Citroen Cabrio is ooh la la!

AT first glance you might think of the new Citroen DS3 Cabrio as a

‘fun car’ that would carry just two people, but this two-door model is the only five-seater sports car in its category.

Three years ago Citroen reintroduced the iconic DS name for their new range of cars. Prior to 2010 the DS was last used in 1975 for Citroen’s luxury model. With the DS3, the French manufacturer is probably targeting buyers who might in the past have bought a Mini, but are now looking for something similar, yet completely different.

Yes, it’s different in so many ways. First it’s a proper five-seater and with a sliding roof where you can decide who in the car wants the wind in their hair. The sunroof fully retracts in 16 seconds and apparently it can do so at 120 km/h, but I think it’s safer to do it when stationary. There are several different ways to operate the roof, varying from typical sun roof, to a horizontal opening to fully open, which sees the rear window also fold down.

I drove a silver model with a dark blue roof and it certainly got plenty of attention from pedestrians and fellow motorists. Some probably thought I was going through a mid-life crisis, driving such a sporty car, but I was having fun. As mentioned in other reviews there are no fans of two-door cars in our house, but there was plenty of room to get and out of the back seat.

The exterior is attractive, but while the interior has a sporty-look, it’s also very black. I think the designer must have been a relation of Henry Ford, whose motto was

‘you can have any colour you want as long as it’s black.’ However, the piano black on the dash is very attractive and overall the seats are very comfortable, plus there is an armrest for the driver.

I found it strange that the Cabrio was an automatic, but there are also toggles on the side of the steering wheel to change gears or if you want to show off and burn a bit of rubber. The 1.6 diesel version had plenty of power and I wasn’t left trailing at the traffic lights

Normally with Cabrios when the roof folds down the boot is not accessible. But in the DS3 you get a most unusual looking opening to the boot, which is a decent size. The best way to describe access to the boot is that it’s like an extra large letter box, where you can throw in various items. It would be a tight squeeze to get a baby’s stroller into the boot, but it should just about fit.

Naturally this French car would probably look good in France, probably somewhere in the south of the country like Cannes. When I see Cabrios I am reminded of the old Dr Hook song, Ballad of Lucy Jordan. But with weather so poor in Ireland at summer time, I don’t think there will be many opportunities for Irish drivers to feel the warm wind in their hair.

Prices start at

?¬25,045 for the 1.6 diesel and there are few extras available if you want to pimp your ride. C02 emissions are very low at 99g/km, which equates to

?¬280 road tax. Definitely one for the young or young at heart, who still have their own hair.