DS 3 Crossback E-Tense - Review

[@JonathanPorterfield]

Welcome to the 'I like the high up driving postion, old mans club matey' 😉 Another great review, lovley to see Kates input too !

[@jamesknightreading]

Pleased to see you two presenting a video together again. The dream team are back! :)

[@robsmith1a]

I have a sports car at present (SLK) and like sitting low but have noticed I get blinded at night by many SUVs seemingly pointing their ultra bright lights straight at my eyes. Could also be that I am nearly 59 and glare affects me more now. I quite like the styling of the DS3 Crossback but the 208 is my favourite offering on that platform. When I get anoth EV it will be in a few years when used prices are more sensible. Leasing never looks cheap to me, my older car only depreciating a grand a year and that's about three months lease. Prices have gone up, my Zoe ZE40 was less than £18k new with battery. Nice review, thanks.

[@cal_lywal]

I've had my e-208 for a month (your reviews have been useful folks - thanks!) and agreed on the weird delay with the start button. You have to give it quite a good prod in the e-208. Otherwise it's brilliant. Agreed with back seat space - I've downsized from a Focus and thankfully I'm not needing to do many long journeys with passengers at the moment.

[@markcornwall8132]

With the £35k limit for the grant coming in cars like this are going to be the only options for most who want an EV and the prices are going to have to drop. Our new Soul was £34k and a lot for us but at £37k it wouldn't have been considered. Mind you used prices are going to get a lot stronger I imagine. Good video thanks guys.

[@iKaGe01]

The look on Kates face when she pretty much agreed it was age before you even asked again and she just said 'yes'

[@bernardhilton3527]

The LED headlight upgrade is not cheap but if they are the same as the Corsa offerings (and they should be) they are very good and easily the best I have ever owned. Worth the money IMHO.

[@marklola12]

A warning to would by buyers of any DS car...so you keep and do not void the warranty when you have a service etc you have to take it to a DS place which there are not many around the UK...if you take it to any other garage it voids the warranty for me its on a lease and my lease company said i can just take mine to any VAT registered garage

[@marklola12]

I have this exact same car and interior but petrol same colour outside too, i got a lockdown bargain lease on first lockdown when car makers and lease companies had no idea what was going to happen so they ended up making alot of leases etc cheaper on cars they had in new and in stock. i thought i ordered plain black interior but realised it was the same colour dash as you have and i love it, i get nothing but compliments when people see the car too. I got it for £130 a month on a 24month contract. received it last july after ordering it last may. Love the car only 2 issues i have is the myds app on my phone refuses to connect to the car since nov and i will say to anyone....DS customer service is bad....infact probably the worse for a car company. AND for some backward reason when you turn Lane keeping assist OFF the icon of the car and 2 lane lines is ON the screen when in every other car like my dads tucson when the icon is on the screen it means the lane keeping assist is ON and when its not on screen it is off. When i got the car i crapped myself multiple times when my steering wheel kept pulling to the left on its own and i thought the car was faulty....i am a nervy driver as it is but it make me scream first time lol i thought i was losing control of the car which nearly made me oversteer in a panic...i then found out when the icon is on the screen it means it is OFF so each time i get in the car now i have to press the button and turn it off which is a pain. oh and with the petrol cars you get a full size spare tyre too The interior is unique and looks great, does make me laugh though people complain about the diamond patterns everywhere yet these same people are all ok with the interior or a mini who chose too have circle designs all over and lets face it the interior or a mini looks horrid and does not go at all specially the square/rectangle sat nav in a round frame haha

[@MichaelMartinussen]

Good honest review :)

[@nickieredshaw7835]

Thanks for another great video. I like the look of the e 208 lot better and can’t stand the inside of either , but someone with like them , yes evs are far to much money .

[@derekosborne7983]

That seemed to one of the quietest interiors in your reviews as often you can hear lots of road noise. Either that is a pretty refined car or you have improved your microphone equipment or positioning?

[@toyotaprius79]

I hope Citroën, I mean, DS improves on this E-Tense quickly. It was the first of the PSA's new 50kWh platform to be released . It doesn't have to be a stubby Cross over. It can definitely use an estate version like the DS, GS, CS Pallas of old. Or maybe a sharp Jag i-Pace/Citroën Xantia rear end. Some added proportion and practicality (space & areo) to justify the price. Because so far, this E-Tense for a while had been labelled as the worst value for money out of the whole PSA family, or EVs and ICE family cars in general. If it had the Hydropneumatic then that would be something! Not even sure if this has Citroen's Hydractive cushion struts or not.

