News: Citroen C3 Picasso gets updated

One of our favourite cars, the Citroen CS Picasso (check out our recent long term test HERE) is getting an update and freshen up for 2013, but sad to say, there's a small note of disappointment in the news.

Road Test: Citroen DS3 Cabrio 1.6 THP 155 DSport

Price as tested:

+ Cute styling, eager chassis, neat roof, refinement, engine
– Very little really
= Small, fun, affordable. Lovely.

There is not enough fun in our lives anymore. We sit at home, commute to work or shop at the weekend surrounded by the worst kinds of depression. A constant barrage of promissory notes, of legal or political controversy. Joe Duffy, 6-1 and Vincent Browne have sucked the very laughter from our lungs, and when we peek out onto our driveways, there's usually little enough joy to be had there, either. A succession of grey, sliver, black and dark blue hatchbacks and saloons, all purchased with an overriding obsession for low Co2 emissions and frugality. Of fun, there is little or none.

It doesn't have to be like this. It was once the case that fun cars were either too expensive, too impractical or too unreliable to be bought by the majority of us but that has long since changed.

Take, as an exemplar, this new Citroen DS3 cabrio. Citroen's revival of the DS badge has been a huge success for the French firm, a rare glimmer of such at a time of retrenchment and falling sales for the big three French car makers. In 30 months, 300,000 DS models have been sold globally, 200,000 of them the perky little DS3 hatch.

In Ireland, the success is rather more muted, if it's there at all. Citroen's sales have been nibbled away by the German premium boys at the top end and by the Korean warranty-wonders at the cheap end. The DS brand and the DS3 have failed to capture Irish hearts much, hardly a surprise when you remember both were introduced in the middle of 2009, when no-one was buying cars much at all, and few enough of them would even consider a quasi-premium sports hatch from a French manufacturer.

Let's get the Frenchy-ness, if that's what bothers you, out of the way with first. The DS3 feels distinctly Germanic inside thanks to high levels of quality and big, comfy seats. There's more space inside than its main Anglo-German rival, the Mini and outside, it's little short of gorgeous. Those chunky looks, that shark-fin b-pillar and the new 3D-effect tail lights all live up to the promise of the DS brand being the motoring answer to France's great luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Hermés.

And it really is fun. OK, so we've been testing the 150bhp 1.6 petrol turbo engine (a unit actually co-developed with BMW) which will only be available to special order in Ireland, but the DS3 cabrio brims over with fun. It's light on its toes and agile, and if it gives in too easily to lurching understeer (especially in the wet) when pushed, then at lower efforts it's bubbling and fizzing with enthusiasm for the drive.

The convertible roof is a neat installation, and given that it's really a glorified sunroof (the pillars and side rails of the roof remain in place) then it's rather well suited to Irish conditions. A 16-sec retract or replace time and the fact that you can lower or raise the roof at speeds of up to 120kmh means that you can take advantage of the scattered bright spells.

The boot, at 245-litres, is more practically sized than that of the Mini cabrio or the Fiat 500C, and the boot lid opens with a delightfully quirky motion, cantilevering up almost flush with the body. A shame that the actual boot opening is so small, meaning larger items won't go through to the space beyond, but it is an inevitable compromise for an open-top car.

Top down, and there's plenty of wind and fresh air to enjoy, but even at motorway pace, buffeting is kept to a minimum. Top up and refinement and insulation are excellent, aside from a tendency for road noise to echo up through the rear wheel arches. The optional roof colours include a deep indigo blue and a version woven with the DS logo, that stands millimetrically proud of the cloth and can be traced with your fingers.

You can't even use the excuse of purchase price or running costs to count yourself out of the fun fest. The basic 1.2 VTi petrol model will cost from around €21,500 and the main-selling 90bhp 1.4 HDI diesel, with its Band A 94g/km Co2 output, will be around €24,500. So if you're in the market for one of those dingy diesel hatchbacks (and don't strictly need the cabin or boot space) you can afford one of these.

The launch of the DS3 was a new beginning for the DS name, resurrected from its legendary 1955 origins. The follow-on launches of the DS4 and DS5 haven't captured the same critical acclaim of the DS3, but perhaps can be best described as the end of the new beginning. The DS brand's future will snap more firmly into focus at this April's Shanghai motor show when a Mercedes CLA-sized three-box saloon, a compact SUV and a large executive model will all be shown off.

