DS Automobiles No 8 - long-term review

So, that first service - the No.8 is back and just ticked over 10k miles, so we’re now all above board on the first major milestone. Housekeeping first: the battery has actually gained in real-world range since I got it, likely thanks to higher constant ambient temperatures which have ennobled the battery chemistry and made both the air-con and ventilated front seats hungry for volts.

So we’re looking at 320-340 miles of absolute range if you drive absolutely normally with all the usual power functions in use. That’s pretty much all I need, truth be told, and means that I don’t really use public charging apart from research purposes. Which I’ll have to, to figure out at some point whether this thing can actually charge at more than 80-odd kW - the max we’ve got so far.

As for the first service, it’s a bit different to an ICE, obviously, so I thought I’d run down what’s normal. A scheduled first service for a No.8 is usually 12 months or 8-10k miles. There’s a traction battery state-of-health check, switcheroo of the cabin/pollen filters and fluid top-ups (yes, an EV does have fluid in cooling systems, brakes etc), then a diagnostic review to see if there are any warning pings or flagged electrical gremlins.

Then there’s a brake and steering check up, plus the usual visual inspection of tyres, lights, indicators - MOT-lite. Everything’s fine, including tyres. The system is supposed to update the servicing to the section in the ‘My DS’ app, but it hasn’t done so as yet - you can enter the info manually, but I haven’t got around to that. Next service is at 16,000 or two years, which feels slightly too often - but I’m a fan of keeping an eye on the daily drivers, so that wouldn’t bother me that much - plus, unless I move about a lot before October, I won’t actually see it. You never know though.

As for the slight imprecision of some of the electronics, we have mixed results. A miscommunication over the seats means that they tested the heating and not the memory function, so that still doesn’t work (the heated/ventilated seats are fine). The Drive Mode selector still wobbles between up and down - even when pressing the same ‘down’ or ‘up’ button, despite an update to the system where the garage couldn’t replicate the issue. I have some video.

Then there’s the heated windscreen that appeared to never turn on, which prompted the reply: “The heated windscreen is programmed to operate only when the ambient temperature is below 0°C. We were able to activate the system using diagnostic equipment, and it functioned correctly, confirming that the feature is operating as designed.” Now that’s a bit weird, because I’ve definitely needed a heated windscreen at temperatures well above actual freezing. But hey ho, maybe it’s a French thing.

I have to say though, exposure really does help with the DS, because I’ve started to get on with it much more the longer I’ve had it. You get quicker and more used to the haphazard hierarchy of the screens, work out how to use it. No, it’s still not got a ‘magic carpet’ ride that the DS billing says it has but it’s languid enough, and on some recent 300 mile days on smooth roads, I really did start to appreciate it.

The stereo’s good (not awesome, but good), the seats keep your legs from going numb - as does the light massage function - and the efficiency means you can run for hours without range anxiety. Big battery, but it’s convenient. And I also love the fact that it’s not just another electric SUV. There’s a lot to be said for just not getting involved in keeping up with the Joneses, and the No.8 sidesteps pretty much all of that. Everyone seems interested, they love the interior and general weirdness of it. Although one brother-in-law did think that it looked like a Tesla Cybertruck. Must be something wrong with his eyes.

Mind you, given that just 70 No.8s have been registered in the UK since launch - and that includes dealer demos - it’s never likely to be a car that you see very often. And that, I think I like.