DS 3 Crossback BlueHDi 100 Prestige 2019 UK first drive

With the DS 3 hatchback not long for this world, the last physical ties between the DS brand and parent Citroën are almost cut.

The DS 7 Crossback was the first stand-alone model unique to the luxury-tilting DS marque and set out its stall with a distinctive cabin and an exterior that caught the eye. Now the DS 3 Crossback is here to take the fight to a bigger audience, albeit still a somewhat niche one.

The small premium crossover segment may be relatively small beans, but it is dominated by two big hitters in the shape of the Mini Countryman and Audi Q2 – and now the Volkswagen T-Roc is starting to muscle in.

The DS 3 Crossback is important to more than just the DS brand, because it provides the first taste of the CMP platform that will underpin a slew of forthcoming PSA Group cars that include the Peugeot 208 and the next Vauxhall Corsa. In addition, it will be the first DS car available with pure-electric power as well as conventional petrol and diesel engines when the E-Tense version arrives in September this year.

In the meantime, the 3 Crossback is available with three flavours of the 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech petrol: 100bhp, 128bhp and 153bhp, the last two featuring an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard. The sole diesel option is a 101bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit paired with a six-speed manual transmission.

Trim levels are Elegance, Performance Line, Prestige and the range-crowning Ultra Prestige, with a launch edition dubbed La Première that adds some unique design details and extra technology from the options list.

Immediately impactful, not least because its design is a little more daring than its bigger brother's. The wide-cheeked, curvaceous nose echoes that of the 7 Crossback, but it continues the theme down the flanks with a deep scallop that flicks up into the side window and leads into a bulbous arch that match the front.

This is a car with no shortage of junk in its trunk, and while that might turn off some potential buyers, it’s easy to see others getting a kick from its modern freshness. The term ‘avant-garde’ is punted around with abandon in the car's accompanying PR blurb, but you certainly can’t accuse the 3 Crossback of being boring.

Step inside and there is more evidence of stylistic bravery, although the accountants clearly had an overall veto on all decisions. It is a trigonometrists’ dream in here, with not a roundel in sight and every button or display framed by intersecting angles. It’s also quite dark. Most of the interior options are black on black or paired with dark colours, and the narrow window frames reduce the amount of light coming in.