Former additional tax blast through the wringer
In 2010, Citroën surprised with the DS3, an originally shaped three-door hatchback that clearly aimed its arrows at Mini. The model disappeared in 2015, only to return as the DS3, with a new brand logo on its facelifted body. The curtain really fell in 2019, after which the DS3 badge was stuck on a crossover. In this article we look at the original and specifically at fuel consumption in practice. How economical was the (Citroën) DS3?
If you look at the DS3 with today’s glasses, it is an almost impossible car. It was only available as a three-door, while that body shape now seems almost completely extinct. A large proportion of the cars in the AutoWeek Consumption Monitor are also equipped with a diesel, the engine that gave it a large part of its success in our country. How did that happen? The DS3 with a diesel engine was eligible for reduced additional tax at the time and private individuals did not have to pay motor vehicle tax for a number of years. These facts make us flap our ears these days. But hey, that’s not what we’re here for. Back to consumption!
Consumption DS3 1.6 e-HDI 90: really that economical?
Of the 50 DS3 drivers who kept track of their consumption in the AutoWeek Consumption Monitor, 30 have a copy of the e-HDI 90 type. According to the factory, this economy model had to be capable of a consumption of 1 in 27.8 (3.6 l). /100 km), but is it really surprising that even the most economical driver cannot achieve this? The best value is 1 in 25 (4 l/100 km), recorded by an economical driver over a distance of 4,840 kilometers. The second most economical driver, who recorded consumption for almost 35,000 km, achieved an average of 1 in 22.4 (4.46 l/100 km).
At the bottom of our list, the story is much the same. The worst consumption is 1 in 16.1 (6.2 l/100 km) over a distance of 4,010 km, the second worst value is 1 in 17.4 (5.74 l/100 km) over 86,795 km. All 30 drivers together score 1 in 19.9 (5.03 l/100 km).
And the DS3 with a petrol engine?
Making clear statements about gasoline consumption is more difficult. The Citroën DS3 driver could choose from different petrol engines, which in turn often delivered different power levels. And the buyers have chosen! Unfortunately, this does lead to a somewhat fragmented picture, with considerably lower consumption values than we saw with the diesel. Yet it is interesting to see that users of the turboless three-cylinder with 82 hp achieved an average of 1 in 16.2 (6.2 l/100 km). With the turbocharged 1.6 THP engines, with power ratings from 155 to 208 hp, the average consumption is 1 in 13.1 (7.6 l/100 km).
With these consumption values listed, the DS3 does not appear to be particularly economical in practice. For example, a much larger Renault Talisman dCi 110 does almost as well, although we cannot rule out that DS3 drivers are slightly sportier road users. That would also explain why DS3 PureTech 82 drivers score ‘only’ 1 in 16.2, while drivers of a Citroën C4 Cactus with the same engine achieve a consumption of 1 in 17.5.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl