DS 7 Review (2023-present)
DS DS 7 cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Striking design inside and out
Well equipped
Practical, especially when compared to other PHEVs
Cons
Flamboyant interior design causes some ergonomic issues
Patchy interior quality
Many rivals are better to drive
The CarGurus verdict
If you look at the DS 7 purely as an alternative to the Audi Q5, BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC, then it struggles to convince. It doesn’t have the quality, consistency, comfort or the dynamic polish of its rivals, and you’ll probably have to spend your whole life with the car explaining to people what it is. Even so, it still displays eye-catching design inside and out, impressive equipment levels and really strong practicality.
However, bearing in mind that most DS 7s are plug-in hybrids, it makes far more sense when you compare it with the equivalent versions of its rivals. It offers more choice for one thing, with three PHEV powertrains where most rivals have only one, and it also gives you a considerably bigger boot than any of its plug-in competitors. Company car drivers will enjoy considerable tax benefits, and because the DS’s list prices are a bit less than the competition, despite having more standard kit, the savings stand to be even bigger. In short, although the DS 7 won’t suit a lot of drivers, there are a few for whom it'll make a great deal of sense.
What is the DS 7?
Not a vast departure from the DS7 Crossback that was released in 2017, to be honest. Indeed, this new 2023 car has only received a minor facelift over that car, with a subtly restyled exterior, a few bits of new technology and the addition of a new range-topping powertrain. So why, you may well ask, have we written a whole new review for the facelifted car, rather than just update the old one? Well, because in its wisdom, DS has decided to change the name of the car by dropping the ‘Crossback’ bit, meaning the car is now simply called the DS 7. And so, we thought writing a new review might help avoid confusion.
Whatever the name, the basic recipe of the DS 7 remains the same. On the one hand, this thoroughly Gallic take on the mid-size luxury SUV looks appealingly glamorous and different, making it really stand out against all the conservative, same-again German offerings in the sector. It also has lots of cabin space, a pleasant interior, generous equipment, and with no fewer than three plug-in hybrid powertrains, there’s plenty of choice for environmentally responsible drivers and tax-conscious company car drivers alike.
Plenty to like, then, but while the DS 7 is unquestionably a more interesting car than the Audi Q5s and BMW X3s with which it aims to compete, it’s also not as popular. There are some valid reasons for that, which we’ll touch on in this review. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that, for those who like to be a bit different in life, a DS 7 could just suit them quite well.
How Practical is it?
DS claims that the 7 is a car the costs about the same as and Audi Q3 or BMW X1, but is the size of a Q5 or an X3. Even compared with the bigger car, this is an area in which the DS 7 impresses, but could nevertheless do better. Let’s begin in the boot, where the 555-litre loadspace is bang-on with those of class-leading rivals such as rivals such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. That’s not the full story, though, especially for buyers looking for a plug-in hybrid car. You see, most plug-in hybrids lose a vast amount of boot space compared with combustion-engined versions of the same car, because the batteries have to live under the boot floor. And while that’s the case for PHEV versions of the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Jaguar F-Pace and more, the DS 7 is different in that it gets exactly the same size boot no matter which powertrain you pick (indeed, three of the four powertrains on offer are PHEVs). So, when you compare the plug-in DS 7’s loadspace with those of its PHEV-powered rivals, it absolutely dwarfs them, which is a considerable trump card.
Like we mentioned, it’s not perfect. There’s a sizeable step down from the load lip to the boot floor, and when you fold the rear seats down to maximise load-carrying capacity, there’s a similar step up to the backs of the folded seats, which also lie at an awkward angle. There’s no underfloor storage for your charging cables, either, meaning they have to travel in the main part of the boot. Almost all of these shortcomings would be immediately solved by a moveable boot floor, but inexplicably, one isn’t provided.
The rear seats are surrounded by plenty of headroom and legroom, so even tall passengers will travel comfortably, and a wide middle seat means that carrying three in the back isn’t out of the question, either. Even so, the rear seats aren’t as versatile as they are in some rivals because they don’t slide or recline, and they’re split 60/40 rather than 40/20/40.
When in comes to how appealing the interior is, the DS 7 is something of a mixed bag. The interior design – with its art deco diamond theme running throughout – is certainly different to that of any other rival, but whether or not it’s any more likeable will be a matter of personal taste. Many will find that the design causes ergonomic issues, with many of the various switches (most notably those for the electric windows) looking identical to others, with only very subtle markings to distinguish them.
Interior quality, again, is a mixed bag. Real thought has been put into the textures and finishes on display, and some of them are truly lovely. Trouble is, all too often, you come across a surface that’s nothing like as plush as most of the others on display, and that undermines the feeling of quality. Compared it with the Audis, BMWs and Mercs that it competes with, and the quality of fit and finish is a lot less consistent.
What's it Like to Drive?
