The DS 7 Crossback, a car from the portfolio of the French premium brand, kept me company the whole week before last. I already had a positive experience with this car while testing its petrol version . Now, however, I have a diesel variant with an eight-speed automatic and the highest GRAND CHIC equipment.
Decent exterior and autumn gold finish
The DS 7 Crossback in its basic forms is quite a classic car in the SUV category. Its robustness is then clearly visible from its external proportions. However, DS 7 will appeal to you with a discussion of individual details. The front part has a voluminous front mask, which is softened by its structure and distinctive chrome edging, which also runs very discreetly under the front lamps. Front lamps, that's a big theme, the performance that takes place after unlocking the car, when the individual "rotating modules" effectively and gradually turn 180 degrees, is simply very effective. Another interesting element of the front part is the line of daytime running lights. This is interrupted by a diamond motif, which also permeates the entire design of the car.
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, unfortunately fake, voluminous and vertically oriented exhaust tips for this engine.
The side profile of the DS 7 Crossback feels very calm, moderate and decent. It is enlivened "only" by beautiful 20-inch wheels.
The overall exterior concept of the DS 7 is therefore very catchy and eccentric, so it may not be to everyone's taste, but I personally like it.
Imaginative and comfortable interior
At first glance, the interior of the car is very rich, imaginative and well-made. I like the continuous connection of the dashboard with the massive center panel. Only the on-board infotainment display stands out from this basic level. Its size (12 inches) is then optically expanded with dark black and shiny edging. The lower part of the display has a bar with individual controls for the air conditioning, radio, navigation or a controller for activating the car settings or the atmosphere selection, a truly compact and elegant solution.
The fully digital instrument cluster and its graphics have a diamond motif, which blends into the entire interior of the DS 7. Unfortunately, this motif did not suit me the least in the graphics
Another interesting feature of the sophisticated interior is the BRM R180 hand clock, which is hidden in the dashboard. After starting the car, they turn around like the front headlights and are realized on the dashboard.
The seats in the car are also definitely worthy of praise, so you will find spacious and comfortable seats in the front positions, which are also equipped with a massage function, and the rear positions will offer an electrically folding backrest.
The interior of the Crossback is therefore imaginative, well-made and after you get used to the fact that the controls for lowering the windows are located on the center panel and work well.
DS 7 Crossback with diesel under the hood
The DS 7 Crossback is currently available in both gasoline and diesel engines, and will also offer a choice in the selection of the transmission itself. So there is both a six-speed manual and an eight-speed automatic transmission available.
The 1.6 PureTech petrol engine is offered in two performance variants, these are engines with 180 or 225 horsepower. The diesel is then available in the 1.5 BlueHDi (130 hp) or 2.0 BlueHDi (180 hp) variants.
I have therefore currently submitted the last-named, i.e. diesel 2.0 BlueHDi engine, to an editorial test. The turbocharged two-liter diesel is well known to me from previously tested PSA cars. This drive unit will offer an adequate 130 kW of power and a very pleasant 400 Nm of torque. The diesel character of this unit is quite noticeable in the cabin, compared to the quiet performance of the gasoline engine. As usual, however, I have to praise the eight-speed automatic and its cooperation with the drive unit, and it doesn't matter if it's diesel or gasoline. So diesel loses plus points due to higher acoustic noise compared to gasoline, but where it clearly scores points is consumption. During the weekly test, it hovered at a very pleasant value of around 6.6 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. It is possible to choose from the Eco mode, through Comfort, Normal, Sport to the mode with manual shifting. Sports mode then stiffens the entire vehicle, quite decently. A sharper response to the gas or a sportier gear shift will also complement the false sound coming from the corresponding good-sounding Focal Electra audio system. I then mostly switched between the Comfort modes, where the vehicle is pleasantly rocking (and surprisingly very comfortable) and the Sport mode.
In conclusion
You can buy the DS 7 Crossback from CZK 895,000 including VAT, in the basic version with a turbocharged diesel engine, a manual six-speed manual and PERFORMANCE Line equipment. The car currently tested by me equipped with a turbocharged two-liter diesel engine with an output of 130 kW, an eight-speed automatic transmission and the highest GRAND CHIC equipment can be purchased from CZK 1,190,000 including VAT.
The DS 7 Crossback is a "French premium car" that confidently entered the category of luxury SUVs. Her ambitions are then clearly visible and easy to read. It tries to appeal to its potential customers with an attractive and original exterior concept, it also offers a well-crafted and comfortable interior and, in the currently tested version, an adequately potent and quite economical drive unit.
