First drive: the redesigned DS7.

Polishing with a machete

After establishing itself as the representative vehicle for customers looking for luxury without falling into the stigmas of the old luxury brands, DS turns to pepper its most important model

Kenan Cohen

09/22/2022

Thursday, September 22, 2022, 12:10 Updated: 12:44

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The new DS7 (manufacturer)

The DS7 is not only the first to bear the logo of the independent luxury division when it was introduced in 2017, but also the oldest in its range and more importantly for the manufacturer - the best seller, with 42% of all brand sales.

For a company trying to carve its way into the hearts of luxury customers, this is a real asset, one that if and when it wants to grow up (rule of thumb - the more expensive the car, the more profit the manufacturer makes) - this customer base will serve as a basis for the next jump.

Or as they say in the manipulator level - base of fire - base of progress.

Not that meanwhile DS is progressing anywhere.

I ask Antony Derville, DS's head of PR, how is it possible that a brand named after Citroen's historic flagship car, the goddess whose aura illuminated the entire manufacturer - in fact it is walking around today without a senior flagship car of its own - one that would be ennobled by its desirability over the rest the brand.

Darville squirms a bit and then admits that it's definitely a missing ingredient in the DS mix.

Will there be in the future?

Maybe, there are thoughts about it.

But in the meantime you need to establish yourself, build an audience that will want this car.

That's the role of the DS7.

New lighting units and curved daytime running lights in the bumper (photo: manufacturer's website)

The facelift of the DS7 can and should be divided into three parts.

External, internal and mechanical.

In the first outer part, there are three differences.

One meaningful, two semantic.

What is significant is the use of new lighting units, not only the daytime running lights that are curled in the bumper, but also the headlights that display matrix lighting using 3 rows of 28 LED bulbs.

The other two changes concern a different grill, changing the inscription of the model name on the back and as usual in facelifts small design refinements.

In the interior, the main, important and necessary change is in the multimedia system, which receives a thorough treatment, not just a skimming of graphics and display updates, but the newest version that the manufacturer has to offer and that the DS4 injury.

A 12-inch screen with a sharper resolution, a faster processor, voice activation option, customization of the display on the different screens and above all a very simple interface for the user.

Much more comfortable than the one that was there before.

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More than different graphics, the multimedia system is completely new and significantly better than before (photo: manufacturer website)

The rest of the cabin is the one we got to know from the DS7 Crossback.

It has mind-blowing things like excellent material quality, outstanding assembly quality and meticulous attention to small details from the stamping of the metal-like parts to the pearl stitching.

There are good things in themselves, but that we would be happy to see improved like the seats which are comfortable but sitting on them is too much "on" and not "in".

And it has crazy things like the location of the window switches on the center console that really, DS, you don't need to be special in power... I understand that you are very limited in what you can change with a facelift, but come on, let's really leave that behind us.

The space in the back was and remains one of its strengths against competitors such as the Lexus NX, Audi Q3, Volvo XC40 and the like.

Here, too, the quality of the materials is very good and there is no this phenomenon of a decrease in the level of performance as you go back.

In the field of safety systems, there is automatic braking, warning of a vehicle in a "dead zone", adaptive cruise control with traffic sign reading, and there is also a camera on the steering wheel that monitors the movements of the driver's head and eyes to detect inattention and an infrared system for night vision - a very unusual event outside of the world's elite Luxury.

Thorough attention to the smallest details, this is also a luxury (photo: manufacturer's website)

The main mechanical change, which we also chose to experiment with at the launch, is the integration of a new and muscular engine to the supply.

The combine: gasoline 1.6 liter turbo and 200 hp and an electric motor 110 hp for the front wheels and in addition to that, an electric motor with 113 horses for the rear wheels.

The business is of course plug-in, and the 14.2 kWh batteries should carry it up to about 60 km declared on electric power.

The shared power is 360 hp, the shared drive is double and the box (not shared, only for the front wheels) is a planetary 8 gear ratio.

And while all this business also piles weight on its EMP2 platform and it's already touching 1.9 tonnes, when it leaves the scene it scurries resolutely forward.

5.6 seconds to 100 is very nice for a crossover that is distinctly not sporty.

Even the intermediate accelerations release him with surprising agility.

It's there at the exit to the detour, it's there between bends on the mountain road above Nice.