Will any of these new DS cars make more of an impact in the Irish market? It is, possibly, doubtful but that would be a crying shame. We can continue to buy the same grey, silver, blue and black hatches, we can continue to listen endlessly to Cooper, Hook, McWilliams, Kenny and Duffy. We can keep firm on our slide into national apathy.

Or we, some of us at least, could buy a cute French convertible, possibly painted in a bright, happy shade of yellow. We could open the roof on a rare sunny day and get some vitamin D. We could listen, on a rainy day, to the evocative sound of raindrops on the canvas roof. We could do all that safe in the knowledge that our motor tax and fuel bills will remain low and sensible. We could, in a vehicular sense, if nothing else, cheer up.

Facts & FiguresCitroen DS3 Cabrio 1.6 THP 155 DSport
Price as tested: €26,545Range price: €21,195 to €26,545Capacity: 1,598cc

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 240Nm

Top speed: 212kmh

0-100kmh: 7.4sec

Economy: 7.4l-100km (37.8mpg)

CO2 emissions: 137g/km
VRT Band: B2. €280 road tax

Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 87% adult, 71% child, 35% pedestrian, 83% safety assist

News: Citroen's DS range to double

We've already seen the DS3, DS4 and DS5 but now Citroen is about to embark on a doubling of the semi-premium DS range, and we'll see the first fruits at the Shanghai Motor Show in April.

That's when Citroen will debut concepts of three new DS models; a compact four-door saloon in the mould of the new Mercedes CLA, an SUV crossover to take on the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 and a large luxury car, a true successor to the original DS, drawing heavily on the well-received Numbero 9 concept (above).

The fact that the cars are being shown in Shanghai is no coincidence; the DS brand is seen as crucial to Citroen's success in the Chinese market, where the brand carries none of the baggage that it does in Europe.

DS has been a massive success for Citroen so far, with 300,000 models sold in just over two years, 200,000 of them the dinky little DS3 hatchback. Sales in Ireland have been pretty unspectacular so far though. In the UK, DS models account for 30% of Citroen's overall sales. Here, it's just 4% and the total sales figures barely break the 100 car barrier.  Citroen Ireland is planning a nationwide series of events for the DS range later this year though, with the newly-launched DS3 Cabrio as the centrepiece, not so much to try and flog DS models en masse as to re-introduce Irish car buyers to the mainstream Citroen range.

News: Citroen's free fuel free for all

During the upcoming Citroën 10 Day Free Fuel Giveaway, from Thursday 17 to Sunday 27 January, every customer who orders a new Citroën can drive away with €500 Free Fuel, and look forward to free trips to the fuel pump.
 

Retail customers who take advantage of this high value offer across the Citroën passenger range will receive, on collection of their new Citroën, a pre-loaded Topaz Gift Card to cover the cost of €500 fuel.  This equates to over 9,000km* of free-driving in Citroën’s most fuel efficient engines.

Citroën boasts an ever cleaner, greener and more efficient range, so even after all the free fuel has been used, future petrol or diesel costs can be kept to a minimum.  Models such as the stylish C3 and New C4 already deliver impressive fuel economy of up to 3.4L/100km (83 mpg) and 3.8L/100km (74 mpg) respectively. 

What’s more, if you take a test drive during the 10 Day Free Fuel Giveaway you can avail of a free Winter Vehicle Health Check in any participating authorised dealership.

Fredéric Soulier, Managing Director of Citroën Motors Ireland, commented; "We are committed to giving our customers more for their money with our incredible €500 Free Fuel Giveaway, and with a wide range of quality passenger cars to choose from our customers can be confident that it is a great time to buy a new Citroën.”

Terms and Conditions apply - for more information or details of your nearest participating Citroën dealer log onto www.citroen.ie

News: Citroen offers buyers €500 worth of fuel

Citroën Motors Ireland has announced details of its upcoming Open Weekend taking place in participating authorised dealerships throughout Ireland from Thursday 8 - Sunday 11 November 2012.

With €500 of free fuel available - which can deliver over 8,000km of free driving - for customers who order over the weekend and an extended 5 year warranty now available on all passenger vehicles it’s the perfect time to buy a new Citroën.

Fredéric Soulier, Managing Director of Citroën Motors Ireland, commented; "We are committed to giving our customers more for their money and with our extended 5 year warranty and our free €500 fuel offer, customers can expect more at the upcoming Citroën Open Weekend.”

