SLEEK, sporty, frugal fun to drive, the futuristic-looking DS3 is quite a package and like its Citroen stablemates, attracts inquisitive looks wherever it goes with its quirky, almost retro styling.

The even more stylish cabrio, with its patterned, sliding fabric roof, gets even more attention. particularly when you look at the asking price.

It offers a whole lot, for not that much money and has thrown the gauntlet down to its competitors. It starts at a shade over £15,000 for the 1.2-litre petrol base model rising to just under £20,000 for the tested range topper.

The British love drop tops and with this car can enjoy the best of the sun, without all of the roof having to fold away. It bit of a throwback to sliding fabric roofs - but without the leaks.

The roof can also be opened and closed on the move.

The material used also has excellent soundproofing qualities so noise intrusion is kept to a minimum with the roof in place. As its a sliding roof, it means the door pillars are permanent with less loss of rigidity within the body.

Powered a 155bhp 1.6 turbo-charged petrol engne, it also has plenty of pace, but still delivers impressive economy.

It looks great, but that comes at a price for practicality. The boot looks like an enlarged letter box so any odd, or even square shapes will struggle to get into the space while anything heavy is a real problem with the high clearance from ground level. Having said that, the space available is a reasonable 245 litres.

But it really is the most impractical boot, but then again cabrio lovers don't necessarily expect practicality.

The boot lid itself pulls and slides upwards, rather than just opening outwards which is a real boon when parked in tight spaces - that's if you can get anything in there. This is mitigated however with the rear seats folded which opens up a decent  980 litres of space.

It looks good on the outside and the interior is just as funky with painted metal finish to dash and doors and a host of standard equipment. Controls and switchgear are handily placed but some of the buttons a re bit fiddly.

Space for front seat occupants is good, but it gets tight in the rear with limited leg and headroom.

The refined engine delivers plenty of pace and flexibility. A quiet and refined unit, it offers good pulling power throughout the rev range and accelerates from 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds. Very respectable.

It also handles well for a soft top with little evidence of body flex and sharp, direct steering. The ride is good generally but feels unsettled on lesser roads.

There are three engines available, a three-cylinder 1.2 with 80bhp, a four-cylinder 1.6 with 118bhp and the tested  turbocharged 1.6 with 154bhp.

Safety features are comprensive with six airbags, ABS, stability control.

All models feature electric windows and door mirrors, rear parking sensors and stereo controls mounted on the steering column with the range topper adding climate control, alloy wheels and Bluetooth  and MP3 connectivity.

Up against the likes of the Fiat 500 and MINI convertibles its sheer fun and funkiness, plus asking price will give potential buyers plenty of food for thought when making a choice.