the front wings and screen posts with an abundance of chrome. It’s all very showy. The side profile again is an awkward blend of 2 cars fighting for the same place.

    The ride and drive are ok. It suffers from some turbo lag as most diesels do but it isn’t annoying to get going. The Blue HDi 180 turbo diesel engine is quick off the mark though thwarted by traction control. It reminds you that this isn’t a sports car so don’t even try it. As a comfy cruiser, it is best but the ride is somewhat lost on surfaces where there are joins. It doesn’t crash over pot holes but irregularities do cause it to jolt around a tad when normally it is well behaved. It can be hustled but you will need to get used to its ways. When really pushed it will roll like a classic Citroen of the 70s and it will understeer with no attempt at scrubbing off speed when you let go of the throttle. Thankfully the chassis is more than capable and oversteer isn’t ever going to be a thing to worry about. To get the best out of it I found using the auto box as a manual. In auto, it just sometimes got a bit confused. In manual, it worked a treat and if you got too excited and carried away, it would change up regardless. The tactile contours of the gear stick made manual changes a joy. It felt very sensual and its response to inputs was quick.

    There is a lot to recommend about the DS 5 and certainly more-so if you are in the market for something that will stand out from the normal fleet cars found in the company carpark. You’ll win no prizes from management for stepping out against the crowd but to someone like me, you will be a hero. I like different.

    Love

    Subtle stand out from the crowd car
    Cabin design
    Solid feel

    Loathe

    Fiddly infotainment system
    Very black materials used inside
    Awkward switchgear

    The Lowdown
    Car – Citroen DS 5 Blue HDi 180 auto Prestige
    Price – £35,590 (as tested)
    MPG – 62.8mpg (combined)
    Power – 0-62mph – 9.2 seconds
    Top Speed – 137 mph
    Co2 – 117 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroen C3 Flair S&S BlueHDi 100

    ★★★ | Citroen C3 Flair S&S BlueHDi 100

    They were not wrong about the new C3 being eagerly waited for.

    Last year THEGAYUK reviewed the outgoing model. A model I didn’t really care much for in the beginning. By the end, it was a different story. It had taken Citroën about 14 years to get it right and just when they did they decided to start all over again. So is the new C3 better than the old or have Citroën got to start all over again?

    If there is one thing you can be assured of, it is that Citroën has not failed in making the new C3 ready for improvements. The C3 I was given was pleasant enough. It did everything right. The engine was the wrong one. If it had been fitted with their 1.2 three cylinder petrol engine as in the old C3 we tested, I would probably have been happier. The diesel just didn’t hit the right spot for me. It lacked the verve and excitement of the little petrol unit. That little unit is thankfully available in this Flair model and for over £1000 less. Buy the petrol engine.

    Now that my biggest moan is out of the way, is the new C3 good. Thankfully it is. The car has grown in size which I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. The joys of a city car are that you can go anywhere and park it anyplace. The new C3 has one disadvantage over its slightly larger cousin the Cactus, and that’s the bumpers. More lack of them. The C3 sports Citroën’s cool airbumps on the side but lacks anything on the bumper corners. Instead, it leaves the headlights low and vulnerable. Thankfully it is fitted with big plastic wheel arches.

    Quirky kit aside, the inside is ok. It’s built to a price and does the job. There are some nice carry over pieces from the cactus are included like the door handles. and contoured door cards reflecting the opposite of the airbump. This model also came with the £150 red ambience option. It’s not to my liking. Less so when the outside was duck egg in colour. What you do get on this new model is ConnectedCAM. It allows you to take pictures as seen from the front of the car and send them to your friends. A little gimmicky but we like gimmicks. Sometimes there just isn’t enough of them in any car we test.

    What I couldn’t find on the options list was the enlarged front screen into the roof as fitted to the Picasso models. It made for a bright airy interior. What I didn’t like on the inside was the brightness of the infotainment system. It was too bright and didn’t seem to alter with the lights unlike the facia panel. Until I found the setting I was having to turn it off.

    On the move, the 1560cc diesel engine did a great job if a little harsh and with complaints. This is a first for me to moan about a French diesel engine. They usually behave like petrol engines. Sadly this 110hp unit ran out of puff. It might produce all of its power at a lowly 3750 rpm and this then returns in rapid gear changing and hoping the high torque of 151 Ib.ft at 1750rpm will carry you on. It felt lacklustre. I couldn’t engage with it. It annoyed me and more-so because I wanted to like the new C3.

    On the move, the suspension was compliant with most undulations. It did, however, reveal a harshness that was absent from the previous model. It was wobbly Citroën with Germanic crashing. At first unsettling but you grow accustomed to it. Like the handling. That was fun. It handles rather well when thrown about. Due to the engines dynamics, you need to alter your driving style considerably to get the best out of it. It was still better than the DS3 Cabrio I tested.

    There are many things about the new C3 that I do like. It looks ok. Actually, it looks brilliant. Thankfully Citroën are now able to make their vehicles reflect the brand and C3 now sports the new corporate Citroën front. Cactus tested the waters and it is now the approved face. It grows on you because it is so different. It sort of reminds me a dolphin. They are cute and like the C3 they have personality.

    The price is also rather good too. It is now cheaper than the outgoing model. All this new development and the add-ons costs £18,845 as tested.

