DS is a stand-alone luxury brand within the PSA Group, which sits above Citroën and indeed Peugeot and Vauxhall/Opel in the same way that Audi sits above VW, Skoda and SEAT in the Volkswagen Group’s line-up. Introducing the DS 3 Crossback.

That means you should get higher quality materials, better sound insulation, better ride quality, better tech, and so on. The DS 3 also gives you a robust luxury design, well; I will leave that up to you. All the above comes with a premium price. This new model, the DS 3 Crossback, costs from £21,500 but the expected best-selling variants – the Performance Line 130 Auto and Prestige 130 Auto – will set you back £25,950 and £27,950 respectively, The model I tested was DS 3 CROSSBACK – PRESTIGE Pure Tech 155 Auto Priced with Ruby red Paint at £550 on the road is an eye-watering £30,570.

My first impression of the DS3 DS 3 Crossback is smart, with the sizeable pentagonal grille, the chrome door handles, which sit flush to the body and pop out when you walk up to the car with the fob are the standout design features. I can’t get away from the fact that with double chevron logo throughout the DS3 that it is a Citroen, that’s not a bad thing. I do wonder why if DS is a stand-alone premium brand for the PSA group why not make it more different.

The interior is smart; DS describes the interior — a lounge vibe mixing French luxury and avant-garde design with advanced technology. The large touchscreen’s menus can be accessed via the diamond-shaped touch-sensitive pads below it, with a few controls for the stereo’s volume, heated windscreens and the like below that. It looks good; in reality, the design is better than the function. Buttons don’t fall to hand easily, too far apart and react a little slow. The DS3 is well built, with good seats and a comfortable place to be. I found that the elevated driving position is good, but I couldn’t get away from the feeling of sitting on the DS3 rather than in it. The B Pillar is large enough to reduce visibility for rear-seat passengers, but that no doubt adds to the design.

On the road the DS3 Crossback is okay, the steering has a nice feel and it handles keenly, yes, it’s a little spongy as you would expect from a crossover. The 155 3 cylinder Puretech petrol engine is lively and works well with the 8-speed auto gearbox, and it is smart enough to find the right gear most of the time. It offers the option to change gear manually via paddles behind the steering wheel. DS quote a combined fuel economy figure of 41-46 mpg, I never got anywhere near that, using the DS3 on a mixture of routes I only achieved 24 mpg. I have found this with similar three-cylinder turbocharged engines. They do work quite hard.

The DS3 Crossback will undoubtedly appeal to the design-led consumer. The premium price tag will hamper sales to the drivers who crave everyday functionality. The DS3 Crossback is one of those cars where the design will sell it…