DS DS7 Crossback (2019): pictures, dates, prices
26.09.2018
- DS7 Crosssback E-Tense 4x4
- Driving report DS7 Diesel
- Prices and engines
- Sitzprobe
Although D S is a young brand as a classy offshoot of Citroën, it also has h already a hybrid past: until the beginning of 2017 the DS5 was available with a diesel hybrid drive including electric all-wheel drive. The brand, founded in 2015, is now showing a hybrid again: the DS7 Crossback E-Tense 4x4 has a petrol engine under the hood and an electric motor on the rear axle '>
Charging time and power
In contrast to its predecessor, the new DS-Hybrid is a plug-in hybrid that can also be charged from the socket. This is of course quicker via a wallbox: the 13.2 kWh battery with a 32 ampere connection should be able to be charged in 2 hours. At an 8-amp household socket, it takes eight hours until the empty lithium-ion battery is full again. While driving, the battery charges via the electric motor when braking and rolling. The gasoline engine can also generate electricity for charging.
220 hp and 220 km /h
The E-Tense has three engines in total: a four-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 1.6 liters and 200 hp and an electric motor each at the front and rear. The combustion engine is coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The front electric motor delivers 110 hp and 337 Nm to the front axle, the one on the rear axle also delivers 110 hp, but comes to 166 Nm. This means that the DS7 has electric all-wheel drive without a mechanical connection between the front and rear axle drives. If all three motors work together, the system generates 220 HP and over 450 Newton meters according to DS. The plug-in hybrid accelerates from zero to 100 km /h in 6.5 seconds. According to the WLTP, the electricity in the 120-kilogram battery should be enough for 50 electrically driven kilometers, while DS specifies the calculated consumption at 2.2 liters per 100 kilometers. That corresponds to 49 grams of CO2 /km. Electrically, the DS7 drives a maximum of 135 km /h, with a combustion engine it reaches 220 km /h.
Plug-in hybrid with 300 hp and all-wheel drive
Even if it only came on in mid-2019 the marketcomes, we were allowed to drive the E-Tense 4x4. Emergency stop switches and measuring equipment on the passenger side and in the trunk provide prototype flair. It starts. We choose the '4x4' mode which lets us run purely electrically. The thrust of the two 80 kW (110 PS) electric motors on the front and rear axles starts gently and allows a maximum of 110 km /h top speed. The DS7 with the 13 kWh battery is supposed to travel 50 kilometers in the standard cycle. But we switch to hybrid mode after just one lap. Now the 200 hp petrol engine is clearly audible and noticeable. Driven by the power of three engines, the DS7 sprints to 100 km /h in around seven seconds. This is fun, especially since the E-Tense circles the course from the start with no slip thanks to all-wheel drive. But the hybrid doesn't like curves either, around two tons of curb weight are clearly noticeable in the tight S-curves.
On course for growth with DS
News from PSA. No, this time it's not about Opel. DS, which until recently was still a name for slightly more noble Citroën, should establish itself as an independent brand and compete with the premium manufacturers. Because where the demands and the prices are slightly higher, the money is earned, as DS boss Yves Bonnefont clearly explains: The premium segment accounts for ten percent of the market, but one third of the profit. The French are also attracted by the growth forecast for the next five years: the overall market is expected to grow by 15 percent, the premium market by 50 percent. The market is growing and it is lucrative: Own models are worth it, especially since the range has ended with the DS5 in the middle class. An SUV - still a growth segment - has so far been missing.
DS7 for the first time in Geneva
That should come with the DS7 Crossback. The SUV premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in early March 2017. With it, DS is targeting Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC and Volvo XC60. At the same time, the French are asking for a little patience: Although customers were able to order the limited special series “La Premère” online in March, they won't get their car until February 2018.
Is it worth the wait? We took a close look at a pre-production model. From the front, the DS7 looks as confident and powerful as it should be for an SUV: the hexagonal grille and LED light graphics are already familiar from the DS E-Tense study. As soon as the driver opens the car, the LED elements in the headlights turn and light up red.
Simple design, elegant details
PSA /Wolfgang Groeger-Meyer
He has space, the DS7 and the quality impression is good.
Good spatial impression during the seat test
In the interior, the DS7 should offer at least as much space as the classy competition. At least in terms of the wheelbase, an important dimension for the interior, the DS lacks seven centimeters at 2.74 meters compared to the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. On the outside, a Q5 is nine centimeters longer, but the DS has installed the engine transversely. The first impression of the room in the 4.57 meter long DS7 is good. In the front you sit comfortably and in a good position in the car. At the back, long-legged people crouch a little too low on the low back seat. There are no problems with knee and headroom. The all-round view is restricted by wide D-pillars.
With elegant details against Audi & Co.
The pre-production model we are sitting in is made with generously laid nappa leather, Alcantara and a Metal look center console gives a high quality impression. Guilloche surfaces are intended to be reminiscent of the look of Breguet watches. The seats with their eye-catching surface also quote the leather straps of expensive watches. The watch of the DS7 - it comes from the French watch brand B.R.M. - sits above the ventilation nozzles and only swivels out when the start button is pressed. With the noble materials, the independent design and the two screens, the DS is clearly different from a Citroën. But the competition is tough, manufacturers like Audi or Volvo know something about noble interiors and it is precisely these brands that DS wants to chase away buyers. At the same time, a DS has to differ from technically identical and cheaper Peugeot and Citroën models.
Internally, the Peugeot 5008 is a possible DS7 competitor: Both SUVs are based on the EMP2 platform and have identical engines and similar in size. But while the Peugeot with a 130 hp three-cylinder is available for 26,700 euros, the cheapest DS7 with the same engine will cost around 30,000 euros. The Peugeot, like the DS, has a 12.3-inch instrument display and an eight-inch touchscreen for infotainment.In addition, the cheaper sister model is more practical: the rear is more angular, the roof is longer, so a third row of seats fits in the trunk. There is no such thing with the DS7. The variability also looks more conventional with folding and tiltable seat backrests.
Cockpit with two screens
Infotainment technology, the DS-SUV looks up to date: Even the basic model gets an 8- and a 12 inch screen. We're sitting in the Opera, which even has two 12-inch screens. Diamond-shaped displays in the 12-inch instrument display indicate speed, engine speed and destination. The central screen can be operated with your fingers, and smartphones can be connected via Android Auto, Apple Carplay and Mirror Link.
PPE
The buttons and switches are easily accessible, the right hand falls exactly on the selector lever of the eight-speed automatic. In the base there will be six gears that the driver can shift manually. Metal inlays enhance the center console, they look very valuable despite the pre-series and give the tall center console with its recessed switches a very technical look.
PPE
The top diesel with 180 hp costs at least 39,790 euros. 'Chic', 'Be Chic' and 'So Chic' are available as equipment lines.