An element that stands out in it and is quite rare in other plug-in cars is the fact that even when the batteries run out of power, it still leaves an electric reserve to maintain good performance and does not become a huge weight that relies only on the gasoline engine.

The 360 ​​hp plug-in engine provides it with excellent thrust and performance (photo: manufacturer's website)

But this is more than adding muscle to the business, but also a better calibration of the whole package in the dynamic aspect by the members of DS Performance, some of them also migrated here from Peugeot's sports division, they don't have a lot of work there after the elimination of the 308 and 208 GTI and truly forbidden for such talents.

Indeed, after a few turns on the winding road it is surprising to discover a package with determination in the entrance to the front, stability in the rest of it and only when you really exaggerate with rapid changes of direction can you feel that the rears are not restrained enough.

The brakes are reassuring, after the initial stroke that lacks bite they are very powerful and with excellent feel - but all of these are in a place that no typical DS driver is likely to reach.

A note for the agenda: the gearbox here already needs to be updated, it was good when it was introduced a few years ago, but is already less impressive.

In his specific case, the electric motor covers up its sloppy operation, what would cars be like without this reinforcement?

Very surprising in its dynamic ability (photo: manufacturer's website)

What's more, with all the desire to make it such, the price it pays is precisely in its traditional strength - the comfort of the ride.

Widening the wheel arches, lowering the body, and tuning the sportier shock absorbers did it good dynamically, but harmed its ride comfort, which was mainly reflected in the difficulty of neutralizing small disturbances and at slow speed.

There, the adaptive dampers and his road scanning camera no longer work the magic we remember from him.

And to add insult to injury the launch cars also wore 35 gauge tires on 21 inch rims, I tell you, someone needs to call Pierre Ventil - DS's tire chief, he needs to do some explaining.

Precisely on the basic feature of this model - the comfort of the ride, this version gives up (photo: manufacturer's website)

Summary

Facelifts for models are naturally opportunities to assign repairs to an existing model, they are not a spontaneous event but a structured and pre-planned part of a car's life cycle.

However, for those who do not know how the car industry works, it should be explained, there is a limit to what can be done here.

Mistakes or unsuccessful execution at the basic level such as the placement of window switches or visibility - this is not something that can be done with a facelift.

On the face of it, it seems that DS did what they could to polish the DS7 in the points that were important to touch on - because the DS7 is a very good vehicle in its own right.

He just had to refresh the appearance with a look that transmits more prestige and sophistication, improve the multimedia system in terms of operation and add a powerful end version, which will show the competitors that it also knows how to pull nails.

The other lighting units were renewed as well (photo: manufacturer's website)

The problem is that on the way there, and specifically in the 360 ​​hp dual-wheel drive version that should be at the end of the range, it lost a bit of focus regarding its core values ​​of refinement and ride comfort. Maybe it's the fault of the cars' equipment at the launch with performance packages that stiffen the ride and that stupid set of wheels, And maybe the DS should have saved the show of muscle for that halo car that the brand lacks so much and left the 7 to do what it's good at.

To Israel, the renewed DS should arrive in the first quarter of 2023. Even if there are no additional surprises in the price segment and in light of the expected increase in taxation on plug-in cars - its price should already reach around NIS 400,000 in this version.

Still significantly cheaper than the competitors that offer these levels of performance and equipment, but definitely a price environment that was not known for the DS in the past.

The importer understands that this is a challenge, but also relies on the fact that past experience teaches them that these are precisely the top and most expensive versions that sell more with them.

They just have to hope it stays that way.

On the back is a logo and the full name of the manufacturer (photo: manufacturer's website)

On the technical side: DS7 plug-in 4X4 360

Engine, drive: turbo gasoline, hybrid-charged, double

Volume: 1.6 liters

Power (hp): 360 (combined)

Torque (kgm): 53 (combined)

Gearbox: automatic, 8 gears

Dimensions:

length (cm): 459

Width (cm): 189

Height (cm): 163

Wheelbase (cm): 274

Trunk (liters): 541

Performance:

Acceleration 0-100: 5.6 seconds

Maximum speed : 235 km/h

Competitors:

Lexus NX, Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, BMW X1

Price:

not yet determined

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Tags

• ds

• DS7

• Crossover

• premium

• prestige