Item: DS 7 Crossback
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

This plug-in hybrid version pairs a petrol engine with a motor to allow you to do shorter journeys on electric power alone. The switch over from petrol to electric isn’t the smoothest, though.

1.6 E-TENSE

Hatchback

DS has only existed as a standalone manufacturer since 2015&nbsp;(prior to that the badge was used on upmarket&nbsp;Citroëns), but it is now the premium brand in the PSA Group, which also includes&nbsp;Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

In 2018, DS stated that it planned to launch a new model every year, with all of these influenced by the French fashion industry and&nbsp;designed&nbsp;to take on the ubiquitous offerings of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

First to arrive (that same year) was the&nbsp;DS 7 Crossback – a large SUV that competes with the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. Then in 2019 this was followed by the smaller DS3 Crossback SUV, which is not only available&nbsp;with petrol and diesel engines, but also in fully electric E-Tense form.

More recently, DS&nbsp;unveiled its answer to the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class luxury saloons. And while this DS 9 won't now go on sale until 2021, when it does arrive it will be offered with a choice of petrol, hybrid and fully electric power.

DS 7

On top of Performance Line, ‘+’ models have front parking sensors and a reversing camera, active LED headlights, keyless entry and start, wireless phone charging, electric seats in the front and an electric tailgate. Oh, and you get a ‘fancy’ BRM clock for the dashboard.

Performance Line +

1.6 E-TENSE Performance Line + 5dr EAT8

16-e-tense-performance-line-5dr-eat8

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Audi Q5

BMW X3

BMW X3 M Competition

BMW X4

Citroën C5 Aircross

Citroën C5 X

DS 7 Crossback

Ford Kuga

Genesis GV70

Honda CR-V

Hyundai Santa Fe

Jaguar F-Pace

Jeep Wrangler

Kia Sorento

Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Land Rover Range Rover Velar

Lexus NX

MG HS

Mazda CX-60

Mercedes GLB

Mercedes GLC

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport

Nissan X-Trail

Peugeot 5008

Seat Tarraco

Skoda Kodiaq

Ssangyong Rexton

Subaru Forester

Suzuki Across

Toyota Highlander

Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota RAV4

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Volvo XC60

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Accessibility & Motability

Costs & verdict

The DS 7 Crossback's starting price is not unreasonable, but the cheapest model will cost more than the cheapest <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q3/4x4/review/n43">Audi Q3</a>. For that, you’ll get either the petrol or diesel engine. To get the plug-in hybrid, you'll have to spend nearly 20% more, which is more than the Audi Q3 PHEV and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/x1/estate/review/n100">BMW X1</a>.&nbsp;

The Q3 TFSI e is front-wheel drive only, though. The DS 7 Crossback is also predicted to depreciate faster than its established premium rivals, making contract hire and PCP finance more expensive.

The copious amount of standard kit should go some way to taking the sting out of the initial purchase price, though. Even entry-level Performance Line trim gets rear parking sensors, cruise control with speed limiter, keyless start, 12in infotainment screen, 12.3in driver display, LED interior lighting and other nice-to-haves.&nbsp;

The engines are clean and frugal by class standards, too. Most company car users may be tempted to consider the diesel engine first, but its CO2 emissions are slightly higher than the best in class. The two-wheel drive E-Tense performs better, with lower CO2 emissions than the X1.&nbsp;

Safety experts <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n19724">Euro NCAP</a> awarded the DS 7 Crossback its top five-star rating and, relative to most rivals, it scores well. The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volvo/xc40/estate/review/n119">Volvo XC40</a> just pipped it for driver protection in a frontal impact.

In terms of active safety aids, all versions come with automatic emergency braking <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">(AEB)</a> and lane-departure warning, while blind-spot detection, lane-keeping assistance and driver attention alert are standard on Rivoli, Opera and Louvre models. Those are also optional on Performance Line and Performance Line + models.