Terms and Conditions apply, of course, so for more information or details of your nearest participating Citroën dealer log onto www.citroen.ie

Road Test: Citroen DS5 Hybrid4

Price as tested: €43,645

+ Style, technology, comfort, improved ride over standard car
– Still too firm, cramped in the back, not economical enough
= The best of the DS5 range by far

If ever you find yourself down the pub, debating whether or not cars can be considered as a form of art (I know, I know, not again...) then wait for everyone to exhaust their arguments and throw in the hand grenade that is the Citroen DS5 Hybrid4. It combination of looks (stunning enough that you’d seriously consider buying one just to be able to look at it every day) and technology (cutting edge diesel hybrid drivetrain) mean that it walks so deftly the line between art and science that everyone will have to re-set their arguments back to zero.

Which is not to say that it’s perfect. The DS5, as a whole, suffers from two significant issues. One; its ride quality is just too harsh and jittery for it to ever truly live up to its luxury billing (especially in an era when the formerly-rough-riding BMW 3 Series now glides over obstacles like a limo) and two; it’s a Citroen. Now, I count myself as a true fan of the great French marque, a Citroenista if you will, but the harsh fact of the market is that against the German ‘Big Three’ Citroen is a brand with a lot to prove in the premium segment.

This DS5 Hybrid4 is bringing some seriously cutting edge technology to the party though, and that might just be enough to allow it to jam a foot in the door. Up front lies Citroen’s familiar 163bhp 2.0-litre HDI diesel engine, which is, and always has been, a very fine unit. Behind, under the boot floor, lies a 37bhp electric motor, driving the rear wheels and fed by a stack of rechargeable batteries. We’ve become used to hybrids ever since Toyota introduced the Prius, but the DS5 (along with its cousin, the Peugeot 3008 Hy4) is the first to tie the potential fuel savings of battery power to an already frugal, low-emission diesel engine.

The result is mostly rather pleasing. There’s a rotary control switch that watches over the hybrid system mounted between the front seats. Leave it set in Auto, and the computer will effortlessly shuffle around power from the diesel, the batteries or both as needed. Keep an eye on the fighter-jet-style heads-up-display, which projects ghostly speed and sat-nav information onto the windscreen, and you’ll notice the frequency with which the speed figure turns a light blue, meaning that you’re running on pure electric power.

Flick the controller around to Sport, and suddenly you remember that 200bhp is still quite a lot of grunt, even in a car weighing a not inconsiderable 1,800kg. Now the DS5 feels very fleet of foot indeed, and what other car can you think of that can combine 99g/km Co2 emissions (depending on which wheels you specify) with an 8.3-sec 0-100kmh time?

All of that is being done while you recline in a sumptuously comfortable seat, with optional leather trim that mimics the shape of a high-end watch strap, surrounded by a battery of instruments and buttons that make you feel like you’re the pilot of a rather avant-garde jet fighter. An F-15 by Hermés, if you like.

Sadly, there are still a few flies in this otherwise lovely ointment. The ride quality, although better than in other versions of the DS5 we’ve driven, is still too harsh-edged and you really need to keep to perfectly smooth roads for the DS5 to feel at its best. Fuel economy isn’t as god as advertised either; Citroen claims that you can hit just 3.8-litres per 100km on the combined cycle (a massive 74mpg) but we could only manage a test average of around 6.5-litres per 100km (43mpg). It’s so often the case that hybrid cars are never as economical in real world driving as they claim to be, but it’s disappointing that Citroen’s combining hybrid with diesel couldn’t liberate any extra efficiency.

That love-hate relationship continues in other areas. I love the little individual sunroofs above the driver and passenger – they make you feel as if each seat should come with a massive yellow handle marked 'eject.' I love the switches mounted on the roof and I adore that swept-back chrome blade that runs from the back of the headlights to the base of the windscreen. But I hate the robotised six-speed gearbox (too... slow... at... changing... up) and the fact that the hybrid batteries really chew into your boot space.

Still, while the DS5 has to climb the steep hills of being to thirsty, too rough-riding and too French in a corner of the market that only seems to want German, the fact that it does so is testament to two things. On the one hand, its quality and technology are right up there with the Germans. On the other, it is a truly beautiful car, and in a world that seems to be a touch uglier every day, that’s a beauty that would be most welcome on the streets of Ireland.

Of course, if you wanted to buy a striking looking Citroen that can mange 40-odd-mpg and is actually a huge amount more fun to drive, you could save yourself around €10,000 and go for the DS3 Racing, the latest version of which we got to try in the same week we were driving the DS5.

