DS 9
Autocar UK|February 02, 2022
Stellantis’s Parisian luxury brand goes hunting for the legacy of an automotive icon
DS 9

MODEL TESTED E-TENSE 225 PERFORMANCE LINE PLUS

Price £46,100 Power 224bhp Torque 266lb ft 0-60mph 8.6sec 30-70mph in fourth na Fuel economy 39.6mpg CO2 emissions 33-35g/km 70-0mph 53.2m

We like

  • On-board comfort and refinement are both quite convincing

  • Interior feels expensive and inviting, even in entry-level grade

  • It offers some appealing technical features that are unique to the class

We don’t like

  • This is no design icon and no amount of chrome can cover for that

  • Its smooth-riding motive character deteriorates markedly at greater speeds

  • It’s expensive compared with premium-brand rivals and the electric range is poor

DS Automobiles has now been a brand in its own right for almost seven years. In its fairly short life, it has experimented with high-end superminis, high-fashion crossover hatchbacks, jacked-up designer shooting brakes and upmarket SUVs. But it has resisted the urge to introduce the kind of model you might have expected its renaissance to open with – until now.

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