DS 7 E-TENSE 4x4 300 review

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The DS 7 offers a different way to go for 'D'-segment luxury SUV buyers. Especially in this plug-in E-TENSE form. Jonathan Crouch drives the improved E-TENSE 300 variant.

Ten Second Review

The DS 7 E-TENSE 4x4 300 represents this luxury French brand's more distinctive take on what a 'D'-segment luxury plug-in SUV should be. It can take you up to 42 miles without emitting any CO2, theoretically manage 250mpg, sprint to sixty in under six seconds and even extricate you from a muddy carpark on your annual trip to Glastonbury. In short, it's a bit special - and is styled that way too.

Background

Looking at the various electrified alternatives the current car-buying customer now has on offer, it's sometimes hard not to think that the plug-in hybrid option is arguably the best. Mild hybrid tech doesn't make much difference to overall efficiency figures. And full-electric models still carry the scourge of 'range anxiety'. So being able to plug in to extend the range of a conventional petrol engine with a lithium-ion battery charge makes as much sense now as it did when we first saw plug-in models hit the market, nearly a decade ago.

When it comes to SUVs, you'll generally need a mid-sized or larger one to be able to specify plug-in technology. The Stellantis Group makes a number of the various 'C'-segment SUVs that offer it - cars like hybrid versions of the Peugeot 3008, the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Vauxhall Grandland. Plus the French conglomerate has also used the same tech for a slightly larger, more luxurious model that sits in the 'D'-segment just above - this car, the DS 7 E-TENSE 4x4, which we're looking at here in mid-range '300' form, a car now usefully improved.

Driving Experience

Unlike the DS brand's smaller electrified model, the DS 3 E-TENSE, this car isn't a full-electric SUV. Instead, a 200hp 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine beats beneath the bonnet, its efforts now boosted by a larger 14.2kWh battery that in the '300' version powers an accompanying pair of 109hp electric motors which together boost total power output up to 300hp. That equates to a useful 450Nm of torque, which is transmitted to the tarmac via an eight-speed auto gearbox. 62mph from rest occupies 5.9s. When fully charged, this car can cover up to 42 WLTP-rated miles in zero emission form, though you won't go anywhere like that far if you explore the possibility for an 83mph all-electric top speed.

There are four drive modes available. 'Electric' is the default setting, which sees functioning only using its electric motors. More commonly, you'll be running in 'Hybrid mode', which sees the electric motors and the engine efficiently working together. If you're pressing on, you'll use 'Sport' mode, which is engine-only. This is a 4x4 model and if you're off piste, you can make the most of that by engaging a '4WD' setting which activates the rear axle for all-wheel drive.

So how does it all work in practice? Well as you might expect, the extra weight of all this electrified kit (around 400kgs) is certainly noticeable once you start pushing along a bit through the corners. But this is really only significantly evident once you start driving the car in a manner that few likely owners never will. Better to throttle back and enjoy the superb ride comfort and refinement and the relaxed, loping refined demeanour that suits this Gallic contender best.

Design and Build

Visual differentiation points setting this E-TENSE variant apart from more conventional models in the range are few. There's special badging. And this electrified variant can be had in this exclusive 'Pearl Crystal' paint shade. That's about it.

This revised DS 7 gets a restyled front end, with slimmer 'DS PIXEL LED VISION 3.0' headlamps and 'DS LIGHT VEIL' daytime running lights. The DS WINGS and the grille are larger and the valance has been redesigned with a range of colours depending on the model.

The slimmer scale-like LED rear lights with a vortex effect have also been redesigned with a dark metallic finish. And the boot lid and badge have been reworked with sharper lines, while DS AUTOMOBILES lettering replaces the previous 'CROSSBACK' badge to sign off the visually stretched rear section. The wheels are new too, with redesigned 19-inch rims for the usual models and more exclusive 21-inchers for the top E-TENSE 4x4 360 version.

Inside, there's smarter upholstery, with specifically draped Nappa leather on the dashboard and door panels. The 12-inch high-resolution centre touchscreen has been redesigned too, now featuring a menu made up of widgets for accessing all its functions with a single movement: for controlling the connected navigation, the ventilation, the digital audio sources and journey information. As before, the cabin design is intended to be an extrovert celebration of everything that's cutting edge in French fashion. Alcantara, open-pore wood inlays and leather feature in copious quantities appropriate to the Parisian-themed trim package you've chosen. Even the techno-fest that must rather incongruously fit in around all of this frippery can't escape the Louis Vuitton treatment. So the centre screen gets a strange barrel-style crystal-like centre volume dial. And, like the 12-inch instrument binnacle TFT monitor, can be configured via a 'DS Sensorial Drive' feature to display its information in shades of either Cashmere or Titanium.