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The DS 7 Crossback range starts with a 1.6-litre petrol with 178bhp (badged PureTech 180). There's also&nbsp;a&nbsp;128bhp 1.5-litre diesel (badged BlueHDi 130) and two&nbsp;plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).&nbsp;The most powerful PHEV, the E-Tense 4x4 300, pairs a 197bhp petrol engine with two electric motors for a fairly impressive total output of 297bhp.

The 178bhp 1.6 petrol engine is pleasantly quiet at idle and at low revs, but it needs to be revved hard before it feels responsive and zingy and there’s a bit of vibration through the steering wheel and pedals when you thrash it. Instead, we would point you towards the 1.5-litre diesel, especially if you cover lots of motorway miles.&nbsp;It’s a flexible engine that pulls the car along effortlessly, albeit not particularly quickly, even when the interior is fully loaded with people and bags.&nbsp;

Unlike many of its rivals – the Q3, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/x1/estate/review/n100">BMW X1</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volvo/xc40/estate/review/n119">Volvo XC40</a>, for example – most DS 7 Crossbacks are front-wheel drive only and struggle for traction off the line on a wet road. The exception is the dual-motor E-Tense 4x4 300. This version is certainly rapid when you put your foot down, but its two power sources don’t quite blend together convincingly.

All is well in electric mode, with smooth acceleration that’s enough for most circumstances and an official electric-only range of just over 30 miles. However, when the petrol engine is called upon, it fires up coarsely and sends vibrations through the controls. To make matters worse, there’s a long hesitation from the gearbox before you actually gain speed.

The spongy brake pedal is another disappointment. It requires quite a lot of travel before anything happens and is irritatingly grabby, making it difficult to stop smoothly, especially at low speeds. You also get lots of road noise at 70mph, especially with 19in alloy wheels fitted, although wind noise is relatively well suppressed.

Most 7 Crossbacks have a conventional suspension system that does a pretty good job as long as you stick with the smaller 18in wheels. Rougher road surfaces are smoothed over nicely, although potholes can upset the ride. The E-Tense PHEVs and the petrol cars with 178bhp have Active Scan suspension, which uses a camera to read the road's surface and adjust the suspension to suit when Comfort mode is engaged.

Does Active Scan work? Well, around town, the system absorbs&nbsp;low-frequency bumps well enough to prevent the car from thumping and jiggling. However, at motorway speeds, things are too floaty (especially in the PHEV models), and we found it best to switch the camera system off and keep the suspension in its mid-way setting. As a result, we wouldn't recommend buying a more expensive model just to have the Active Scan system.

With all types of suspension, the DS 7 Crossback's soft ride comes at the expense of body control; you’ll encounter noticeable body lean through quicker corners. Once settled mid-corner, non-PHEV versions hang on well and grip gamely, letting you feel very much in control. They're just not as tidy or enjoyable to drive briskly as the Q3 or X1.

In E-Tense form, it's a slightly different story, and you really feel the additional mass of the batteries. It exacerbates body lean and can prove too much for the car’s grip to handle.

The Sport driving mode in Active Scan-equipped cars helps to tie things down a bit (you can select it using a switch on the centre console), but you’re left with speaker-generated engine noise and an oversensitive accelerator pedal – both of which feel unnecessary in a family-focused SUV.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

We’re yet to try this engine, but we suspect from our experience of it in other vehicles of a similar size that it’ll provide decent performance in town, but will struggle at faster speeds with a full car load.

http://example.com

1.2 PureTech

12-puretech

1.5 BlueHDi

15-bluehdi

Another version we’re yet to try, but its 8.9sec sprint from 0-62mph suggests it’ll be a better performer on the motorway than the smaller 1.2 PureTech.

1.6 PureTech 180

16-puretech-180

The 222bhp version of the 1.6 petrol engine is quiet at idle and low revs, but doesn’t have the low-end grunt of the diesel, and can feel laboured. You’ll also need to rev it hard to get the best from it.

1.6 PureTech

16-puretech

OUR PICK

16-e-tense

This plug-in hybrid combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors to give 297bhp and four-wheel drive. It’s certainly punchy, but it proves unrefined and is expensive.

