Citroen DS3

This is the production Citroen DS3, and we’re mighty impressed that the French firm’s MINI competitor barely looks any different to the Citroen DS Inside concept car it showed at the Geneva earlier this year.

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As you can see, the production car looks remarkably similar to the concept, with the only modification to the DS3’s front being the removal of the chrome strip around the trapezoidal front grille and tweaks made to the numberplate mount. The headlights, foglights and intricate LED driving lights make it over unchanged, as does the cool floating roof, which buyers will be able to choose one of four contrasting colours of – although sadly the leather-trimmed roof of the concept didn’t make the cut.

The interior is similarly unchanged, with the emphasis on plusher materials than we’re used to in a Citroen. Glossy trim, chrome and tasteful lighting all make it across from the DS Inside to the DS3 too. Kit-wise, expect decent stereos, Bluetooth and MP3 compatibility and satnav to come as standard, making the DS3 a much better value prospect than a MINI.

Under the skin, the three-door only DS3 shares its underpinnings with the ace new C3 supermini, and although the DS3 will be tuned to give a sportier drive than its five-door sibling, it will still be more of a comfort-biased cruiser than a go-kart like the MINI. Engine-wise, the DS3 gets two 1.6-litre HDi diesels in 90hp and 110hp tune, with the former emitting just 99g/km of CO2. There are three petrols, with 95hp, 120hp and 150hp to choose from.

Expect the DS3 to be priced competitively, taking on the MINI and the Alfa Romeo MiTo should mean that prices will start from around £12,500 when it goes on sale.