Rear seat space is good; even for a six-footer sitting behind quite a lanky front seat occupant, the legroom on offer should be quite sufficient. The backrest reclines from 23 to 32-degrees in rake - electrically on this top model - which is nice for longer journeys. Unfortunately though, there's no sliding mechanism for the seat base, which is a pity. What you can't have with this Plug-in variant is this model line's usual third seating row.

In compensation, out back, the boot of this electrified model is exactly the same size as that of a conventionally-engined five-seat model, 555-litres in size. Which is massively better than the restricted 395-litres you'd get in a directly comparable Audi Q5 TFSIe.

Market and Model

The case for plug-in hybrid powertrains can seem quite compelling - or at least it would be if this technology was more affordable. In the case of the DS 7 E-TENSE, it adds around £12,500 to the cost of an equivalent BlueHDi diesel model, a not insignificant premium. Though when you get right down to it, the cost of this car isn't actually very much higher than Peugeot is asking for the directly equivalent version of its Hybrid 4WD 3008. To be specific, prices for the DS 7 E-TENSE 4x4 300 start from around £52,000, a sum which buys you the most affordable 'Performance Line' variant. There's a more affordable 2WD E-TENSE 225 version available for around £5,000 less, which also comes with base 'Performance Line' trim from around £44,000. These figures are roughly in line with what you'd pay for direct competitors like Audi's Q5 TFSIe and the Volvo XC60 Recharge T8.

All versions of this model get big 19-inch wheels and 'DS Active LED Vision' headlamps that adapt to road conditions and feature high beam assist. Inside, also standard are the two large cockpit screens - the 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster and the 12-inch centre-dash infotainment screen that incorporates voice recognition and 'DS Connect Navigation'. Amongst other things, mid-range models get the clever 'DS Active Scan' suspension system. And an upgraded 'Rivoli' trimming package that uses premium quilted Nappa leather and diamond-shaped decorative features. This top 'Ultra Prestige' variant features a special 'Opera' interior trimming package with a stitched leather dash, a panoramic glass roof, a premium FOCAL HiFi system and larger 20-inch wheels.

Cost of Ownership

As with rival plug-in models in this segment, the efficiency figures here are certainly eye-catching. There's a 42 mile WLTP-rated electrified driving range. The WLTP mixed fuel consumption figure is rated at 250.0mpg. And the WLTP CO2 reading is 28g/km. The DS engineers reckon that even running the car in its more usual 'Hybrid mode' (whether the engine and the battery work together) you should still average under 50g/km. All of this assumes you keep the car fully charged. If you drift into using it just in petrol-powered form, your returns will drop like a stone.

But let's assume you're fully bought into making full use of the electrified tech. On the move, energy is regenerated whenever the driver decelerates or uses the brakes, which extends the battery range. Another function, 'E-SAVE', also allows the driver to generate enough energy to drive in all-electric mode for the last 6 or 12 miles of a journey. The map on the centre-dash touchscreen shows to the driver in real time the distance which can be driven in the car's full-battery 'Electric' mode or where charging stations are available nearby. You'll need to spend rather a lot of time in 'Electric' if you're to get anywhere close to the official efficiency figures. Charging time for the 4x4 models, empty to full with a 7.4kW garage wallbox, is 1 hour 55 minutes. The E-TENSE 225 variant can only charge at up to 3.7kW, so needs almost twice as long - 3 hours 45 minutes. With all E-TENSE models, you'll need six and a half hours with a traditional 3-pin domestic socket.

What else? Well, a little annoyingly, the fuel tank is 20-litres smaller than it is in a conventionally-engined DS 7: blame battery packaging for that. Still, enjoy the tech. Through a provided 'MyDS' app, you can programme or switch on charging and follow your car's state of charge on your smartphone. The warranty is an unremarkable three year/60,000-mile package.

Summary

This car will be vanishingly rare. But then so are its direct competitors from Volvo and Audi. Perhaps incredibly, we're still some way from the financial tipping point that sees plug-in petrol engines make more sense than smoky diesels. Which is a pity because cars like this ought to be selling in greater numbers by now. Governments should be incentivising them. And manufacturers should by now have worked out a way to produce the technology more cheaply.

But none of this has yet been sorted, so we are where we are. And where we are in this case is in a slightly different space than that occupied by competitor models from Audi and Volvo in this segment. The DS 7 E-TENSE has a more distinctive feel than those cars. Not one that'll suit everyone, but if you're sold into plug-in tech, want a luxury 'D'-segment SUV and likely the thought of something a little different, then this is where you might like to start your search.