Now, while our affection for the DS5 is tempered by our criticisms of its ride and economy, out love for the DS3 knows few, if any, bounds. The first premium hatch to convincingly take the fight to the doorstep of the mighty Mini, in standard form, the DS3 combines gorgeous looks, decent practicality and a peachy chassis of rare balance and deftness.

The Racing version is something else again. Based on the standard 155bhp 1.6 THP model, it and its 1.6-litre turbocharged engine are taken away and tweaked by the same people that design and build the DS3 rally cars for the unstoppable Sebastian Loeb, a man who has almost literally won more rallies than we have had hot dinners.

So the Racing looks more butch, thanks to a 15mm suspension drop, a 30mm track widening and a gorgeously subtle carbon fibre exterior trim spruce-up. Inside, there are hip (and everything else) hugging sports seats, more carbon fibre (the real thing too, not just appliqué) and a squared-off steering wheel. It’s a delightful environment in which to sit, and thanks to this being a Citroen, comfort hasn’t bee thrown out with the sporty bath water. In fact, even on those chunky 18” rims, the DS3 actually rides better than the DS5 Hybrid...

It’s got the same 200bhp as the Hybrid too, but with only 1,165kg to haul around, it goes a good bit harder. 0-100km comes up in just 6.5secs, which is decidedly brisk. Interestingly though, this DS3 Racing feels a touch different to the last version we drove. It feels a bit less manic, less unruly. That is until you push the throttle all the way to the stop, and then it feels plenty manic enough, thanks, but there’s definitely a sense that Citroen has tried to build-in a little more day-to-day useability into what was originally supposed to be a short-run special edition. It’s a well-judged move, leaving enough mental-ness at the top end, while making the Racing feel more sensible around town. And yes, it really will do 43mpg on a long run.

Citroen DS5 Hybrid4 200 Airdream DStyle
Price as tested: €43,645
Price range: €33,195 to €46,695
Capacity: 1,997cc + hybrid battery drivetrain
Power: 200bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Top speed: 210kmh
0-100kmh: 8.3sec
Economy: 3.8l-100km (73mpg)
CO2 emissions: 99g/km (on 17” wheels)
Road Tax Band: A. €160
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 89% adult, 83% child, 40% pedestrian, 97% safety assist

New issue of eDrive Magazine out now!

The latest issue of eDrive Magazine is online now, and it's still free for everyone to read. No paywalls around here...


This month, we've been testing the brilliant Mazda CX-5 and previewing the arrival of the all-important, all-new Mazda 6 saloon and estate, and looking behind the scenes at the clever, frugal SkyActiv technology that underpins both cars.

Plus, we've got an exclusive drive in Citroen's one-off Survolt electric race car and we've test driven two new cars from former budget brands that are good enough to have the premium players looking to their laurels; the new Skoda Rapid and the new Hyundai Santa Fe.

Plus, we've been speaking to McLaren Automotive MD Anthony Sheriff about the future of carbon fibre and finding out why the Road Safety Authority reckons that each driver needs an NCT as well as their cars.

All that and more in the new issue of eDrive Magazine, online now.

eDrive Magazine. No paper, no ink, no carbon and free, online, to all.

News: Opel, Peugeot & Citroen to merge?

Troubled car brands Peugeot, Citroen and Opel could be set for a full-on merger, which could see either General Motors buying out Peugeot and Citroen from parent company PSA or Opel and Vauxhall moving into French ownership.

The proposed move, reported by Automotive News, is still very much at the embryonic stage. GM and PSA have already linked Opel and Peugeot-Citroen in a parts and manufacturing sharing agreement designed to give the two firms €2-billion in savings every year and to try and get them back on their feet in the face of increasing competition from Volkswagen and Hyundai-Kia.

A full-on merger or buyout is a beast of a different type though, and would face colossal hurdles from unions, politicians and legal ramifications. For a start, it would almost certainly see the closure of at least one or two more major factories, above and beyond the closures and job losses already being planned in France and Germany. Secondly, with car making still being seen as a political jewel in the crown in both nations, it's hard to see France or Germany's politicians standing idly by while one side or the other is sold off.

While this news has only broken this week, apparently initial discussions on the subject were held earlier this year when the PSA-GM tie-up was first announced, and it's thought that the worsening European car market, combined with investors and analysts putting major pressure on GM to do something, anything about ailing Opel, is putting the plan back on the front burner.

News: Citroen knows your most precious motoring memories

Driving the family home from hospital following the birth of a child is the most memorable driving experience for parents, according to results from new research by Citroën.



