DS 4 - long-term review

When the DS arrived with us, it had already lived quite a life, so it came as no surprise to me when the inevitable warning flashed up on the dashboard – SERVICE DUE.

Normally this would precipitate several fraught phone calls to dealerships to try to book the car in when it was convenient to both parties, and likely the plans would be changed and updated several times… we’ve all been there. But with DS, it was different.

As we know, the DS dealer network is not massive. It is, in fact, petite. So petite that I was worried I’d have a monstrous drive to the far end of the country to deliver the 4 for its necessary checkup. But no. Absolutely not.

It turns out that DS offers a concierge service, which puts you as the customer front and centre. You register your request for a car service either online or by phone. I went online, made my request and chose the ‘delivery and collection’ option. I could also have requested a courtesy car, but as it happened I didn’t need one. A short while later, I was contacted by Alex from DS Brentford to organise a suitable schedule for the car to be removed, serviced and returned. We agreed a collection the following evening and a return the day after.

Good as gold, he arrived on time, was super friendly and polite and took KP22 OPZ for its checkup. The following morning I received an email link to a comprehensive webpage detailing the work undertaken, which let me know the car had been serviced and had a clean bill of health – there was even a video from the technician who had carried out the service. Alex then returned the DS, valeted inside and out. Excellent.

As a fully paid up member of the cynicism club, this was a most pleasant surprise. It was genuinely the best dealer experience I have ever had in my entire life. Any concerns I previously held about the scarcity of DS dealerships across the UK has completely evaporated – when life is made that simple for the customer, it’s such a joy.

Now we just have to wait for every other car company to catch up with the concept of putting the customer first… I suspect it may take some time.