• Quirkily styled dashboard isn’t easy to use
• Mostly touch-sensitive and touchscreen controls
• Luxurious build

How is the quality and layout?

Material choice is a cut above most compact SUVs. Even the basic DS 3 has a dashboard swathed in quality materials, while highly specified models go crazy with full leather across the dash as well as stylish and comfortable ‘watchstrap’ leather seats front and rear. Compared to the plastic-fest you’ll find even in quite posh small SUVs such as the Audi Q2, this is quite a pleasant experience.

Most of the touchpoints feel great, with nicely weighted switchgear. The layout of buttons and switches could be improved though, especially on the centre console. We’ll leave the divisive diamond styling open for your own interpretation, but a rash of unintuitively positioned touch-sensitive shortcut switches mingle with volume controls, heated seat buttons and even the hazard warning button. It’s a mess, and not at all easy to use on the move. And those who like symmetry had better not even look at how off-centre the arrangement is.

There’s even more weirdness surrounding the gear selector, which is where you’ll find the window switches, child locks and central locking – on beautifully-crafted switchgear that feels as though it was designed for something rather more glamorous. The heater controls are of course in the touchscreen, with shortcut icons for demisting in the mess of diamonds on the dash.

Infotainment and tech

The 10.3-inch infotainment screen is, irritatingly, angled slightly away from the driver – DS’ budget clearly didn’t extend to a remoulded dash top for RHD markets. It’s OK to use, though, with a bright, clear and responsive display that looks particularly good running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – which it can do wirelessly. We did find some icons and text a bit small, though.

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The digital dials are less impressive with some very small readouts and a general lack of configurability. The information you need is clearly presented in the centre, but supplemental info can be hard to get at.

One of the more irritating things is that some of the tech feels distinctly half-baked. Take the traffic sign recognition, for example. On two separate test models, it’s got mixed up between mph and km/h, and presented us with a completely incorrect speed limit. Add into that these systems have a propensity to read side roads by mistake, and you’ve got a car that proudly informed us the speed limit on a dual carriageway was 19mph.

Comfort

• Comfortable seats, though lacking lateral support
• Top-spec cars get massage function
• Rear seats tight and claustrophobic

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Sink into the ‘watchstrap’ leather seats of the top-spec DS 3 and you’ll get some sense of the avant-garde luxury the brand hopes to portray. Even base-spec cars have fairly comfortable pews, though the front seats lack side support so it’s a good thing the DS 3 isn’t set up for fast cornering. If you want heated or massaging seats, you’ll need the pricey optional Nappa leather seats available on top spec Etoile.

The rear seats aren’t so generously appointed, but they are still plushly upholstered. However, they’re cramped, and the styling kick on the B-pillar makes the rear windows very small, so the rear feels dark and claustrophobic.