The survey, which polled more than 1,000 parents aged between 25-75 years, found the cautious drive home from the maternity ward with a new family member was the single most memorable car journey for more than a quarter (26.9%) of all parents. Second was the anxious drive to the hospital for the birth; the most vivid memory for almost one in five (18%).

Both male and female respondents voted the drive home from the hospital as their number one driving memory, though perhaps unsurprisingly over a quarter (27%) of fathers admitted the fraught task of safely navigating their partner to the hospital in time for the birth of the child was the more memorable. Only 8% of mothers thought the same.

For one in seven parents (14.6%), the first family holiday was the most treasured car journey. Third overall in the list of ‘most memorable drives’, it was voted number one by respondents aged 45-54.

The inaugural school run also proved a trigger for parental nostalgia. One in six mums found the emotional experience of dropping their child off for the first day of school as their most unforgettable journey. Moving the child out of home into University or their first house was also a significant emotive drive for 6.5% of mums, but only 2.1% of dads.

Most memorable drives:
Driving your new family home from the hospital following the birth of your child    26.9%

Driving your partner to the hospital for the birth of your child    18%

Setting off on your first family holiday    14.6%

Taking your child to their first day of school (Infant, Junior or Secondary)    12.7%

Driving your family to pick up the first family pet    6.6%

Taking your child to their first sleepover (e.g. Grandparents, friends, Brownies or Scouts)    5.9%

Moving your child out of home to University or their first home    4.2%

Taking your child to the church/venue on their wedding day    3.7%

Taking your child out for their first driving lesson    3%

Other    2.9%
Driving your child to their first date    1.5%

The survey also found 3% of parents had very individual ‘most memorable drives’ that included taking children to sporting competitions; picking up a newly adopted child or driving the family home safely following a weather related incident. A bad snowstorm and a 360-degree skid on ice during the school run were two examples cited.

Marc Raven, Communications Director at Citroën UK said; “The family car is an important touch point to some of our most treasured life experiences. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and go through so many individual experiences, but the results of this survey show just how much in common parents have with each other and the significant role the family vehicle plays in our lives.”

Road Test: Citroen DS3 Racing

Price as tested: €30,495

+ Fun, high quality, gorgeous
– Bit pricey, other than that not much
= Other may be purist but the DS3 is more fun

In a motoring world where convention is king (“I’ll have that in silver please, with black upholstery” is the phrase most often heard in Irish dealerships) it is refreshing, like zesty mineral water on a hot day, to drive something a bit naughty.

And naughty is not often a word that you would apply to Citroen. Quirky? Yes. Comfortable? Absolutely. But naughty? Not so much. That kind of changed when the little DS3 hatch was introduced. Take the chassis and engines from a C3, add a healthy measure of the kind of appealing styling and sporty driving experience that has made the Mini such a storming success, garnish with a sprinkle of the DS badge magic, shake over ice and pour... It’s been a storming success in Europe (albeit much, much less so in Ireland) and is a sharp-edged competitor to the Anglo-German hatch.

The Racing is all of the same ingredients, with about a quart of Wasabi added to the mixture. It takes the 150bhp DSport model as its basis, cranks the (BMW-sourced) 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine up to 204bhp, adds a chassis tweaked and balanced by the sorcerers at Citroen Rally Sport (which has utterly dominated the World Rally Championship in recent years) and served it up as a grey-and-blinding-orange, €32k playzone.

There are few things better in life than a quick, well-balanced hot hatch and the DS3 Racing is certainly not going to upset that assertion. It gives you all the performance you could reasonably ask for, unless you are a track-day junkie, yet it remains practical, spacious and comfortable enough for everyday driving.

Aside from the damage to your retinas that the paintjob will cause, the most abiding memory you will take from driving the Racing is the performance of its engine. And oddly enough, not because it is savagely powerful but because it seems so unassuming.

That’s a strange thing to say about a hopped-up turbo job, but it’s true. There is so little turbo lag and the power is delivered so linearly that you start to doubt, just a little that it really has its advertised power output. Its other significant rival, the RenaultSport Clio 200, has a similar grunt figure but it’s all delivered, in one mad dash, at the top of the power band, making it more exciting in extremis than that Citroen, but maddening and frustrating at all other times. The Racing, with its diesel-like low-down shove, is much more accessible, and yes, I consider that a good thing.

It’ll still do the 0-100kmh dash in 6.5secs (hardly blistering I know, but it feels pretty rapid in a car this compact) and will run on to a top speed of 235kmh (given space and legality, of course). Yet its fuel consumption is reasonable claimed 6.4-litres per 100km, which you should be able to match, or at least get close to, in real world driving.

