Published: Wednesday, 28th April, 2010 5:00pm

Citroën's new DS3 pushes the style boundary

The Citroën DS from the 1950s could well be one of the best cars of all time. Not everyone will know it by name, but it stood out for its futuristic looks and advanced technology.

Citroën has revived the name for its new DS3, a much smaller car than its grandfather, but one that stands out in the crowd just at much, so we took it to Cavan Institute last Wednesday to see what the younger generation made of it.

The reaction was a bit mixed at first, as Emma, Celine, Majella, Lisa, Alisha and Nicola seized it up. What was that on the side windows, Majella demanded. The shark fin, according to the Citroën brochure. "I like it but not the colour [pale blue]," said Nicola. That doesn't matter - Citroën will sell you a DS3 in one of 38 different colours and almost countless combinations.

The girls - and we asked girls because Citroën is aiming the DS3 primarily at young female motorists (not that others won't see merit in it) - had a good look around the little hatchback and seemed fairly impressed.

"I really like it," Nicola concluded. "It's starting to grow on me," was Majella's final say. The others rushed off - back to class probably.

Anyway, the point is that the DS3 is radically different and that appears to be what Citroën is trying to achieve. Invoking the DS name and the 1950s car that is so highly regarded is brave, so the French manufacturer is clearly confident in its new baby.

The big selling point is the huge variety of colour, wheel and trim combinations available. It will make the sales team at Bradys Cavan work for their living as explaining the menu of options to customers will take some time.

Barry Sheridan put it this way: "There are 200-plus variations... everything can be changed, the roof colour, the gear knob, the wheels..."

But it'll be worth it if you decide you want this car. Citroën says it's anti retro, whatever that means. The brochure explains: 'while some are happy to resurrect the past, Citroën is doing what it does best: creating the future'. They call it créative technologie... (sounds so much better with a French accent).

As with the students at the institute, the looks of the DS3 created a quick first impression. It's good looking (see it at Bradys Cavan, where it was parked on Monday afternoon) and the lines are striking. The pale blue suits it, though the red with white roof version in the brochure also catches the eye and is a bit less stand-out, if you prefer not to attract attention.

Open the wide doors and step inside, and there's more of the same style-wise. The dash controls are retro looking but feel solid and pleasingly tactile, while the seats are solid, supportive and comfortable.

The fit and finish of the car are excellent and once you set off you'll find a tight, sharp handling hatchback with a sporty diesel (in the test car) that pulls with verve through five long gears. That latter feature gives it a feel of rapid progress rather than sharp acceleration, but it's as well to keep an eye on the speedo as you'll often be going faster than you think.

The base model - DSIGN - has a 1.4litre petrol engine and the test car, a DSTYLE, had the excellent 90bhp 1.6HDi 16v, which is likely to sell in large numbers thanks to its low CO2 emissions and excellent fuel economy. The DSPORT is due later in the year with its 150bhp petrol and 110bhp diesel powerplants.

The DS3 is practical as well as sporty and stylish, and those almost endless personalisation options move it away from its closest rivals, the Mini and Fiat 500. If you want to feel special this could be the car for you.

The DS3 is available from €19,750. Contact Barry or the rest of the sales team at Bradys Cavan and arrange a test drive - 049-4331833. You won't regret it...