French people have a reputation for being stylish and no doubt they have been able to appreciate the stylish range of the DS range of cars since the brand was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1955.
DS models have transported French presidents since the sixties when Charles De Gaulle credited one with saving his life.
A DS7 Crossback was French President Emmanuel Macron’s car of choice as he drove down the Champs-Elysees to his inauguration in 2017. The specially-designed crossover had a personalised opening roof to allow Macron greet the French crowds who had gathered in the Paris streets despite the pouring rain.
Back in October 1955 when the DS19 made its first public appearance at a crowded Paris Motor Show, thousands of people squeezed on to DS stand, eager to catch a glimpse of the futuristic new car. What they saw when the covers were removed was a model that instantly made all others look prehistoric.
Within 45 minutes of the DS’s covers being pulled off, over 700 buyers had committed to buying one. And by the end of the day they had 12,000 firm orders for the DS19.
The DS range was brought back to Ireland in 2010 and while a few models have been on sale here since then, there is no denying that the luxury brand has failed to make a major impact on the sales charts.
Now under Stellantis, who are part of the Gowan Group in Ireland, the people behind DS Automobiles are planning to make a big push to try and get more people into this luxury, stylish brand.
The new DS3 was launched last year and a few months back I drove the hybrid version of DS7. Last week I had my first drive in the new DS4.
We picked up the test cars at the new DS Store on the Navan Road, near what used to be the entrance to the Phoenix Park Racecourse many years ago, and headed for the peaceful Virginia Park Lodge in Cavan.
The DS Store, which is the first of its kind in Ireland is impressive and everybody who visited last week seemed to like the look of the showroom and the car wasn’t bad either!
The DS 4 is already an award winner, having won the title of ‘The Most Beautiful Car of 2022’ at the 37th Festival Automobile in Paris earlier this year.
Architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace is the new DS Brand Ambassador and Des Cannon the MD of DS in Ireland says they are going to work really hard at marketing the brand and getting Irish drivers, young and not young, to learn more about the brand. He said: “We want to be different and creative.”
The DS4 is classy looking motor on the outside and the stylish touches are continued in the cabin, where grey is the dominant colour. The infotainment screen is neat and slots perfectly into the dash.
In some of the DS cars the buttons to open the windows are located near where the gear lever used to be. But in the DS4 there is a discreet button on the doors to open the windows. A decent boot, but no spare wheel supplied. Road tax is €210.
It’s gorgeous and it should be well able to compete with the opposition in this sector, which includes the Cupra, Audi A1, BMW 1 and Mercedes A Class.
The starting prices for the petrol version of the DS4 is €37,295 and customers have five different grades to choose from: Bastille+, Performance Line, Trocadero, Performance Line+ and top of the range Rivoli. Also available in diesel and hybrid, all with eight-speed automatic gearbox. A fully electric version is expected to be available towards the end of 2023.
