It’s the little things...

Report 3 DS 7 Crossback £38,990 OTR/£41,640 as tested

When DS Automobiles was launched in 2014, the intention was to create a French or, more specifically, Parisienne automotive brand that could compete in the luxury sector. Trouble was, the likes of BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Jaguar were already positioned in that space and weren’t exactly holding the door open for new entrants.

As a consequence, DS has had to work hard on the details that make the DS 7 Crossback feel special – not all of them are entirely original but most of them are unusual to find on a sub-£40k car. For instance, we get an analogue clock on the dash, but it’s not just any old clock – it’s provided by French company BRM Chronographs (1). To put a BRM on your wrist will set you back around £4,000, so this neat piece of co-branding is very much in the intended French luxury vein. The clock folds back into the dash when you turn the power off, which adds bit of theatre, as do the dancing headlight bulbs

(2) that swivel and create a spectacular display when you unlock the car at night.

And talking of lighting, you also get branded ‘puddle lights’ (3), which only now are becoming common in this sector. There’s also some clever packaging with the false floor in the boot providing additional storage (4). To be fair, this isn’t an uncommon feature but, in the case of the DS 7, the parcel shelf fits neatly into the underfloor space when not required (5) and there’s a neat catch to keep the false floor raised when loading.

The driver’s seat massage (6) and electric reclining rear seats (7) are further welcome luxurious touches and fall into the ‘not expected on a car at this price’ category, but my absolutely favourite feature is night vision (8). Using infrared cameras, it will highlight passing pedestrians and animals, which might have otherwise been unseen, in yellow boxes on the driver’s display screen and ping at you if it considers them a hazard. It’s a neat feature and highly addictive with the nights drawing in.

DS has worked really hard with the 7 Crossback to create talking points, and I’m sure as the months pass I’ll discover more of these subtle ‘Easter eggs’ that add so much to the experience.