[@benjaminhiggin5094]

Sadly I think these cars are priced for people not to buy. I would agree with James on the pcp prices. It’s like they have the economy of scale the wrong way round. They can produce more products to make them cheaper so the consumer buys more.

[@JessShanahan]

Great video!

[@srichgtr]

The start delay is annoying on the Corsa E as well!

[@brianstevenson9967]

Now, Now, not allowed to call it a Citroen, it’s a DS as in a Lexus IS not a Toyota.😅. Nice to see Kate again, it’s been a while.

[@dennislyon5412]

What’s up with that rear seat door opening? It’s as if the rear seat got pushed back (on a prior design) to offer some legroom. Too much diamond theme going on in there too. I do like the big front on it, but not as nice an overall look as the E208. Does the 1200 for lighting get you anything else?

[@deanlewis4776]

20k for one of these? You would be lucky to spec a decent petrol fiesta for less than 20k. Do you know the price of new cars?

[@ipb1966]

The start delay still doesn’t sound as bad as waiting for the Tesla Model 3 where you have to wait for the screen to wake before entering your PIN code.

[@EdTurner.]

That is only if you have pin to unlock selected, my Tesla unlocks folds its mirrors out and the screen is awake by the time i have walked up to it, foot on brake push down the right stalk and you are away, when existing it even selects park as you open the drivers door, walk away, it turns off and locks.

[@ipb1966]

@@EdTurner. There’s no such thing as PIN to unlock - it’s PIN to drive. And I know this as I have a Tesla.

[@doubledutch13]

Top Team 👍👍

[@CF21LDB]

Think PSA would prefer it called DS Automobiles DS 3 Crossback as it’s separate from Citroen. PSA wanted to go with an up market sort of brand and that’s when DS Automobiles was born.

[@stephenclay6852]

I’m with you two. Ev’s are to expensive look at the 4 spec Kia Niro hybrid compared to the e Niro 4 the Ev is £10.000 more why. Yes it has a big battery but no second engine / gearbox and all the bits to make all that work together. The truth is they charge that price because they can and get away with it as well as we are daft enough to pay it me included.

[@jamesinbradford5882]

The reason it’s £10,000 more is that Kia and other manufacturers have engines built already, they don’t want to scrap thousands of engines so add £10k to EV’s to get people to buy ICE car’s. When the engines have gone, EV prices will fall !

[@marklola12]

there is not exactly a delay with the start button, basically with cars where you have a key inserted and you turn it to the first click and all that does is turn on the stereo etc and then you fully turn the key if you want the engine on...well that is what this does in this car...you press the start button onces to turn on the screens etc and hold it down a bit longer to fully turn on the car...which really is litterally 2 seconds lol

[@Richardincancale]

3:56 All good! James is a fan of Drain Addict?!

[@devonbikefilms]

Being cheap, I still struggle to see past the MG5 right now, especially when you can buy a “new” one for just over £20k. For £11k less than the DS, I can deal with the styling and slightly less kit. Good review though. Some of us still buy our cars, no way would I go for a PCP deal unless it was a works funded vehicle.

[@kez2164]

Probably a MG ZS EV is probably more similar in style to the DS, and about £10k cheaper. Although requires a compromise on the range (especially in winter) but it really depends on you use case.

[@ThePlugSeeker]

I saw this in FCL. I was a bi meh 😑 when I looked at at. I didn’t like the grill for starters. I can’t but help compare to my Leaf 62kW which was £30k with 4000 miles. Mine has spacious seats and headroom, 56kWh usable battery and does 230 miles, this just seems over very priced. Agree if it was sub £20k it would be worth a thought, but no chance at £31k

[@ridingwolf42]

PSA is doing a bit a weird thing with the DS3 E-tense. DS is the "exclusive" brand of Citroen. Citroen doesn't seem to have an corsa-e or 208-e competitor (no C3 e-tense), but only an "exclusive" car in that segment.

[@georgewalker7061]

Citroen have the e-C4 which is the sister car to the Peugeot-Opel/Vauxhall-DS as exactly the same platform.

[@ridingwolf42]

@@georgewalker7061 C4 is equivalent of a 308/Astra tho

[@georgewalker7061]

@@ridingwolf42 and sits on the same platform as the other PSA EV platforms and has the same fictional WLTP range given to it.

[@georgewalker7061]

x-Mokka, e-2008, are more the size and weight of the DS in this review then the e-208 / e-Corsa. Both of which can be on 195/16" tyres and can get the better range than the fat PSA 50kW cars that are 48kW usable

[@grahamjohnson4702]

Sadly like many EV's there is no storage space here, under the bonnet, well in front engined cars there is no storage space under the bonnet either so what's new?