It’s the chassis, rather surprisingly, that feels unruly and naughty. Normally, cars tweaked by motorsport departments are set up for cold, clinical apex-annihilation. Racers want cars that go as quick as possible, even if the quickest way sometimes looks and feels the slowest. The DS3 Racing, rather pleasingly, eschews this for a more on-the-edge feel. It’s not really anywhere near the limits of its abilities on the public road, it just likes to make you think that it is. It does this through steering that feels a touch ragged, with a nibble of torque steer at the edges, and handling that washes surprisingly quickly into understeer. Now, technically, this is not good, but it is enjoyable as you feel as if you’re really pressing on when in reality, you’re actually just cruising. A classic case of being better by appearing worse.

What I particularly like about the DS3 (in all its forms) is the way it really nails the static quality side of things. Renault’s hot Clio is all business-like plain plastics and underwhelming styling, preferring you to concentrate on the chassis and engine. Which is fine if you’re lapping the Nurburgring, but not so good if you’re stuck in traffic on the Wellpark Road, casting around the cabin for something nice to look at. The DS3’s funky exterior styling, its high-quality cabin (yes, in a Citroen) and its decent rear space and boot mark it out as a car that gets the true ownership essentials right.

So, it’s not a paragon of hot hatch handling, or even grunt for that matter. A Mini Cooper S Works offers (slightly) more power, a RenaultSport Clio has sharper steering and handling and, frankly, a VW Golf GTI has the lot licked for all-round appeal. But, like an engagingly naughty child, the DS3 Racing’s character shines through, and in a world of grey cars, that is truly something to be happy about.


Facts & Figures

Citroen DS3 Racing
Price as tested: €32,990
Range price: €17,490 to €32,990
Capacity: 1,598cc
Power: 204bhp
Torque: 275Nm
Top speed: 220kmh
0-100kmh: 6.5sec
Economy: 5.4l-100km (44.1mpg)
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
VRT Band: C. €330 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 87% adult, 71% child, 35% pedestrian, 83% safety assist

Road Test: Citroen DS4 DStyle 1.6 eHDI EGS Airdream

Price as tested: €27,595

+ Great looking, fabulous seats, relaxing, properly luxurious
– Hard ride, awful gearbox, poor space in the back, price
= Two out of three DS models are hits, this one’s a miss

It’s funny how car launches can so often follow the same trajectory of success-decline-consolidation as that of rock groups. The first album is always bristling with raw, new talent, expertly produced tunes and wonderfully untapped potential. That was the DS3; sparky, agile, properly fun to drive and in no way exactly what you’d expect either from Citroen or from a car with a DS badge. The DS5, which goes on sale in February, is the third album, settling nicely into a groove, playing with the ideas a little but doing nothing to upset the fans.

But it’s always the difficult second album, the sophomore effort, that creates problems. Stick too close to the original and you’d be pilloried for not having any new ideas. Go too far, and you’ll alienate the fans. And all to often, the result is an uncomfortable straddling of the middle ground, pleasing no-one but offending few.

Which brings us to the Citroen DS4 and a car that was always going to be a tricky one. To be honest, I was expecting way, way more than what the DS4 actually turned out to be. The DS3 is, some cabin bits apart, almost nothing like the more mundane C3 to look at or to drive. Likewise, the DS5 is utterly, utterly different to the C5 with which it shares a certain amount of space. But the DS4’s biggest problem is that it cleaves far to close to the existing C4. Now, the C4 isn’t exactly at the pinnacle of the current family hatch tree, but it’s a very pleasant car, looks more premium in its styling than many of its opposition and its spectacularly comfortable to sit in. It’s also well made and economical.

Which leaves the DS4 with what, exactly? It can either be stunningly more attractive than its more humble brother (as are the DS3 and DS5 compared to the C3 and, to a lesser extent, the C5) or be electrifyingly better to drive (DS3 > C3). The problem is, it’s neither.

The DS4 is, mechanically speaking, a C4 with a higher ride height and a slightly swoopier body on the top. There is no dramatic difference in the styling. It’s a good looking car, striking even, but hardly a quantum leap forward over the already attractive C4. In handling terms, it corners with more precision and much less understeer than the C4 but there is none of the DS3’s crisp steering or out and out agility. But with that quasi-SUV ride height, it must surely have the comfiest ride this side of a Rolls Phantom, no?

