When is a Citroen not a Citroen? When it’s a DS, of course

Citroen has decided to hive-off its DS brand in the hope of luring a more upmarket audience. Damien O’carroll reports.

Now, those of you with any sense of history will be rather startlingly confused by that, because the original DS one of the most legendary Citroens of all time. However, but Citroen see DS as such a strong brand with such recognition that, not only will it support a range of Ds-branded cars (as it has for the last few years), but it can also stand alone as a brand in its own right, distinctly separate from Citroen. Well, make that “kind of” separate in New Zealand, as the DS brand will still be sold through Citreon dealerships, just a selection of metro-based hand-picked ones that will sprout a small “DS salon” in one corner. While the French mothership would prefer a full-blown chain of Ds-specific dealerships, the fact that local distributor Sime Darby expects to sell around 100 vehicles in the first full year of stand-alone DS branding, that wouldn’t really be feasible. Citroen is positioning DS as a premium brand, and has a bold long-term goal for it to eventually be a key competitor to Audi in Europe. But what does that mean in New Zealand right now? Nothing quite so grand. As mentioned earlier, a handful of Citroen dealerships will sprout “DS salons”, with three in Auckland and one in Christchurch being the first. Hamilton will be following shortly. The range of DS cars is also short and to the point, consisting of three cars we are already familiar with, albeit with Citroen badges on the noses. Although, having said that, along with the new badges, the DS versions also get a new face. First up is the DS3 which, while not actually getting the new DS family nose (it will arrive with the next shipment of stock from France) is actually the most changed from its previous incarnation, as it now packs the excellent 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine previously seen in the Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4. The engine produces 81kw of power and 205Nm of torque, and is hooked up to an equally excellent six-speed automatic transmission. To say that it transforms the DS3 is a massive understatement, as the littlest DS finally now has an engine and transmission to match its fun dynamics and funky looks. Sime Darby has chosen to only take one high spec model of each car in the range, so the DS3 comes fully loaded and costs $42,990, with only Nappa leather as an option for $3,500. The DS4 is also a familiar car with a new, unfamiliar face. It also sprouts some extra exterior cladding as it transforms into the DS4 Crossback with extra SUV pretensions. The new SUV adds a bit more style to the DS4’S slightly odd coupe/suv exterior, while the new DS nose fits in well with the transformation. The DS4 comes to New Zealand with a 133kw/400nm two-litre diesel four-cylinder engine, and has a choice of two different style leather interiors – with no options – for $54,990. Lastly, the DS5 is also available with the same diesel engine as the DS4 (both hooked up to six-speed automatic transmissions), and is fully loaded, with no options left to tick for the customer. The DS5 costs $64,990. The DS5 actually loses out with the transition to the DS nose, and has lost a lot of its quirky charm with the move to a more conventional grille. While the DS3 benefits greatly from its new engine and transmission, the other two DS vehicles are more or less the same to drive as they were when they were Citroens, in other words, pleasant, but not without their idiosyncrasies. While they are very expensive for, well, old cars, they are fully loaded with equipment and all offer something outside the mainstream. Whether simply rebadging some existing cars and adding more equipment is enough to convince punters that it is a luxury brand will work remains to be seen. But then again the slew of new standalone DS models expected over the next decade may be more than enough to convince.