DS No 7 review

The introduction of a hybrid powertrain brings a ten grand (plus) discount over the swoopier DS No 8, prices starting usefully below £40,000 here. Though it’s not a plug-in setup, you can still cover a reasonable amount of urban mileage with the engine snoozing and thus its 52.3mpg claim looks very achievable despite the car’s heft.

E-Tense prices start at a much chunkier £49,190, placing it right on the turf of an Audi Q4 e-tron or BMW iX1, though there’s arguably a lot more design flair and character on show here. Upgrading to the Long Range battery (and thus from a 337- to 460-mile claim) is another four grand. You’ll add the same again to get the 345bhp AWD Long Range which trades a little range (now 422 miles) for extra performance (0-62mph in 5.4s). And, perhaps, some sharper handling.

The base Pallas spec is available on all but the halo AWD Long Range, and brings heated front seats, all-round parking sensors and DS comfort seats with neck warmers. Hands up if you can name another non-convertible car with those. The jump to a mid-range Etoile starts at £41,390 (or £52,290 in E-Tense form) and introduces Active Scan Suspension (on E-Tense models), a digital rear-view mirror, Drive Assist 2.0 semi-autonomy and the illuminated grille.

The top-spec La Premiere upgrades you to ‘lounge seats’, with heating and ventilation for rear passengers, plus Nappa leather, night vision and the poshest 3D Focal stereo. In Hybrid form it’s £46,890, while E-Tense versions range from £59k to £67k. Yowch. With clanging inevitability this is a car that feels better the more you spend – which does ultimately mean more to lose three years down the line.

Hopefully some appealing lease deals will take the sting out of its vulnerability to depreciation. DS predicts a 50/50 sales split between Hybrid and E-Tense but this will swing in the latter’s favour in fleet-led markets, Britain included.