Citroën DS3 hatchback (2009-2016) - Practicality & boot space
The DS 3 has a larger boot than rivals, but cabin storage space is limited
One of the biggest drawbacks of the DS 3 in terms of practicality is that it’s only available in a three-door body style. Although this contributes to the car’s sporty and svelte exterior styling, it does hinder access to the rear seats. Major rivals like the Audi A1 and MINI hatchback offer five doors. Buyers looking for family car practicality may want to consider the newer DS 3 Crossback, which has five doors and a compact SUV body.
The DS 3’s two doors do open very wide and that helps mitigate the rear-seat access issue, although space in the back isn’t what you’d call generous. The boot is not only much bigger than the MINI’s but among the largest in the supermini class. It’s a shame that storage in the passenger compartment isn’t as generous.
As with the old Citroen DS3, the DS 3 has a fairly upright driving position and forward visibility is excellent, but very thick door pillars mean there's a big blind-spot when looking over your shoulder.
DS 3 interior space & storage
The DS 3 hatchback only has three doors, but they have wide openings and the front seats slide forward to make accessing the back seats as easy as possible given the car's three-door layout. There are also some well placed grab handles on the pillars between the front and rear windows to assist rear-seat passengers getting in and out.
Leg and headroom are pretty tight in the back, so anyone over six feet tall won't want to be sitting there for very long. There are a few cubbies dotted around, but they aren’t all very useful – the glovebox is tiny, the door bins aren’t particularly big and there aren’t even any cup holders in the front.
Boot space
The boot is a definite DS 3 strong suit: its 285 litres of space easily beats the 211 litres of the MINI hatchback and mere 185 litres offered by the Fiat 500. In fact, it’s one of the biggest you’ll find in a car of this size, and not too far off the class-leading 300-litre luggage capacity of the Renault Clio. However, the similarly priced yet slightly larger Volkswagen Polo offers an impressive 355 litres of space.
The DS 3’s rear seats split and fold, with luggage space expanding to 980 litres when you do this, although they don't lie completely flat to the floor. The hatchback gives good access but you'll need to lift items quite high over the rear bumper.
Towing
All DS 3 models are capable of towing a maximum braked weight of 1,150kg.