Four powertrains are available in the DS7, three of which are plug-in hybrids (the other one has a 128bhp diesel engine), giving buyers lots of eco-friendly (not to mention tax-efficient) choices. All the PHEV variants have a 1.6-litre Puretech petrol engine, but the entry-level version, the E-Tense 225, combines this with one electric motor to deliver 222bhp to the front wheels, while the E-Tense 300 and E-Tense 360 versions add a further electric motor to deliver 296bhp and 355bhp, respectively, to all four wheels. All E-Tense models get a revised 14.2kWh battery, which gives an all-electric range of up to 43 miles in the E-Tense 225, 42 miles in the E-Tense 300 and 36 miles in the E-Tense 360.
The one we’ve tried is the DS 7 E-Tense 360, the new range-topper. Left in Comfort mode, you might wonder where a few of those 355 horses have wandered off to, because it feels nowhere near as fast as the power output suggests. That said, it’ll still be brisk enough for most drivers, and you won’t have any trouble getting up too motorway speeds in a timely fashion. Switch the car into Sport mode, and the powertrain really wakes up, becoming much keener to unfurl its strength. However, slightly slovenly responses from the eight-speed automatic gearbox (standard on all DS 7s) still mean that responses to throttle inputs could be both quicker and slicker.
As with all four-wheel-drive PHEV DS 7s, our test car was also fitted with DS’s Active Scan Suspension. This uses a windscreen-mounted camera to analyse the nature of the road surface around 20 metres in front of the car, and using the information gathered, a control unit then automatically adjusts the damping forces on each of the four wheels to best cope with the surface it faces.
The result is ever-so-slightly odd. Initially, the suspension has quite a plush, slightly wallow feel, with quite a bit of vertical movement over undulations and crests, but although there’s a bit of body roll to be felt in corners, it’s not as severe as you expect given the suspension’s perceived squishiness. And yet, we still experienced a pronounced patter to the ride over small, high-frequency bumps and ripples, although we suspect that was more to do with our test car’s enormous 21-inch alloy wheels than anything else. Our experience with pre-facelift DS 7s suggest that smaller wheels will improve the ride quality significantly.
And while the body control is neater than you might expect, and there’s also plenty of grip and traction, the handling is nevertheless rather so-so. The steering feels quite remote and inconsistently weighted, and it also has a rather twitchy feel that has you making small corrections almost constantly, which can become a little irritating.
One more thing to note: the ‘active’ bit of the Active Scan Suspension only operates when the car is in Comfort mode, and otherwise, it uses pre-ordained adaptive settings that are intended to make the car behave in a manner befitting of the driving mode you’ve selected. Apparently. Toggle between the modes, and you’ll do extremely well to detect any difference whatsoever, let alone a meaningful one.
Technology and Equipment
One of the main parts of the DS 7’s 2023 facelift comes in the form of the reworked IRIS touchscreen infotainment system, which uses a huge 12.0-inch central screen to operate many of the car’s various functions. The graphics look great and are nice and quick, while the screen sensitivity is also good. The way you navigate through the menus is reasonably clear most of the time, but every so often, you do find an inexplicably strange quirk about the way the system works. We’re also not fans of the fact that the ventilation system has to be operated through the screen, rather than with physical buttons and switches. All versions of the DS 7 get this same system, which comes complete with connected satnav, DAB, Bluetooth, over-the-air updates, natural voice recognition and wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
The trim levels on offer begin with Performance Line, and these cars come with LED lighting all round, keyless entry and start, alcantara upholstery, leather steering wheel, bi-zone climate control, cruise control, rear parking sensors and a variety of active safety aids including autonomous emergency braking, blind spot assist and lane keep assist. Next in the line-up comes Performance Line+ trim, which adds electrically adjustable and heated front seats, front parking sensors, a reversing camera and a heated windscreen. Rivoli trim adds a few styling upgrades, massaging front seats and high-grade leather upholstery, while Opera trim gets you a powered tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, cooled front seats, wireless smartphone charging and adaptive cruise control with various semi-autonomous functions. Range-topping La Premiere trim, meanwhile, gets you a 360-degree camera, hands-free powered tailgate, an upgraded stereo and a night vision function.
DS 7 Running Costs
At the time that that the facelifted DS 7 was launched in the UK in 2023, prices started at around £37,000 for the diesel-powered car in entry-level Performance Line trim. Do bear in mind, though, that this starting price is in no way reflective of the rest of the range. Because all three of the other powertrains on offer are plug-in hybrids, and are as a result carrying much more technology on board than the diesel, they also cost a lot more to buy. At the same point in time, the cheapest PHEV, the E-Tense 225 Performance Line, cost more than £44,000, while if you keep barging you way up the range right to the very top with the ultra prestige-focused E-Tense 360 La Premiere, you’ll be paying upwards of £62,000.