No. For some utterly unknown reason, Citroen decided that the DS4 should be both jacked-up and firm riding. The final chassis setting is, frankly, dreadful. yes, body roll has been kept well in check, and on smooth roads, it corners with reasonable aplomb, but on anything less than virgin, fresh-rolled tarmac, the ride is just awful, crashing and bumping when it should cosset and comfort. A regular, unadorned VW Golf has one of the best ride qualities you will find in any car, at any price, so why Citroen cannot achieve the same with the DS4 is just beyond me.

There is some compensation in the cabin. Yes, rear seat space is just slightly too tight and I cannot understand the decision to sacrifice winding rear windows to the rear door design. But the instruments are clear, attractive and distinctive, the stubby EGS gearbox selector is a joy to use and the seats, upgraded to leather on our test car, with that wonderful watch-strap embossed pattern, are nothing short of wonderful; supportive, but with just the right amount of squidge.

To the drivetrain. The DS4 is one of the first Citroens to get the new eHDI package which combines the already-frugal 1.6 HDI diesel engine, with 110bhp and 270Nm of torque, with a reversible alternator that can scavenge power for the electrical system from braking and a stop-start that cuts the engine at lights, and restarts it with remarkable alacrity.

The engine is familiar, and as good as ever; refined, torquey and very pleasant to drive, considering that it’s actually a pretty humble diesel four-banger.

But the EGS gearbox is a serious hinderance to smooth progress. Leave it in the auto setting (which surely, for a car that aspires to luxury, is the default setting) and you will be seen to be agreeing vigorously with the radio every time there’s an upchange. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Downchanges are fine, crisp and with an occasional burst of heel-and-toe revs, but the only way to get the damn thing to drive smoothly is to take manual control with the paddle shifters. And even then, you have to learn the technique of lifting off the throttle just enough to get the change right. And, as I said, in a luxurious car, auto should be the default. Citroen (and it’s not alone among car makers in this respect) should just swallow its pride and buy a job lot of DSG gearboxes from Volkswagen.

There doesn’t even seem to be a terrific benefit in terms of fuel consumption. Citroen claims 4.4-litres per 100km on the combined cycle. We got 6.5l/100km overall, a figure we’ve beaten with the likes of the much bigger, heavier Ford Mondeo, using the same engine. Perhaps it would have been better with the manual.

If it sounds like I’m down on the DS4, well, I am. Having sampled and loved (DS3) and liked (DS5) the DS range, and being a bit of a closet Citroenista, I really wanted the DS4 to be good. To be impressive. But by being too close in concept to the regular C4, by having such a poor ride quality (no French car should have a harsh ride) and by having that awful gearbox, it just failed to live up to even my mildest expectations. Do yourself a favour; if you crave a quirky French hatchback with a modicum of luxury and practicality, buy a regular C4 instead.



Facts & Figures

Citroen DS4 1.6 eHDI EGS Airdream
Price as tested: €27,595
Range price: €23,995 to €29,895
Capacity: 1,560cc
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Top speed: 189kmh
0-100kmh: 12.4sec
Economy: 4.4l-100km (64.2mpg)
CO2 emissions: 114g/km
VRT Band: A. €104 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 80% child, 43% pedestrian, 97% safety assist.

Road Test: Citroen C5 2.0 HDI Auto

Price as tested: TBA

+ Groovy looks, lovely cabin, different, unique
– Tight rear space, ride too firm
= Attractively different, differently attractive


Shall we not mention the Renault Vel Satis?

The last time a 'mainstream' French car maker tried to convince us to buy a premium saloon that wasn't a saloon, it was Renault's tall, oddball hatch. And charming though it was, it failed utterly in the face of ultra-conservative saloon buyers. It wasn't a conventional three-box and it didn't have a German badge. So no thanks, said the Irish car buying public.

And now here comes Citroen, fresh from it's reinvention of the DS nameplate, expanding a classic singular into a modern three-pronged family of verging-on-premium models.

This then is the third prong of the rebirth of DS, the DS5, a car which will seek to pull in company user-choosers and upper-end family car buyers by being different, attractive and just a little bit luxurious.  

And... It's not quite what we were expecting. With the C4-based DS4 occupying the space around the Qashqai-Golf-A3 kind of area, we expected the DS5 to be bigger by far. But it's not. In fact, it's based on the same basic chassis as the DS4 so although it's a little wider and longer, there's not the clear blue water between them that you'd expect.

That's good in one significant way though, and that's price. Official prices won't be revealed until closer to the February on-sale date but you can expect it to be about €2,500 more than an equivalent C5 saloon, which makes it a lot of luxury for the money.

