Outrageously chic and cute Citroen

She looks good from any angle.

It's the little car that has been causing a big buzz ever since it was unveiled a few months ago in Europe and it is now in danger of causing wide-spread neck injuries in this country.

I have driven some serious good-lookers in recent months but not one of them has caused as much interest as this almost outrageously cute city car that oozes Gallic charm.

The DS3's design is so totally drastic that it simply cannot be ignored. The French are known for their flashes of flair and they quite enjoy the controversy they create. With this DS3 - which is the forerunner of a series of DS cars, including a DS4 and a DS5 - they have certainly not been shy to test the limits of car design.

Who dares, wins

What makes the new Citroen particularly appealing is that it explores new avenues of design instead of playing the sentimental retro tune to which competitors such as Mini, VW Beetle, Fiat 500 and Alfa Mito are dancing to.

Citroen has dared to be brave, very brave and in the process it has simply blown away the opposition.

Could this be the beginning of a whole new era for Citroen in this country?

Stocky, and nicely low-slung, the chic little Citroen has a floating roof design like no other car on the road. The B-pillar is the same colour as the body and shaped like a shark fin, and the roof is a different colour to the body... kind of weird at first glance, but then it grabs you.

Add vertical daytime LED lights (made ever so popular by Audi), sporty alloy wheels, big air intakes, cocky derriere and a gurgling exhaust note and you have a hyper cool two-door with an appeal so strong that even my non-car person wife (and life-long owner and huge fan of the largest Japanese brand) couldn't get enough of driving it.

Make it your own

But there's a lot more to the DS3 and owners have virtually unlimited choices of designing their own boutique model with a choice of eleven body colours, four roof colours, four different rooftop patterns, six different alloy styles, eight different cabin finishes, four choices of cloth seat covering and three for leather finishes...

Now how cool is that?

But the fun doesn't stop there.... buyers can also choose between chrome fittings for the bodywork, wheels, lights and windows and whether they want plain old mud flaps or fancy coloured ones.

The roof is a different colour to the body… kind of weird at first glance, but then it grabs you.

And over and above design and colour choices Citroen also offers an additional Techno option which includes Bluetooth and USB, park sensors, automatic window wipers and a digital climate control system.

Incidentally, all the Techno option items are standard on the flagship Sport model.

Chirpy and cheerful

At this stage there are two models on offer locally - The DS 1,6 VTi Style at R199 000 and the slightly livelier DS3 1,6 THP Sport at R255  000.

I recently spent a week with a permanent smile on my face darting around the Peninsula in the Style version because there really is so much to like about this cheeky little devil.

The cabin is chirpy and cheerful and although the dash is much more fashion and flair than style and interior ergonomics, everybody who travelled in the DS3 liked it.

For a small two-door the cabin is amazingly spacious. On that note, beware the big, wide-opening doors in confined parking spaces or the paint is sure to get chipped.

Hello Spot... Owners have a huge range of choices - and that means you can personalise your DS3 and make it one of a kind.

The DS3 is quite keen to trot which doesn't come as a big surprise because the punch is provided by the same 88 kW/156 Nm engine that powers the Mini Cooper.

The pretty little car sits confidently on the road and because it shares a lot of the duller Citroen C3's DNA one expects it to be very similar - but it's not. It's considerably better.

Give it a little whipping

The gear shift on the DS3 feel smoother and less vague, the steering seems a little more responsive (but still not exactly sharp-sharp) and the ride is certainly better, thanks to suspension tweaks.

The perky engine is not shy to rev and seems to thrive on a little whipping. There is also more than enough stopping power and the brakes are good, even after a couple of repeat emergency trial stops.

What certainly impressed was the car's build quality... not a squeak, grunt or mutter, even along really yukkie patches of tar.

The Style model's performance runs very close to that of the impressive Hyundai i20 and I'm told the chirpier Sport model is better than the Korean or even the enthusiastic Toyota Auris X - high praise indeed!

Out on the road she sings like a canary - but a lot faster.

I can see your eye-brows lifting as I heap praise on the newcomer because after all, it is a Citroen: not exactly a brand that has instilled confidence in South African owners in recent years with service, spares and trade-in values letting it down.

No serious mutters

But Citroen has worked hard at getting things right and it's been a while since I've heard any serious mutters from local owners.

So, could this be the beginning of a whole new era for Citroen in this country? I think so... In fact, in my books the DS3 is good enough, and fun enough, to give my favourite beer and my favourite dog a good run for their money in the Best Buddies stakes!

Footnote: The world's top-selling gadget magazine, Stuff, has just named the DS3 one of the coolest things in the world. Citroen is the only carmaker to make the list of 15 "ground-breaking modern classics".