DS Automobiles, this new car brand that has historically formed a sort of luxury offshoot of Citroën cars, now presents itself as a separate entity. However, its current automotive creation continues its historical roots and is full of imagination and originality.
The first "swallow" car with which the DS brand presents itself in modern times is the currently tested DS 7 Crossback, a representative of the SUV category. The DS 7 Crossback with a 16-cylinder gasoline engine, an eight-speed automatic and GRAND CHIC equipment became the concrete, tested piece.
Imaginative exterior
As for the basic shape of the body, we have a fairly "classic" car in the SUV category. However, the DS 7 impresses with detail, mainly in the treatment of the front and rear parts. The relatively voluminous front mask is softened by its discreet division and chrome edging. Another big theme of the front part is its headlights. The performance that takes place after unlocking the car, when the individual "rotation modules" effectively and gradually turn 180 degrees, is simply very effective.
An interesting and original element is the line of daytime running lights, its continuity is interrupted by a diamond motif that permeates the design of the entire car. The result is a clearly recognizable and well-classifiable light signature of the front part of the car. Daytime lighting then acts as a dashed line, which will certainly be appreciated by more than one civil engineer, please don't take me seriously :-).
The rear section impresses with a continuous chrome line, which incorporates horizontal taillights with a spatial effect. Again, their treatise carries great detail. The lower part of the rear is then dominated by two full-sized, voluminous and vertically oriented exhaust tips.
The side profile of the car is quite calm and moderate. I suppose for the sake of soothing the feelings that the front and rear of the new DS has evoked in you, or is yet to evoke.
The interior is interlaced with a rhombus
After sitting in the car, you will be amazed by its richness and pleasant workmanship. The dashboard is effectively "merged" with the massive central panel. Only the large on-board infotainment display and the fully digital instrument cluster in front of the driver emerge from the continuous dashboard. The on-board infotainment display is thus placed in a very solitary position, which is very pleasant both from an aesthetic and user point of view. Its size (12 inches) is then optically expanded with dark black and glossy edging. In its lower part, it has a bar with individual controllers for the air conditioning, radio, navigation or a controller that activates the car settings or the atmosphere selection, a truly compact and elegant solution.
The ever-present motif of the rhombus has made its way into the graphics of both displays. The infotainment display can handle it very well, but I didn't really like this theme in the instrument cluster. The alarm clocks are confusing and maybe a bit "fair" for my taste. That's probably my only complaint about the interior. On the contrary, I would like to praise the spaciousness of the seats, which also have a massage function in the front positions, while the rear positions also offer an electronically folding backrest.
An interesting feature of the sophisticated interior is the BRM R180 hand clock, which is hidden in the dashboard. After starting the car, they are then implemented on the dashboard, as otherwise than by turning.
The DS 7 Crossback will offer a very rich interior that looks good and, after you get used to the placement of some controls, also works well.
Motorization
The DS 7 Crossback is currently on sale in both gasoline and diesel engines , and will also offer a choice in the selection of the transmission itself. So there is both a manual and an eight-speed automatic transmission available. For the test, I earned the most powerful turbocharged gasoline engine with a volume of 1.6 liters and an output of 165 kW, which cooperated with an eight-speed automatic from the Aisin brand.
The motorization tested was characterized by adequate and sufficient performance, without any indication of turbocharging. Its continuous pull was supported by a very well-shifting eight-speed automatic. I would also like to praise the drive unit for its refined and quiet expression, and the automatic transmission for the combination of individual gear stages. Freeway speed and eighth gear result in revs just above two thousand. On the consumption side, here I confess that I indulged in more dynamic driving. This was not "unfortunately" foreign to the DS 7 at all, and the consumption was then above 8 l/100km.
Drive
DS cars are equipped with the DS ACTIVE SCAN SUSPENSION system, where there is a certain cooperation between the front camera and the adaptive chassis. The camera scans the surface in front of the car and the adaptive chassis is able to react to the current surface in front of the car thanks to the available information. The entire system then works up to a speed of 130 km/h.
The chassis of the DS is very soft and comfortable. Although the car stands on the same platform as other PSA cars of the given category, it is the only one with independent rear wheel suspension, and this had a very positive effect on its driving comfort. The choice of driving modes is then a matter of course. You can choose from Eco mode, through Comfort, Normal to Sport mode. Sports mode then stiffens the entire vehicle, quite decently. A sharper reaction to the gas or a sportier gear shift is then complemented by a fake sound coming from the corresponding good-sounding Focal Electra audio system.
In conclusion
DS 7 Crossback, I originally thought it was a "cool" dude who tries to impress you with his distinctive exterior. But after a week's editorial test, I had to change my mind. Yes, its exterior design is distinctive in certain areas and may seem overpriced to some. But if you focus on the individual details, you will find that nothing is happening here in the first place. The same can be said about the interior itself, which is again very distinctive, yet practical and comfortable. I also have to praise the chassis itself, which is set up very comfortably.
Therefore, the DS brand currently offers us a unique and original car that offers a great deal of extravagance combined with a pleasant driving performance and a comfortable interior.
You can then purchase the DS 7 Crossback from CZK 895,000 including VAT, in the basic version with a turbocharged 15-litre diesel engine, a manual six-cylinder and PERFORMANCE Line equipment. The car tested by me equipped with a 165kW turbocharged petrol engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission and the highest GRAND CHIC equipment can be purchased from CZK 1,215,000 including VAT.
