Dark horse
Goodbye DS 7 Crossback £38,990 OTR/£41,640 as tested
When you consider that four of the world’s top five luxury brands – Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès and Cartier – are French*, it’s perhaps surprising that the Germans (and to a lesser extent the Brits, Japanese and Swedes) have had it their own way in the premium car category for so long.
DS Automobiles is France’s attempt to redress the balance, and with the DS 7 Crossback, DS has had a pretty good stab at taking it to Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Jaguar and the like. Personally, I wish DS had taken more risks with the exterior styling, as one expects a certain degree of inspired madness from the DS brand. However, there are elements of brilliance in the interior and, over our six months together, I’ve discovered plenty of quirky features that make the car feel a little bit special.
For starters, there’s a massive – almost foot-wide – integrated screen that doesn’t look like the bolted-on iPad you find in so many of its rivals, and French watchmaker BRM has provided the clock, which pops up from the dash when you switch on the ignition. The interior is beautifully designed with DS’s trademark diamond shape a recurring theme and, although the materials aren’t quite Audi quality, they aren’t far off.
Harking back to the original Citroen DS, you get active headlights that put on a wonderful welcoming display when you unlock the car at night, and active scan suspension which cleverly monitors the road in front and instantly adjusts the car’s damping accordingly. And then there are the numerous features such as front seat massage (‘cat paw’ is a personal favourite setting) and night vision that one simply wouldn’t expect to find in a £40k car.
Talking of night vision, it’s interesting that the camera will clearly read the model badge of the car in front, but not the numberplate. Some sort of data protection law at play, perhaps?
Regardless, I didn’t expect to enjoy the DS Crossback as much as I have, but it’s a car that has constantly surprised over our seven months together. I know it’ll be hard to talk you out of your BMWs, Mercedes and Audis but the DS 7 Crossback is definitely worth thinking about if you fancy something a bit different.