FOLLOW THE LEADER
EVeR fancied being driven around in a car fit for a president? Well now you can, for the price of a family SUV. at his inauguration this week, new French President emmanuel Macron waved to the crowds through the sunroof of the new Ds7 Crossback, which will arrive in British showrooms next February.
Flanked by police outriders, Macron took to the boulevards of Paris in a fetching ‘ink blue’ version of the SUV.
The model is the first Ds off-roader since the marque became a standalone entity, rather than a slightly posher range of Citroens. But Ds limousines have long had an association with French presidential and government service.
Orders are now open for a limited edition version called la Premiere, which is priced at an ooh- la- la £ 42,000, with kit including active scan suspension to identify potholes and speed bumps ahead. There are also swivel headlamps, leather seats and lots of bling.
Prices for the full range, which can be ordered from December, start at just less than £30,000 for the five- seater SUV, which has an eight- speed automatic gearbox and a choice of a 2l BlueHDi 180 hp diesel engine or a 1.6l 220 hp petrol. After a year- long trial involving 10,000 customers, the aa has launched Car Genie, a device that predicts a third of breakdowns. The small black box plugs into the car’s electronic diagnostics system and reads what’s going on under the bonnet, transmitting details to the owner’s mobile phone. The system costs £29 a year to aa members.