Citroen gives the DS 3 a facelift and makeover for 2016

Citroen gives the DS 3 a facelift

The DS 3 and DS 3 Cabrio are facelifted for 2016, with new styling for Citroen’s most successful DS model, as well as new engines and equipment.

But ‘DS’ is now Citroen’s upmarket brand – so we have to get used to calling this the DS 3, not the Citroen DS 3 – and the baby DS has been given a makeover for 2016 with new styling, additional equipment and a revised engine range.

The DS now has a more corporate nose (which means it does lose some of its individuality), but it does retain its ‘floating’ roof and individual c-pillars.

There’s now a choice of six engines for the run of the mill models, with a trio of 1.2 litre three-cylinder lumps offering 81, 108 and 128bhp, a 1.6 litre four-cylinder petrol with 163bhp and a pair of diesels with either 99bhp or 118bhp, with manual gearboxes as standard but a new auto ‘box option.

In addition, there’s now a DS 3 Performance model which comes with a 205bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine, a six-speed manual gearbox with sportier ratios, a limited slip diff, lowered suspension, wider track and Brembo brakes.

The DS 3 Performance also gets a more butch look, with twin tail pipes, black wheelarch extensions and beefier sills. There’s also a set of leather and Alcantara bucket seats with ‘DS Performance’ branding.

Across the range there’s a jump in interior quality – with new trim and design options – and more technology including a 7″ infotainment screen which lowers the button count, Mirror Screen so you can see your Smartphone on the infotainment screen, parking sensors, reversing cameras and hill start.

The 2016 DS 3 will hit Citroen’s (sorry, DS) dealers in February, with prices expected to nudge up a bit on the current car’s. Although once you start digging in to the DS’s customisation options you’ll be spending a bit more than the headline price.