Stylish crossover that really is brand new . . .

cooled premium electric leather seats, 360 degree camera, remote power tailgate, 12 inch infotainment touchscreen, premium sound system, wireless smartphone charging and a raft of safety and driving aids.

There is still a certain amount of Citroen-inspired quirkiness, like the art-deco clock which arises from atop the dashboard on start-up and the square instrument binnacle dials.

And it has that Citroen glide in the ride. Although there were sport and eco drive modes, I spent most of the week wafting along in comfort setting, which is definitely where this car is at its best. In sport things get noisier and a bit more frantic - but progress seems little improved.

Adding to the comfort was the fact that our test car had top of the line Opera trim meaning the best materials and finishes which, say DS, were inspired by the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris!

Facts and figures wise the 1997cc, four-cylinder diesel was surprisingly quiet from inside the car and delivered up to 64mpg very impressive for such a large vehicle. Also 62 comes up in a respectable 9.9 seconds and the top speed is 134.

Despite our car being the top of the range it also came with a few options fitted including the DS night vision pack (an extra £1,100), which proved very effective on dark country lanes - using the infrared camera in the nose an enhanced view of the dark road ahead is displayed on the centre of the instrument binnacle. This new technology is said to improve overall visibility for 300m in front of the vehicle and can identify pedestrians and larger animals, highlighting moving hazards on the display in red.

The DS 7 is very comfortable, very stylish, fairly frugal and reasonably fast - so what is there not to like? Well the price may be an issue for some as our top line test car (with extras) comes in at £45,399 - although the DS 7 range starts from a shade over £28,000 for the entry level Elegance version.

And I had a couple of minor gripes as you cannot see the cruise control lever when driving and it stopped working altogether after a while, displaying the message ‘conditions unsuitable.’ Also the sat-nav appears to be very postcode unfriendly, but these may have been down to operator error and could no doubt be solved by diving into the comprehensive driver’s handbook.

So, if you are looking for a slightly quirky alternative to the mainstream large SUV/Crossovers on offer then the DS 7 could be just the car for you.

More information at www. dsautomobiles.co.uk