A genuinely different take on the hot hatch formula - and one that won't break the bank 🇫🇷
The French car industry is one of two halves. Or, it was anyway. On the one hand, you have all manner of affordable – and sometimes, quite plush – cars that ride with such effortlessness that they might as well have pillows in place of springs and dampers. But when they’re not making mattresses on wheels, they occasionally turn their attention to transforming everyday hatchbacks into some of the most rewarding driver’s cars on the planet.
Until the recent EV boom - which has seen French carmakers fall out of love with rorty hot hatches - both of these markets have been well catered for by the usual suspects. But back in the early 2010s, Renault was the only manufacturer to nail the comfy runabout and track-honed hot hatch with conviction.
The launch cars – and likely the ones you’ll spot on the road – were finished in black with orange highlights on the wheels, wing mirrors, grille and roof. The skirts, bumpers and wheel arch extensions were made of real carbon fibre , and it was finished off with a sticker set that some will call gaudy, but, truthfully, were the icing on the cake on a refreshingly outlandish design.
What set the DS3 Racing apart from the rest was that it tried to retain some of that pillowyness Citroen is known for. The suspension, while lowered, was far more comfortable than what we’d come to expect from a hot hatch, yet it still managed to string a set of bends together without falling over. And though you could argue the electric steering was a little vague at lower speeds, it did make the car a touch easier to live with as a daily runabout. Plus it was capable of averaging 44.
Granted, it lacked the raw edge of the Clio RS and, though a far tamer white-on-grey colour scheme was available, the looks proved divisive. HowManyLeft puts peak DS3 Racing numbers at 151 in the UK, but that’s dropped to just 127 in 2022. They’re a rare sight both on the road and in the PH Classifieds, but rarity has not translated into high prices.has 90,000 miles on the clock, is bog standard and is listed at just £5,898. Not bad at all for a lesser spotted hot hatch.
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