Every time I drive a DS car I get enquiries from neighbours. They ask if the DS brand is still part of the Citroen group. Well, yes it is and now in Ireland it’s part of the larger Gowan group.
DS produce gorgeous cars, but the French luxury marque, created in 2009, has never been big seller in Ireland. Irish motorists tend to put their trust in German-made cars and brands from Japan and South Korea.
Formerly part of Automobiles Citroen S.A., DS has been a standalone brand ultimately owned by PSA Group, later Stellantis. The independent DS marque was created in 2014 from the former DS sub brand and line of models of Citroën cars have made since 2009.
DS can be an abbreviation of ‘Different Spirit’ or ‘Distinctive Series,’ although it’s also considered a nod to the classic executive car Citroën DS. The name is also a play on words, as in French it is pronounced like the word déesse, meaning goddess.
In the past the car was known as the DS Crossback, but now DS have given it a makeover with updated styling and tweaks to the interior and it’s now known simply as the DS7.
The recent facelift brings the car more into line with the styling of the rest of the DS range. At the front, the grille is now wider and framed by slim pixel LED headlights and new DS light veil daytime running lights, as seen on the DS3 and DS4.
Inside the old-style clock on the dash will certainly catch your eye. The clock pops up when you press the ignition button which is located just underneath the clock. Officially it’s called a BRM clock. Also it’s unusual to have the buttons to open the windows located in the centre console.
Overall the interior is very dark and that’s not helped with a black roofline. I mentioned a black look in some other review and somebody pointed out that maybe a black look was what the designer wanted. True, but I like a bit of brightness in a car and would have liked even half a sun-roof to brighten up the interior décor.
DS is still a relatively small player in the Irish market but sales here have been growing since the arrival of the new DS4 hatchback in 2022. Can the five-seater DS7 add to those sales figure, that’s the question. DS will need all the marketing expertise that the Gowan group can provide to help it compete against other luxury brands.
My test car was a plug-in hybrid where you can get approximately 65km in full electric mode. Like most hybrid cars if you drive cagey on a motorway will see the range jump. With a full tank of petrol on board my range said 500km. After ten minutes on a traffic-free road I saw that range in my 1.6-litre version quickly rise to 520km.The boot is large, officially 555 litres, but no room for a spare wheel with all that hybrid technology.
There are now three trims: Performance Line, Rivoli and Opera. Alloy wheel sizes vary from 19-inch to 21inch. At the back DS Automobiles is now spelt out across a strip connecting the jewel-like LED lights and the word E-Tense spelt out on the left.
If it’s style or a ‘goddess’ you are after the DS7 has plenty of French flair. But you do have to pay for all style with prices starting at €50,390 for the diesel and €57,800 for the plug-in hybrid. The DS7 E-Tense plug-in hybrid in Rivoli trim that I drove will cost you €61,800. They have a very classy outlet called the DS Store near the Halfway Pub on the Navan Road, Dublin.
