DS 3 E-Tense - Small In Size, Big On Luxury

It’s a familiar theme and I bet it’s one that the people who work for DS are fed-up with hearing. 

Yes, their cars are really well equipped, look good and certainly have plenty of class about them when you clamber in, but in the case of the DS 3, it’s also pricey if you go for the trim levels higher up the food chain.

So, look lower down the selection of trims and they start to make a lot more sense.

And this is especially true when it comes to the all-electric E-Tense models for the simple reason that 100 per cent battery powered cars are still crazily more expensive than their petrol/diesel counterparts.

I said something very similar to all of that a few articles ago when I tested the DS 3’s bigger stablemate, the DS 7. Remember, the DS 3 is a compact SUV with Premier League pretensions, but if you head up the range to luxurious Opera trim, you’ll be forking out £42,645.

However, go for the entry level Performance Line trim and suddenly things start to look a tad more sensible. If you want a petrol engine under the bonnet, prices start at £25,920 for the 1.2 litre 100bhp version (there is no diesel option) and if you want to go all-electric, prices kick off at £37,145. Okay, it ain’t cheap, but you’d struggle to find a decent electric car that is.

Oh, and this is the updated version of the DS 3 so it’s no longer called the DS 3 Crossback, just plain old DS 3 from now on. The revisions are fairly small, with a bit of cosmetic stuff here and there and a bigger battery for the E-Tense. The touchscreen has also got some new bits and bobs which’ll make it a bit sharper.

Time for some number crunching for the E-Tense version I tried and the one you see here. The electric output equates to 153bhp which gives you a top speed of 93mph and a 0-60mph time of 9 seconds. DS reckon the potential range is 250 miles but 200 miles is probably a fairer estimation on a good day. Charging times are decent with a 0-80% boost taking only half an hour if you use a rapid charger and a typical home wallbox will give you a full charge in just over 7 hours.

In other words, the performance isn’t Earth shattering, but this is a car aimed at families and couples who want to drive something different with an air of perceived ‘class’. The car never feels short of power and nips along country lanes and around town with a high level of comfort thanks to the reasonably soft suspension set-up. It’s perfectly happy on motorways and also extremely quiet.

You get three driver modes - Eco / Normal / Sport. You can also adjust the amount of regenerative braking (you generate power as you slow down and feed the battery) but it’s a pity it doesn’t go far enough to allow one-pedal driving. Overall, the DS 3 is nice to drive, which may sound like I’m sitting on the fence, but it does everything well and should be utterly painless to live with.

In terms of kit, every model comes with a 10.3-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, rear parking sensors, DAB radio, air con, powered and heated mirrors, and smart alloys. One option I’d go for is the rear-view camera which will help with reversing. I’d recommend the Performance Line + trim because you then get a proper sat nav and the useful keyless entry. You also get bigger alloys which fill the wheel arches.

For those in the front seats, everything is hunky dory. The seats not only look good, but they’re also comfortable and supportive. You’re also faced with a dashboard which looks really smart courtesy of a diamond pattern to the switchgear and, yes, hurrah, it has plenty of buttons for firing up the sat nav, heated seats, fan speed etc., so there’s no need for random prodding of the touchscreen. Once you’ve got the hang of them, they work well although some form of haptic feedback would have been good.

Things aren’t so clever in the back where legroom is decidedly snug. If you have a six-footer in the front seat, the poor old soul sitting behind them will find life is a tad cramped.

So, is there a place for something like the DS 3 E-Tense? Yes, because there are loads of people out there who will pay top dollar for something that offers an upmarket appearance inside and out. If you are one of those people, you’ll love the DS 3, although I’d steer you towards the lower end of the trim range because it’s better value and still comes with all of the essentials.

Words: Graham Courtney
Pictures: DS Automobiles