Photo: Baldauf
Having received a mid-cycle refresh in 2022, the DS 3 has now been spied sporting a few updates. And rather interesting, the French company's crossover was in the pre-facelifted iteration for an even more eye-raising situation.
Thus, you may want to ignore the styling of the front and rear lighting units and the design of the bumpers at both ends, as they are identical to those of the pre-facelift. On the current iteration, they look different, making the crossover a bit more modern.
So, what are the novelties, you ask? Those would be the beefed-up brake discs with red calipers. These are visible from behind the new alloys, which have a larger diameter than the ones the DS 3 normally comes with, and their pattern kind of sends rallying vibes. Moreover, the vehicle appears to sit a bit closer to the road, presumably for faster cornering at the expense of some comfort, so that would inevitably suggest some chassis upgrades.
Notice the lack of tailpipes and the E-Tense logo adorning the tailgate? These signal the presence of a battery-electric powertrain. On the current DS 3, you are looking at a single motor that generates 156 ps (154 hp/115 kW) or 20 ps (20 hp/15 kW) more than the pre-facelift. The torque is rated at 260 Nm (192 lb-ft), and the motor sips electrons from a 54 kWh battery pack. On a full charge, the all-quiet crossover has a total driving range of just over 400 kilometers or roughly 250 miles.
There are several things that keep this prototype (unless it's a mule for a different car – hey, anything's possible, right?) in the shadows, and we just mentioned them above. In a realistic scenario, it is a tester for an upcoming sporty variant. That's what our money would be on, anyway, as the sportier brakes and wheels and retuned suspension hint at that. A possible sportier version of the DS 3 would naturally boast more power than the normal models, and we wouldn't go as far as claiming it might get a dual-motor setup, but a punchier single electric motor could be on the cards.
As far as the construction goes, the DS 3, which dropped the Crossback suffix with the mid-cycle refresh, is based on the eCMP architecture. The platform is shared with several other similar-sized models made under Stellantis' roof, like the Citroen e-C4, Opel Mokka-e, and Peugeot e-2008. The CMP, on the other hand, is used on ICE-powered models like the Opel Crossland and Jeep Avenger.
So, what do you think Stellantis has up its sleeves with this mysterious DS 3? Could it be a sportier variant or an upcoming model perhaps unrelated to DS? Drop a line below and let us know.
So, what are the novelties, you ask? Those would be the beefed-up brake discs with red calipers. These are visible from behind the new alloys, which have a larger diameter than the ones the DS 3 normally comes with, and their pattern kind of sends rallying vibes. Moreover, the vehicle appears to sit a bit closer to the road, presumably for faster cornering at the expense of some comfort, so that would inevitably suggest some chassis upgrades.
Notice the lack of tailpipes and the E-Tense logo adorning the tailgate? These signal the presence of a battery-electric powertrain. On the current DS 3, you are looking at a single motor that generates 156 ps (154 hp/115 kW) or 20 ps (20 hp/15 kW) more than the pre-facelift. The torque is rated at 260 Nm (192 lb-ft), and the motor sips electrons from a 54 kWh battery pack. On a full charge, the all-quiet crossover has a total driving range of just over 400 kilometers or roughly 250 miles.
There are several things that keep this prototype (unless it's a mule for a different car – hey, anything's possible, right?) in the shadows, and we just mentioned them above. In a realistic scenario, it is a tester for an upcoming sporty variant. That's what our money would be on, anyway, as the sportier brakes and wheels and retuned suspension hint at that. A possible sportier version of the DS 3 would naturally boast more power than the normal models, and we wouldn't go as far as claiming it might get a dual-motor setup, but a punchier single electric motor could be on the cards.
As far as the construction goes, the DS 3, which dropped the Crossback suffix with the mid-cycle refresh, is based on the eCMP architecture. The platform is shared with several other similar-sized models made under Stellantis' roof, like the Citroen e-C4, Opel Mokka-e, and Peugeot e-2008. The CMP, on the other hand, is used on ICE-powered models like the Opel Crossland and Jeep Avenger.
So, what do you think Stellantis has up its sleeves with this mysterious DS 3? Could it be a sportier variant or an upcoming model perhaps unrelated to DS? Drop a line below and let us know.
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