[@simonmatthews7512]

DS are supposed not to be Citroen anymore aren't they?

[@broadsword6650]

They became separate brands seven years ago. The DS is no more a Citroen than it is a Peugeot.

[@Jamesandkate]

You should probably google Citroen DS3 and see how many carry the Citroen badge. Regardless of what it’s called it’s very much from the French brand. Similar marketing from Seat and Cupra, it’s still a Seat.

[@broadsword6650]

@@Jamesandkate “DS Automobiles is a French premium automotive marque founded in 2009, formerly part of Citroën, and since 2015 (2012 in China) a standalone brand. DS plans to launch only electric and hybrid vehicles from 2025.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DS_Automobiles

[@vava1953]

This is NOT a Citroen! Mmm Stellantis are going to love you! After years of spending a fortune establishing the DS brand as separate from their other brands, and it seems you haven't even noticed! The company that makes the cars is Stellantis, their brands which operate separately include Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge. If you check the Citroen web there's no mention of DS and vice versa. Hope that helps. Cheers

[@DariuszTech]

Way to expensive. It's a unique car and some people might like it.

[@alexdalgleish1061]

So range of 175 or so which is what e208 and Corsa meant to do in reality. But Corsa could be had for £24k?! So DS just too much.

[@ghost70]

So the on the same platform as others then, going to be too small inside then for the taller person. Even the ID4 is too small and now not eligible for grants either. :(

[@cawfeedawg]

oh dear not another agog grill. :(

[@GrrMeister]

*Not yet Converted - Mercedes B200CDi [W247] AMG Premium up to 86mpg & 145 MPH - Quality and for £31k No thanks - Silence at 65 mph at 1200 rpm in 8th gear and a range of 700 Miles with 5 Minutes Recharge Time.*

[@fyank1]

Been there. No thanks.

[@Matty_D]

'Citroen' 😂🤡. Looking forward to their review of the Lexus Corolla next week

[@marklola12]

lol look at the cars at about £150 on pcp with £11k deposit you are lucky top get a bog standard corsa

[@Gdank72]

Interesting view on price. I don't disagree EV's in general are expensive. But is rather spend my money here than on an ID. 3. And to be honest I don't feel the even the Tesla's are good for thier costs. When the SR is closer to £30k that will be the braking point for EV's.

[@wobby1516]

Frankly in my opinion it looks awful, I hate the looks of the rear passenger doors and not being able to fit a spare is daft. I’ll stick with my far superior Kia ENiro

[@TomskiZima]

Please, don't call it a Citroen. Its no more a Citroen than it is a Peugeot or Vauxhall 😂

[@clivecrossley1750]

Ds is not a citroen DS is a stand alone make

[@grahamjohnson4702]

In just the same way that Riley or Wolseley were not Morris or Austin but use the same parts. Just because DS have their own design team it is no less a Citroen owned brand making cars at a higher end price with a presumed improved specification.

[@geirbraadlie9193]

DS is the "high end" brand of Citroen, just like the Lexus and Toyota. So the name of this car DS 3 Crossback E-Tense. Citroen has its own electric car the Citroen e-C4, you should test-drive that as well. I like it better than the DS.

[@vava1953]

Sorry, that's wrong. The company that makes the cars is Stellantis, their brands which operate separately include Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge. If you check the Citroen web there's no mention of DS and vice versa. Hope that helps. Cheers

[@keithshayle123]

You will find the Citroen name has been dropped for several years. DS is now a completely separatestand alone premium marque. Calling it a Citroen DS3 would be like saying a Citroen e208, you won't make many friends at PSA by continually calling it a Citroen!

[@georgewalker7061]

Sorry but what are you on about?

[@keithshayle123]

@@georgewalker7061 Mate, don’t worry about not understanding. It’s to do with brand identity, and marketing. All things vitally important to manufacturers , which is why they spend tens of millions on it every year, and which is why PSA are trying to distance DS from Citroen.

[@georgewalker7061]

@@keithshayle123 I fully understand. I drive a Vauxhall e-Corsa which is an Opel with a different badge, and have owned Citroen's and Peugeot's. As to DS I have no doubt what PSA tried there, just as VW group are trying with SEAT and Cupra.

[@grahamjohnson4702]

@@georgewalker7061 I used to collect Vauxhall and Opel cars from the same factories in England, and you can still do the same today.

[@grahamjohnson4702]

@@keithshayle123 Then why are they sold in the same showrooms.

[@frankowot4]

Faint praise.