1.6 E-Tense 4x4

16-e-tense-4x4

The world likes fashionable French design, and SUVs are all the rage at the moment, so combining the two in the DS 7 Crossback should make it the darling of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/family-suv">family</a><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/best-large-suvs-2022/n17006">&nbsp;SUV</a> class. The car market is rather different to the fashion world, though – especially with the German premium brands winning over so many buyers. So the DS 7 Crossback's mission is to convince us it's as good as anything Audi, BMW or Mercedes can build.&nbsp;

To do this, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/ds">DS</a> is taking lessons from haute couture when it comes to crafting its interiors, with a wide range of shapes and materials used to lift the ambience. It is also offering a number of high-end features, including active suspension and adaptive headlights (which come as standard on more expensive models), to try to push the DS 7 into the upper echelons of the family<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/large-suv">&nbsp;SUV category</a>.

That’s not all. The DS 7 Crossback also makes use of a big, distinctive front grille, wide air intakes and a high waistline on the outside to give it a dominating aesthetic. It's available in petrol and diesel form, including two <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-is-a-plug-in-hybrid-and-should-you-buy-one/n1141">plug-in hybrid (PHEV)</a> versions that match a 1.6-litre petrol engine with either one or two electric motors. The most powerful of the PHEVs is the only car in the range that comes with four-wheel drive.

So is the DS 7 Crossback good enough to trade punches with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q3/4x4/review/n43">Audi Q3</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/x1/estate/review/n100">BMW X1</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volvo/xc40/estate/review/n119">Volvo XC40</a>, as well as high-spec versions of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/cx-5/estate/review/n19">Mazda CX-5</a>? That's what this review will tell you.

When you've made up your mind which make and model is right for you, we can help you get it for the best price if you search our free <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals">What Car? New Car Buying pages</a>. They feature lots of new <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/category/large-suv">large SUV deals</a>.&nbsp;

The DS 7 Crossback has a stylish interior&nbsp;with interestingly shaped switches, snazzy trims and dashes of shiny chrome. Even entry-level Performance Line has swathes of Alcantara covering the dash, with full leather available as a (pricey)&nbsp;option.

The most dominating feature&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;the exotic materials or rakish centre console, though. It’s the combination of a 12.0in infotainment touchscreen and the 12.3in customisable digital instrument display.

Unfortunately, the infotainment is far from perfect. You need to control nearly everything – including the interior temperature setting –&nbsp;through the touchscreen, which is more distracting as you drive than using buttons.

The software is laggy when you press the icons and jerky when you scroll through lists, for example when you're looking for a&nbsp;radio station or phone contact. There are fixed buttons along the bottom edge that should, in theory, make swapping between menus easy, but they're&nbsp;small and touch-sensitive, and it's hard to press them accurately on the move.

The digital instrument display is more successful. It's&nbsp;clear and can be configured&nbsp;in a number of ways to show the information most useful to you, including a large sat-nav map.

In terms of quality, the DS 7 Crossback's interior is hit and miss. It looks rather opulent, but when you examine it more closely, you’ll find that the lower reaches of the dashboard are covered in hard, scratchy surfaces.

Most of the 'chrome' is actually plastic – which is not what buyers will be expecting in a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/family-suv">family SUV</a> aiming for premium status. If you're used to the interior of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q5/4x4/review/n41">Audi Q5</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/x3/4x4/review/n42">BMW X3</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volvo/xc60/estate/review/n17339">Volvo XC60</a>, you'll probably feel rather underwhelmed.

On the plus side, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/ds">DS</a> gives you plenty of adjustment for the driver's seat and steering wheel, so getting comfortable shouldn't be an issue for the driver, especially on plush trims that come with heated and even massaging seats. Visibility is good in all directions, but rear parking sensors come as standard on every version, with mid-range Performance Line + getting front sensors and a reversing camera to help you out too.

