LET’S face it, driving a car whether it’s new to you or not on a balmy summer’s evening is almost guaranteed to be a pleasure…

But having rain pouring down, filling pot holes and gutters to overflowing as I drove the DS 3 for the first time seemed a fair test - if I could enjoy driving the Citroen spin-off brand’s supermini in these conditions then it really was proving itself.

Hitting one or two of said pot holes couldn’t unsettle the DS 3 and it was the same with the puddles you occasionally have to tackle rather than the even worse prospect of swerving into oncoming traffic.

The fast-crumbling surface of Dunkirk Hill into Devizes seemed positively plush under the optional-extra 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels shod with Michelin tyres - I certainly noticed the difference compared to the 16-inch wheels of my Fiesta.

In its latest guise the DS 3 has a 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre engines, putting out from 82ps to an eye-watering 210ps for the Performance models, which start at £20,495 on the road.

That’s 10ps more powerful than the discontinued Racing version but with better fuel economy and a lower road tax rate.

I drove the DS 3 in Elegance trim at an on the road price of £16,995, with its 1.6 BlueHDi engine putting out 100ps.

That translated into more than 50mph on the open road at 1,500 revs - impressive - and it easily went up to the legal limit.

Mind you, while not slow off the mark I can see that spending the extra £600 on the 120ps version with six-speed gearbox would be tempting.

Around town and in lanes was where the DS 3 really shines, the steering wheel fitting exceptionally snuggly into the hands, the gearbox and auto-stop start at junctions impressing.

Inside there is plenty of headroom and I loved the curved glass styling at the rear, and every model from the Elegance upwards comes with rear parking sensors as standard to make sure you keep it blemish free.

Obviously boot space is going to be limited in a car of this size but I could easily imagine packing for a holiday and heading off into the sunset in a DS 3.

I drove a DS 3 supplied by Chippenham Motor Company, Bumpers Way, Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate SN14 6LF.

You can see DS models, along with cars by Citroen, Ford, Kia, Peugeot, Seat and Volvo, at an open weekend being run by the company on Saturday, April 23, from 10am-4pm and Sunday, April 24, from 11am-3pm.

Those attending can enter a draw to win a Michelin-starred Gourmet dinner for two, including drinks, amid the elegant surroundings of Lucknam Park Hotel.