    There is a lot to like about the new C3. I can’t say love about it because I didn’t feel it this time. Perhaps because I wanted it to be so much better. It’s not. It’s no worse, it’s just that l don’t like the engine. Buy the petrol.

    Likes

    Build quality

    Specification and equipment

    Cute shape with likeable face

    Loathes

    Constantly having to go through the menu to switch off stop-start

    Engines lack of puff at speed

    Infotainment systems brightness

    The Lowdown

    Car – Citroen C3 Flair S&S BlueHDi 100

    Price – £18,845 (as tested)

    MPG – 76.3 mpg (combined)

    Power – 100 bhp

    0-62mph – 10.6 seconds

    Top Speed – 115 mph

    Co2 – 95 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroen DS3 Cabrio

    ★★★ | Citroen DS3 Cabrio

    The DS range of Citroens are the more Avantgarde models and a welcome return from a manufacturer rich in a history of innovation and design. It’s also a car maker that gave us the 2CV, widely futuristic dashboards and the subliminal grand tourer with the SM. So they know a few things about cars.

    Though largely forgotten, Citroen have at one point or another offered the motorist open top fun. The 2CV and Dyane were cheap open top motoring. The short-lived 4 door Visa decapotable with its unique pram type hood. And the Plurial that was a bit of a hash job with its removable sides that had nowhere to go so you never took them off. The DS 3 is the smallest offering in this DS range and the Cabrio adds some open top fun to an already accomplished car but does it make it any better?

    The answer to that is no. It actually makes the DS 3 worse. What you need to realise is that with any open top car there is always a pay off that must be accepted for the fun a missing roof will give you.

    In this case it’s the boot. The opening is hopeless. I for one did not expect it to lift upwards. In doing so it covers up an already small hole. The boot area itself is quite large, deep and cavernous. It’s just that you can’t actually get to it. Should the boot lid drop downward then it would solve at least half these problems.

    And there lays the problem with the DS3 cabrio over its hatchback sibling. For an extra £2000 you get a boot that you can’t use. What you do get though is an electric roof that pretty much works on a one-touch system that when open causes no buffeting. Fully open (rear window gone, followed by rearward vision also) you get a gentle breeze over your shoulders and long hair gently tussled. Yes, the rearward vision is blighted when the top is completely retracted. At first I thought this would be a problem. However with a little tug and wiggle of the finger the door mirrors can be angled to pretty much rectify this and the model I had here came equipped with a reversing camera.

    All in all then it’s pretty much shaping up to be what every car with a removable top is like except this cabrio retains the sides. In essence that means it isn’t a full convertible. It also means there is no scuttle shake felt through the steering wheel thus adding to the already solid feel of the Citroen. Another thing those side do is add a little security. You can feel incredibly exposed in a full cabriolet.

    The insides of the DS 3 are above par for this kind of car. It’s all well put together. The materials chosen are tactile and the dashboard has a feel that makes you want to squeeze it. However in this model it comes with a gaudy strip across the dashboard in what looks like really cheap carbon fibre you’d find someone sticking on their 1991 Vauxhall Corsa. Check out Citroen’s option packs and spec sheets. This can be rectified. It absolutely ruins an otherwise nice interior. Thankfully this is a £150 cost option so you don’t need to have it.

    Everything works as it should on the move. The clutch is light and the gear change direct. Strangely more so than in the 208GTi Sport I tested a month or so ago. In total it felt more fluid. What wasn’t quite so fluid in its execution was the ride. Where I had praised the Citroen C3 hatchback for being fantastic in its ride and handling, the DS 3 can’t match it. It rides a little to harsh for me. It also makes the handling a little skittish when pushed hard.

    The engine on the other hand is from the PSA award winning range of power packs. So smooth in its operation that you could be confused into thinking this is more than a 4 cylinder. It’s easy to live with and the 1598cc engine delivers its 165bhp with little effort. Sometimes you feel that 165 horses just isn’t enough. You feel the DS3 needs more urge. It’s only when you look at your speed do you then realise that you need to back off a little.

    With the roof folded back it is quite cosy. The heater and its many vents positioned to keep you warm even on the cold days. You can select to have the roof back as far as you’d like. Quite pointless if I am honest. You’ll probably find that you will have it as far as it will go on most days. With the roof up it cosseted you with the exact same feeling you would have with a hatchback. I’ll come clean though and say that apart from at night when I parked it up, l had the roof open as much as I could. You don’t buy a car like this to keep the roof up yet we Brits seem to do just that.

    The week was over, the DS3 had to go back. From the Citroens I had in my motoring career (and there have been a fair few) Citroen isn’t what it use to be.

    Twangy doors and creaky trim are a distant memory. Build quality is up there. Some of it felt better than the Germans. I liked the DS3. I could live with the challenges it possesses but it would have to be as a second car. It’s too flawed in its everyday areas to warrant me to trade in my old nail.

    Likes

    Engine
    Roof operation
    Little buffeting with the roof open

    Loathes

    Boot opening
    Carbon fibre dashboard trim
    Infotainment system difficult to see with the roof open

    The Lowdown
    Car – Citroen DS3 Cabrio THP 165
    Price – £23,340 (as tested)
    MPG – 50.4mpg (combined)
    Power – 165 bhp 6000 rpm
    0-62mph – 7.6 seconds
    Top Speed – 135 mph
    Co2 – 129 (g/km)