On the outside it looks exceptionally distinctive. Perhaps not hopelessly gorgeous, but handsome, different and very eye-catching, especially with that chrome 'Sabre' blade running back from the headlights.

Around the back, there are hints of old-shape C4 Coupe, C6 (a little) and Smart Roadster Coupe but overall, it's a handsome beast.

Inside that's continued and with big, enveloping seats and a careful attention to cabin quality detail, the DS5 is a very pleasant place in which to spend time. There are a couple of glitches: the centre console switches are set too far back and the main instruments are a bit uninspiring, but if Citroen was trying to create a premium feel, then it has succeeded.

But not in the back and this is where the DS5's case starts to unravel a little. A car like this, with a DS badge, should be as spacious and as comfy as your lounge. Sadly though, the DS5 just lacks that last inch of knee, foot and headroom to feel properly luxurious in the back. Kids will be fine, adults will not and they're unlikely to be pleased with the cheaper plastics and fiddly electric window switches.

Thankfully the DS reclaims some ground with a big, well shaped 468-litre boot, so it is at least practical.

But what exactly is it? It's certainly  no conventional saloon, and nor is it spacious enough to be an estate (Citroen's own, and excellent, C5 Tourer murders it in the practicality stakes) or high-riding enough to be an SUV. In fact, it tries, as so many have before, to combine elements of each into a coherent whole. And the big surprise is that it comes very close to doing so successfully. After all the last car to try and combine such virtues was the Fiat Croma and  that was a car so bad as to be close to undriveable.

But the DS5 actually manages a decent fist of it. It's handsome enough to make you look past its lack of a separate boot, and in the front at least, comfy and stylish enough to make you believe in its pretensions of luxury. As ever with a Citroen, it’s the little details that sell it. That Sabre blade of chrome we’ve already mentioned, but then there’s the (optional) leather embossed with a gorgeous watch-strap pattern, the little hatch-like individual sunroofs over the driver and passenger, the neat Head Up Display, the aircraft-style switches in the roof and the pretty LED daytime running lights.

Dynamically, it's a mixed bag. Stick to wide, mostly smooth roads and the DS5 feels composed and positive to drive with well weighted steering and excellent body control.

Stray onto twistier, bumpier stretches though and it's not so good. The steering proves under-geared and the ride quality, certainly on the 19" alloys of our test car, was little better than poor, and far too firm and jiggly for a supposedly luxurious French car.

Fitted with a conventional six-speed automatic, the 160bhp 2.0 HDI diesel is lovely, keeping itself mostly quiet, proving itself very punchy and suppressing its emissions and consumption to acceptable levels. There will be a 110bhp eHDI version that uses Citroen's annoyingly jerky EGS automated manual but manages Band A emissions and a very high tech Hybrid4 that keeps the 160bhp diesel, adds a battery-powered rear axle and provides a combined 200bhp with 99g/km emissions. Impressive stuff, but a brief spin showed that it too is hobbled by the awkward EGS box and we didn't have it long enough to see if it can get close to its claimed 3.8-litre per 100km combined fuel consumption figure. If not, then the regular HDI has a still-excellent balance of consumption and performance, and doesn't sacrifice boot space to the Hybrid's bulky battery pack.

What Citroen has wrought with the DS5 is... interesting. To be honest, I doubt that the blinkered Irish car buyer, wracked with conservatism, will ever see past the horde of more conventional three-box shapes that stand between him and the DS5. But for the 150 or so people Citroen Ireland expects to snap one up, there is something very good here.

Yes, the ride needs fixing, and if you  must regularly carry adults in the back then you're better off with a C5, but as ever, Citroen has decided to stretch it's legs out onto the precipitous high-wire marked 'different' and thank god that it's prepared to do so. Perhaps the best illustration of the DS5’s character is to look up its safety rating on www.euroncap.com Quite apart from the fact that it scores exceptionally highly in all aspects of safety, there’s the little panel underneath to contrast it with ‘Comparable Cars.’ None are listed...



Facts & Figures

Citroen DS5 2.0 HDI Auto
Price as tested: TBA
Price range: TBA
On sale: February 2012
Capacity: 1,997cc
Power: 163bhp
Torque: 340Nm
Top speed: 215kmh
0-100kmh: 8.8sec
Economy: 5.1l-100km (51.3mpg)
CO2 emissions: 133g/km (129g/km with 16” wheels)
Road Tax Band: B €156
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star adult: 89% adult, 83% child, 40% pedestrian, 97% safety assist