If you take notice of the official WLTP fuel economy figures, you might well consider the inflated prices of the PHEV versions worth paying due to the fact that you’ll get 250 mpg out of the E-Tense 225, 249 mpg out of the E-Tense 300 and 161 mpg out of the E-Tense 360. You won’t of course. These figures are the result of laboratory tests that are unrealistically flattering to plug-in hybrids, and what you actually end up getting in the real world will depend entirely on how the car is used. If you plug in regularly and keep your journeys short enough that you can rely solely on electric power, you won’t use a drop of petrol. If you regularly call upon the petrol engine, then you’ll use absolutely loads due to the extra weight of all those batteries and motors. The diesel’s figure of 53mpg should be rather easier to replicate in the real world, if still tricky.
The plug-in hybrid versions will earn company car drivers some very useful tax savings compared with choosing a conventional petrol or diesel car, but you’ll still need to choose wisely. With the two less powerful E-Tense models, you’ll pay monthly benefit-in-kind bills on just eight percent of the car’s value (up until 2025), rather than 12 percent you’ll pay on the most powerful E-Tense 360: that’s because its lower electric-only range put it in a different tax band.
How Reliable is it?
The DS brand hasn’t existed for all that long, and it also doesn’t sell cars in particularly high numbers. That means that accurate reliability data is pretty hard to come by, especially when DS doesn’t seem to feature in many of the main reliability or customer satisfaction surveys.
Trying to get a steer from the performance of its Citroen and Peugeot stablemate bears mixed results, too. Take a look at the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, and Citroen places an impressive 11th out of 32 carmakers included, while Peugeot languishes down in 28th, strange when they use the same bits and bobs. The fortunes are reversed in the 2022 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey (of which reliability forms one part), with Peugeot placing 4th of the 29 manufacturers considered, while Citroen places 13th. So, make of that what you will.
Buyers of brand new DS 7s will benefit from a two-year unlimited-mileage warranty, while the third year is limited to 60,000 miles. The batteries in PHEV versions, meanwhile, are covered for eight years or 100,0000 miles. All of that is pretty much the base minimum you can expect these days, and many other manufacturers are far more generous in that regard.
- As a brand, DS hasn’t been around all that long, but the name goes all the way back to the fifties. Citroen launched the revolutionary DS back in 1955, a car that is generally accepted as being one of the most revolutionary of all time. The DS name was resurrected in 2010 with the Citroen DS3 hatchback, and then in 2015, DS was separated from Citroen to become the French firm’s luxury brand. These days, both DS Automobiles and Citroen are part of the Stellantis Group, the huge manufacturing powerhouse created when PSA merged with FCA, which also boasts brands such as Vauxhall, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.
- A specially created DS 7 was used to transport French President Emmanuel Macron to his inauguration in 2017, and the French Premier still has DS 7s in his fleet today.
- DS is particularly proud of the 7’s snappily named Pixel LED Vision 3.0 headlights, which use no fewer than 84 separate LEDs to light the way. Another lighting feature at the front end is the DS Light Veil, which is essentially a set of striking-looking vertical daytime running lights placed either side of the front grille.
- If you’re a company car driver: You’ll want either of the lesser-powered plug-in hybrids, the E-Tense 225 or the E-Tense 300. Due to their electric-only, zero-emissions ranges of more than 40 miles, both qualify for a lower tax band than the E-Tense 360, so you’ll pay benefit-in-kind bills on eight percent of the car’s value (up until 2025), rather than 12 percent. You’ll make further tax savings if you select the entry-level E-Tense 225, because you’ll be working with a marginally lower list price, but the financial gains will be minimal and you’ll lose out on quite a lot of performance, so we wouldn’t blame you if you went with the E-Tense 300.
- If you’re a high-mileage driver: Get yourself a diesel. The plug-in hybrids may post sensational official figures for fuel economy, but the only prayer you have of getting anywhere near those is to plug in regularly, and to keep your journeys short enough that you hardly ever have to call upon the petrol engine, because as soon as that bad boy fires up, you’ll be chugging through petrol at a rate of knots. If short journeys aren’t an option, and you’re regularly banging in huge motorway mileages, choosing the 128bhp BlueHDi 130 will save you an absolute packet. It also costs considerably less to buy in the first place.
- If you want the fastest car possible: We’re not sure why you would, because the DS 7 really isn’t that sort of car, but if it has to be the fastest one there is, then the E-Tense 360 is the DS7 for you. That said, with a 0-62mph of 5.6 seconds, it’s only 0.3 seconds quicker that the E-Tense 300, yet it’ll cost you around four grand more to buy.
- If you want the best trim level: No DS 7 scrimps on kit, with even the Performance Line and Performance Line+ cars coming with generous standards equipment. However, the Rivoli doesn’t add all that much to the price, but it adds a few items of pleasantly extravagant equipment that make the DS 7 feel that bit more luxurious.