<h2 dir="ltr">Access</h2>

The DS 7 Crossback is what you might call ‘a looker’, but there’s no point in having a car that looks great if you can’t actually use it. To that end, it gets off to a great start by having front doors that open to an angle of 66 degrees – wider than most. This means you don’t have to wrestle your way past them when getting into and out of the driver’s seat. Also, because the door pulls are right at the front of the interior door trims, they’re easy to reach from the driver’s seat even when the doors are open.

The driver’s seat also has plenty of height adjustment available, so when it’s in its lowest setting you’ll have only a small drop onto the cushion from outside, and in its highest setting there’s a slight rise up to it.&nbsp;

Just as helpfully, the door opening is taller than that of, say, a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/tarraco/estate/review/n17865">Seat Tarraco</a>, so you’re less likely to need to duck your head when getting in and out. There’s also plenty of space once you’re in, so manoeuvring yourself into position should be comparatively easy, too.

If there’s one obstacle to account for, it’s that the tops of the door sills are almost 460mm from the ground, so you’ll be lifting your legs up a fair way when you swing into the driving seat. There’s also a 124mm drop from the sills to the floor, so you’ll have to repeat the manoeuvre on the way out, too.

<h2 dir="ltr">Storage</h2>

Rather disappointingly, the boot is smaller than the class average. Measuring 950mm at its narrowest point, and 970mm long with the rear seats up, a wheelchair will fit in, but only if you fold it up first. If you want to transport a chair unfolded, you’ll need to make sure the back seats are folded flat.

A handy DS 7 Crossback feature is its variable-height boot floor. You can lower it for maximum load capacity, or you can set it level with the boot lip to make loading and unloading awkward items much easier.

Interior practicality is good, too, with sizable door pockets for odds and ends and a large storage box between the front seats.

<h2 dir="ltr">Ease of use and options</h2>

The only version of the DS 7 Crossback that Motability offers is powered by a 129bhp 1.2-litre petrol with an automatic gearbox. The official economy figure is 47.9mpg so it shouldn’t break the bank to run. We’ve tried the engine in other Citroëns and can confirm that it has plenty of punch and isn’t noisy.

Inside, there’s a whole load of useful standard equipment, including cruise control and rear parking sensors, plus an electric parking brake even on lower-spec versions. Moving up the range adds luxury kit such as adaptive suspension and massaging seats.

It’s a shame that the 12.3in touchscreen is a bit slow to respond to prods, though, and that adjustments to the interior temperature must be performed through the screen – an operation that can be fiddly when you’re on the move. The Tarraco has a slicker system and features physical buttons and knobs to control the heating.&nbsp;

A well-equipped, comfortable and practical large SUV, but pricing and interior quality are questionable

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/ds">DS</a> has definitely got things right when it comes to space and practicality in the 7 Crossback. There's loads of room in the front for tall adults, while the rear seats offer decent leg room, so even six-footers should find themselves comfortable.&nbsp;If you avoid the panoramic roof, there's lots of head room, too.

Our only complaint is that the floor in the back is quite high and forces you into a mildly awkward seating position. At least there’s no central hump in the floor for the middle passenger to straddle.

The door bins are a reasonable size and are carpeted to top your stuff clattering around. In Performance Line + models and above, you get a useful cubby with a wireless phone-charger in front of the gearlever. The glovebox is tiny, but between the front seats there's&nbsp;a cavernous cubby topped with a comfortable armrest.

The DS 7 Crossback has 555 litres of boot space, and that applies to all models (the battery packs of the E-Tense plug-in hybrids don’t have any effect on&nbsp;loadspace). That doesn't make it the load-lugging&nbsp;champion among its rivals, but it can still match the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/qashqai/hatchback/review/n7">Nissan Qashqai</a>'s ability to accommodate seven carry-on suitcases .&nbsp;

Unlike the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q3/4x4/review/n43">Audi Q3</a> and several others, you can't add sliding rear seats to enable&nbsp;the boot to be extended forward at the cost of&nbsp;passenger space when required. The rear seats split 60/40, rather than the more useful 40/20/40 arrangement that the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/x1/estate/review/n100">BMW X1</a> comes with as standard, but you can get a reclining rear bench and a variable-height boot floor with higher trims.

