DS TO IMPRESS? (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 66

As the DS brand points out, beyond the motor industry, three of the world's top five luxury brands are French. Why shouldn't Gallic style be equally desirable when it comes to cars? You might think it is if you're prepared to consider this car, the DS brand's first bespoke design, the DS 7 Crossback, launched in 2017. How does it stack up as a used buy?

Modelsword count: 15

5dr SUV (1.2 petrol / 1.6 THP petrol Hybrid 4x4 / 1.5, 2.0 BlueHDi diesel)

Historyword count: 376

If you want a premium mid-sized SUV from the 2017-2022 period in the current market, you're not short of choice. But there's nothing quite like this, the DS 7 Crossback. We wouldn't blame you for being unfamiliar with the DS brand. Used on up-market Citroens in the 1950s, it was a nameplate re-introduced by that marque in 2010, before being announced by the company's PSA parent group as a stand-alone brand in 2014. For most of the next four years, DS models were little more than re-badged Citroens. This one though, launched in early 2018, was the company's first purpose-designed contender. Under the skin lay much that was shared with mid-sized Peugeots and Citroens, but it was all covered with a thick sheen of Gallic gloss that could represent a refreshing alternative to the Teutonic ambiance that tends to dominate amongst premium mid-sized SUV models of this sort from this period. The DS people were quite clever about this Crossover's sizing too, using the usual PSA Group EMP2 platform, but stretching it so as to give this car most of the interior space you'd find in a 'D'-segment premium SUV (think Audi Q5 or BMW X3) but at a price closer to that you'd pay for a 'C'-segment premium SUV contender (think Audi Q3 or BMW X1). There's a few signs of classic DS innovation too. Given the marque's heritage in pioneering suspension technology, it's appropriate that the highlight was a camera-driven active damping system that set new standards in this sector, recognising bumps and road undulations before you even reach them. Features like adaptive headlights and a 'DS Connected Pilot' package that gives you 'level 2' autonomous driving will be more familiar to buyers looking at the models of this kind, but this Crossback aimed to set itself apart with a uniquely sumptuous, tactile interior. The idea was to bring a bit of Louis Vuitton and Chanel to the mid-sized premium segment. Like the sound of that? Then maybe you ought to join us in checking out what's on offer here. The DS 7 Crossback sold in its original form until late-2022, when it was facelifted and renamed simply as the 'DS 7'. It's the 2017-2022-era DS 7 Crossback models though, we look at here.

What You Getword count: 393

The DS 7 Crossback's detailing is very nicely done, particularly at the front end, the look of which was inspired by the avant garde 'DS Divine' concept car of 2014. We particularly like the exotically intricate 'DS Active Vision' LED headlamps, which emit a purple light when the car is unlocked, before pivoting by 180-degrees - in a nod to the original Fifties DS model's clever swivelling front lights. The brand saves its boldest flourishes though, for the interior, which is intended to be an extrovert celebration of everything that's cutting edge in French fashion. Alcantara, open-pore wood inlays and leather feature in copious quantities appropriate to the Parisian-themed trim package chosen. Even the techno-fest that must rather incongruously fit in around all of this frippery can't escape the Louis Vuitton treatment. So the super-sized 12-inch infotainment touchscreen that struggles to fit in at the top of the centre stack gets a strange barrel-style crystal-like centre volume dial. And, like the 12-inch instrument binnacle TFT monitor, can be configured via a 'DS Sensorial Drive' feature to display its information in shades of either Cashmere or Titanium. Even for a six-footer sitting behind quite a lanky front seat occupant, the legroom on offer should be quite sufficient. Headroom too is fine, providing you haven't got the panoramic glass roof which restricts it a little. The floor is a little high though, forcing your knees a little further upwards than they would normally be. At least though, it doesn't feature the kind of prominent centre transmission tunnel you get with many rivals, which makes fitting in a middle-seat passenger a little easier than it would usually be. If there are only two of you, then the centre armrest can be folded down, revealing a couple of useful cupholders. As you'd expect, there are Isofix child seat mounts on the two outer seats, along with narrow door bins, twin USB ports, a storage cubby next to the twin central vents and netted seatback pockets. What else? Well the backrest reclines from 23 to 32-degrees in rake - electrically on the top model - which is nice for longer journeys. Unfortunately though, there's no sliding mechanism for the seat base, which is a pity. Out back, there's an impressively large 555-litre boot capacity - that's definitely more 'D'-segment than 'C'-segment. Capacity isn't compromised with the PHEV drivetrain.

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