The first ad I noticed once touching down at the Geneva airport was one for the Citroen DS3, which had the headline “anti-retro”. We all know that the DS3 is pitched as a rival to BMW’s Mini, and the ad is clearly a jibe in the direction of the bug-eyed car.
I understand the DS3′s appeal for those who either don’t “get” the Mini’s retro looks or simply look at it as a fashion fad. With creative design typical of Citroen and a modern, classy cabin, we reckon that it will do very well in Europe.
At the Geneva show, Citroen Racing (Citroen’s STi/RalliArt) paraded the DS3 Racing that’s set to go on sale in the second half of 2010. Limited to 1,000 units, the DS3R comes with plenty of carbon trim – on the front bumper, lower body trim, wing extensions, door side mouldings and spoiler, to be exact. The grey showcar was nicely contrasted with orange on the roof, wing mirrors, grille and rims (18-inch, looks really wicked) and wore some funky decals. Orange and carbon are also repeated in the cabin, which has a high-quality feel to it.
Citroen took the 1.6 THP engine (as found in our Peugeot 308 Turbo) and boosted output to 200 bhp, while torque is up from 240 Nm to 275 Nm. The gains were achieved by “optimising powertrain components”, modifying the turbo, remapping the ECU and adding a sports exhaust system. With these figures, the DS3R will outpace a Mini Cooper S, but will it outpoint the Brit in the bends?
For starters, the standard front and rear tracks have been widened by 30 mm and the DS3R sits lower by 15 mm. Stiffer springs, retuned shock absorbers and “specific steering mapping” for a more precise helm have been added as well. To cope with the added grunt, Racing spec brakes have been installed – four-piston calipers up front and drilled discs for the back. Also, the switchable ESP system has been tuned for “extra vitality, sportiness and driving pleasure” – in other words, it’s less restrictive.
We’re bound to see more of the DS3 in the sports pages, as it will replace the C4 as Citroen’s WRC machine – the French brand is a five-time WRC champion and is defending both driver and constructor crowns with rally king Sebastien Loeb.
Live images from Geneva and official gallery after the jump!
Citroen DS3 Racing live images from Geneva
Citroen DS3 Racing official images
Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.
perfect for a person who calls mini cooper a boooring car…
Nice, the dashboard could be better
wow. cool!
again i would like to say,orange?ewwwww
what ever it is… it still looks like a mini
i like it.. overall… minor setbacks only…
but the car should be painted purple… instead of boring-grey. it will get good contrast to the orange colour..
dunno about the dash being orange too, would be glare-ish when driving under the sun…
not my cup of tea.
prefer to wait for alfa romeo mito cloverleaf edition.
replace the C4 as Citroen’s WRC machine??issit the same segment?
nice..
its a bout time citroen put their WRC-know-how to good effect….
DAMNIT! I REALLY2 WANT ONE!
not here, not now…
THE EXTERIOR DESIGN IS PERFECT AND LOOKS VERY VERY BEAUTIFULL..BUT THE INTERIOR CAN BE DESIGNED A BIT MODERN SUCH AS IN THE PEUGEOT 407….
very nice car…mini<punto evo<ds3R…hahaha…but, went i could get just one of this car…
what a busy car. i think they've overdone the graphics. what's with that reticle at the back of the car?????
think said,
March 8, 2010 @ 8:03 pm
THE EXTERIOR DESIGN IS PERFECT AND LOOKS VERY VERY BEAUTIFULL..BUT THE INTERIOR CAN BE DESIGNED A BIT MODERN SUCH AS IN THE PEUGEOT 407….
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i think the interior is designed to be funky instead of modern (my POV so do not flame) but i have to agree. the exterior looks awesome. love the way they mixed the greys and the orange to give it a sporty, masculine and funky feel.
Aren't both the Mini 1.6-litre and the Peugeot/Citroen 16-litre the same unit? Isn't it the 'Prince' engine jointly developed by BMW and PSA. This means a comparison test between the Mini Cooper S and Citroen DS3R will be very intersting indeed.
Definitely a hot hatch with a great potential. Only thing is, the radical yet fussy outer design could be difficult to lure female buyers, something which can only be bragged by cars with smooth & cutie looks like Mini Cooper and Fiat 500.
CITROEN DOES IT AGAIN! I'M IN SYDNEY AND CITROEN HAS BEEN IN AUSTRALIA LONGER THAN ANY OTHER CAR COMPANY…WHAT PIONEERS…
I am a Peugeot Citroen car enthusiast……..Drove ranging from Pug 504,406,407,308 and Citroen ZX 16v…….. Peugeot Citroen really made great car with their own characteristics…….set apart from other continental car makers eg:Germany…….but unfortunately Citroen authorised dealer after sales support here very bad compared to Peugeot in Malaysia and Citroen car model range is very limited to few models only……..Really hope the dealer will bring in this DS3 and DS3R to Malaysia…
and of course at a reasonable and competitive price…….