Petrol, Petrol/Plug-In Elec Hybrid, Diesel

The entry-level trim includes 19in wheels, rear curtain airbags and an aluminium footrest. There's also a 12.0in touchscreen, sat-nav and sporty styling touches inside and out.

Performance Line

performance-line

Diesel, Petrol, Petrol/Plug-In Elec Hybrid

Prestige adds a reversing camera, 19in alloy wheels, wireless smartphone-charging (for a compatible phone) and more advanced safety equipment as standard.

Prestige

prestige

Petrol/Plug-In Elec Hybrid, Petrol, Diesel

Aside from full leather trim on the massaging front seats, there’s not a lot of difference between this and the Performance Line + model.

Rivoli

rivoli

If you splash out for the Opera, you get 20in alloy wheels, Nappa leather, adaptive cruise control and active lane-keep assistance.

Opera

opera

Top-of-the-line Louvre features gloss black exterior trim, some unique exterior detailing and a different wheel design. The infotainment screen also displays one of 182 different works from the Louvre. One for the art lover, then.

Louvre

louvre

A well-equipped, reasonably comfortable and practical large SUV. Its pricing is a little too close to that of established rivals, though, and interior quality is questionable against the likes of our preferred choice in this class, the Audi Q5.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all passengers</li> <li>Large boot with lots of clever storage solutions</li> <li>Good fuel economy and running costs</li> <li>All-round comfort</li> <li>High-quality interior finish</li></ul>

We define a large SUV as anything longer than 4.5 metres. These cars aren’t usually particularly cheap to buy or lease, so in return we expect a roomy cabin, a lengthy list of standard equipment and excellent cruising refinement. A few models in this class are two-wheel drive, but the vast majority have four-wheel drive for at least a modicum of off-road ability.

The Mazda CX-5 is firmly road-focused, but its 2.0-litre petrol engine is a strong, refined performer, making it looks good value for less than&nbsp;£25k. If you can stretch the budget a fair bit, the Audi Q5 provides a combination of comfort, driving prowess, quality and space that's hard to beat. Unlike some rivals, it can't be had with seven seats, though.

A more affordable, yet well-equipped alternative is the Peugeot 5008. It’s more than capable of coping with family life&nbsp;– and all versions have seven seats as standard.&nbsp;

Large SUV

DS 7 Crossback review

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Buying advice for the DS 7 Crossback covering running costs, MPG, Fuel Economy, Reliability and Safety, from the expert What Car? review team.

The DS 7 Crossback's starting price is not unreasonable, but the cheapest model will cost more than the cheapest Audi Q3. For that, you’ll get either the petrol or diesel engine. To get the plug-in hybrid, you'll have to spend nearly 20% more, which is more than the Audi Q3 PHEV and BMW X1. ,The Q3 TFSI e is front-wheel drive only, though. The DS 7 Crossback is also predicted to depreciate faster than its established premium rivals, making contract hire and PCP finance more expensive.,The copious amount of standard kit should go some way to taking the sting out of the initial purchase price, though. Even entry-level Performance Line trim gets rear parking sensors, cruise control with speed limiter, keyless start, 12in infotainment screen, 12.3in driver display, LED interior lighting and other nice-to-haves. The engines are clean and frugal by class standards, too. Most company car users may be tempted to consider the diesel engine first, but its CO2 emissions are slightly higher than the best in class. The two-wheel drive E-Tense performs better, with lower CO2 emissions than the X1. ,Safety experts Euro NCAP awarded the DS 7 Crossback its top five-star rating and, relative to most rivals, it scores well. The Volvo XC40 just pipped it for driver protection in a frontal impact.,In terms of active safety aids, all versions come with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-departure warning, while blind-spot detection, lane-keeping assistance and driver attention alert are standard on Rivoli, Opera and Louvre models. Those are also optional on Performance Line and Performance Line + models.For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

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