ON THE ROAD – IAN LYNAS PREVIEWS THE DS NEW 7 CROSSBACK

No doubt many have been to Paris, a city of culture, history and great beauty and now names such as Bastille and Rivoli adorn some of the trim levels of the D S7 Crossback, an elegant compact SUV with all the style the French capital brings.

Dynamic, sharper, more structural lines and the new front stands out with sharper lines to develop the balance of each feature of this vehicle. In bringing the new model to market the DS Design Studio Paris team worked closely with the production team at the Mulhouse factory in Eastern France to achieve exceptional results in terms of both quality and solidity The combination of new slimmer DS pixel LED Vision 3.0 headlamps and DS Light Veil daytime running lights is seamless and the DS Wings and the grille are larger and the valance has been redesigned with a range of colours depending on the model. The slimmer scale-like LED rear lights with a vortex effect have also been redesigned with a dark metallic finish and they emphasise the unique expression of this new model.

The boot lid and badge have been reworked with sharper lines, while DS Automobiles lettering replaces the previous Crossback to sign off the visually stretched rear. The new 19 inch alloy wheels, which are more aerodynamic and feature a design aimed at amplifying the impression of size, and exclusive 21 inch alloy wheels, with a carved technical design are exclusive to the new DS 7 E-Tense 4×4 360. The window surrounds and roof bars are offered with a Gloss Black variant to emphasise the dynamism of the silhouette. Interior finish is of a high standard, the DS 7 Opera is offered with two Nappa leather colours: Basalt Black and Pearl Grey. Refinement also features in the Rivoli interior which introduces a Basalt Black colour and has a stitched padded trim that has been combined with Claudia leather upholstery, which has a more pronounced leather grain. The Performance Line interior features a deeper black colour with the microfibre textile Alcantara throughout and gold and carmine touches that emphasise the dynamic appearance. The Bastille interior has been refreshed with a new DS Canvas finish and a Basalt Black grain inspired by the scales on fish skin. All these interiors are enhanced with ambient lighting that can be personalised.

Regarded as the multi-energy brand with the lowest CO2 emissions in Europe for the last two years and multiple Formula E champion, DS Automobiles has chosen to offer their new with a range of power units, including three plug-in hybrids with 225, 300 and 360bhp. DS 7 E-Tense 225 has a PureTech 180 petrol engine and a 110bhp electric motor fitted to the eight-speed automatic gearbox, with a two-wheel drive transmission. DS 7 E-Tense 4×4 300 and DS 7 E-Tense 4×4 360 introduce a four-wheel drive transmission with a PureTech 200 motor as well as 110bhp and 112bhp electric motors on each of the axles. The 360 model is tuned by DS Performance and a 130 BlueHDi power unit will also be available. A new 14.2 kWh battery gives up to 65km (40m) with zero emissions on the WLTP mixed cycle and up to 81km (50m) on the urban cycle. Charging time is about two hours on a 7.4kW charger. In keeping with the outstanding attributes of the entire DS Automobiles range, new DS 7 remains one of the most efficient cars in its class, specifically because of its well-controlled weight. The infotainment system is one of the biggest changes with the inclusion of the DS Iris System, this new solution introduces a totally reworked interface that is completely configurable, reactive and seamless and supported by natural voice recognition. Safety is paramount and is optimised with DS Driver Attention Monitoring and DS Drive Assist level 2 semi-autonomous driving. DS DAM analyses the driver’s level of attention with two cameras, the first checks the behaviour of the car in its surroundings and the second, positioned facing the driver, diagnoses where they are looking and their face and eyelid movement which translates to the level of sleepiness and attention and this is unprecedented in the segment. The DS Drive Assist adaptive cruise control that can initiate stopping and restarting without the driver intervening and an aid that enables the driver to keep the car either where it is or where they position it in the lane. DS first appeared in 2009, however from 2015 it has been a stand alone brand and in the Spring of 2018 it announced that future plans would focus on electric four wheel drive and hybrid versions.

The DS range owes much to the original Citroen DS which ran from 1955 to 1975 and that same emphasis on elegance, comfort and performance is right at the heart of the DS 7 Crossback.

Ian Lynas