Five years ago, the DS Inside Concept debuted in Geneva, carrying a lot of expectations. Citroën wanted to enter the luxury market, and the subsequent DS3 was its first attempt. At first, some people could only see a C3 with less doors and bigger price, but others found it a very interesting way of driving with style. The proof of how much the first group was outnumbered is the fact that there is an entire DS line now, whose latest models will aim at nothing less than the German cars. Now it’s time to pay a tribute to the car which started all this.
One of the reasons why DS3 takes attentions so easily could be defined as being entirely compromised to what was set as its proposal. Instead of falling into the typical sets of sporty, off-road or ecological accessories, this hatchback decided to create its own path. It looks fashionable, rather than just luxurious, and this is what makes it so nice, as well as its bigger siblings DS4 and DS5. Having that in mind, it isn’t hard to understand why Citroën didn’t go too further with this facelift. DS3 has become the pioneer of what PSA wants to be a whole new brand, which makes very important to start investing on an image of its own. So it was definitely better to enhance DS3’s current set of visual elements, rather than changing it.
As the pictures show, such strategy was executed by concentrating the biggest changes to the headlights: without having the shape touched, they received a complete internal redesign. The chrome finishing was dropped in favor of the black color, and the lights now combine LEDs and Xenon modules. Such equipment will be standard at the more expensive trim levels, for both hatchback and Cabrio variations, and is interesting enough to give that “new-thing” feeling sought by pretty much any refreshed automobile. Citroën also claims those new lights to be 35% more efficient and 75% more powerful than the regulars, which were borrowed from C3, not to mention the 20,000-hour lifespan. They will be optional at cheaper trims.
Other updates include the addition of some equipments, such as Active City Brake. This is an automatic braking system designed to avoid low-speed collisions, and may come as standard or optional depending on the trim. The infotainment central, in turn, received reverse camera and navigation system, the latter called eMyWay. When it comes to performance, DS3 received two new engine options: burning gasoline, there will be the e-VTi 82 ETG, while the diesel range was increased with the BlueHDi 120: it complies Euro 6 standards, just like the other, but reaches 94 g/km of CO2 emissions and 27.7-kpl consumption. Besides, the Be Chic trim arrives between Chic and So Chic, and starts at €17,600.
DS3 also received a new body color (Pearlescent White), new upholstery option (Dinamica Délice Grey cloth), 17” diamond-cut alloy wheels (coming in black or gray), and So Irrésistible. Such modest moniker accounts for DS3’s brand new special edition, which starts from €20,700. One of its exclusive features is Irrésistible Paris, which is a new internal finish featuring the French capital’s “most famous monuments on its screen-printed rear side windows and dashboard strip”. In Europe, among all the engine options, the standard DS3 starts at €15,950, Executive at €22,450, So Irrésistible at €20,700, Ultra Prestige at €25,850 and Racing at €30,990. Cabrio starts at €18,950, So Irrésistible at €23,500 and Ultra Prestige at €28,350.
Lançamento no Brasil (16/10/2014)
Deixando a chegada oficial para o Salão do Automóvel, o grupo PSA fez uma pré-apresentação da nova linha DS 3 no Brasil. Como indica o texto acima, as novidades que o produto recebeu não foram tantas, e têm como destaque o uso de LEDs nos farois e o efeito tridimensional nas lanternas. Se todo o demais permanece inalterado, o que inclui o motor 1.6 THP de 165 cv e 24,5 kgfm e o câmbio manual de seis marchas, o carro que vem para cá também traz uma série de mudanças em sua oferta, para torná-la mais flexível e, portanto, capaz de atrair mais clientes. Ainda não se fala nas versões Cabrio (com teto removível) ou Racing (esportiva), pelo menos por enquanto, mas sim de múltiplos níveis de acabamento.
Começando agora em R$ 79.900, o pacote inicial traz ar-condicionado automático e digital, controle de cruzeiro, monitor de pressão dos pneus, seis airbags, sistema de áudio multimídia e rodas de 17” diamantadas, entre outros. O Pack Confort soma acendimento automático dos farois, apoia-braço dianteiro, detector de obstáculos traseiro, retrovisores externos cromados e rebatíveis, retrovisor interno eletrocrômico, sensor de chuva e central de entretenimento com tela de 7”, Bluetooth e GPS, e leva o preço a R$ 85.890. Com o Pack Technologie, vêm câmera de ré, farois de LED e bi-xenon com “pisca deslizante” e sistema de áudio hi-fi com subwoofer, chegando a R$ 89.880. Já os bancos de couro são um opcional avulso de R$ 2.900.