After five years of loyal service, the best-selling premium C-segment SUV in France is getting a little facelift. And for the occasion, don’t call it “DS 7 Crossback” but “DS 7”. As part of its restyling, the DS 7 loses its “Crossback” suffix and gets a small aesthetic and technological update.
From the front, you may have noticed a few changes. The headlamps have changed technology to a new LED matrix system called DS Pixel Led Vision 3.0. Compared to the old system, the light beam is more powerful and more even, with an increased range of up to 380 metres for high beam.
The daytime running lights also change and are inspired by those of the new DS 4. They have 33 LEDs on each side and are covered with a transparent polycarbonate surface, coloured to match the bodywork. The engineers then use a laser treatment to remove the paint and create a sort of veiled effect. The grille also changes and becomes wider, while the more observant will also have noticed a significant reduction in the number of chrome elements.
From the back, there have been some changes to the tailgate with new raised lines giving the rear end a little more substance. The headlights have changed both in shape and light signature. Between the two lights, there is no longer any “Crossback” lettering, but the brand name: DS Automobiles.
“While respecting the personality and elegance of the existing line, we have reinforced the dynamism with a sharper body treatment. The character of the new DS 7 has been strengthened on the front and rear of the car. At the front, we are introducing a new generation of light signature directly inspired by our recent concept cars. The character of the interior has also been enhanced by a number of new features that are designed to provide even greater refinement. New DS 7 is the result of a powerful collaboration between my teams, the experts in the various fields, particularly lighting, who have contributed cutting-edge technology, and the DS Performance engineers, not forgetting the industrial teams who are totally committed to the success of New DS 7,”, says Thierry Metroz, the Director of Styling.
Once inside, the changes are slightly less noticeable than on the outside, as only the central screen, now 12 inches diagonal, changes.
There is also even more choice when it comes to interior customisation, with a wide range of leathers, Alcantara, inserts and stitching. The interior is both refined and elegant, with high quality leathers such as Nappa leather, while the pearl-effect stitching looks great.
What a modern car would be without technology ? The car is equipped with DS Active Scan Suspension, a camera-controlled damping system that independently adjusts each wheel to the imperfections of the road. There is also DS Night Vision, an infrared camera that scans the road and the roadside to detect cyclists, pedestrians and animals up to 100 metres away. The driver receives the information in the new high-resolution digital handset, along with a specific signal in case of danger.
The DS Driver Attention Monitoring system analyses the driver’s level of attention using two cameras. The first one checks the behaviour of the vehicle in its environment, and the second one, placed in front of the driver, diagnoses the orientation of the gaze, the face and the eyelid beats which translate the level of drowsiness and attention.
DS Drive Assist is also included, with adaptive cruise control capable of managing stopping and restarting without driver intervention and assistance to keep the vehicle where it is positioned in the lane.
In terms of engines, the DS 7 is equipped with a four-cylinder 1.5-litre BlueHDI diesel engine with 130 hp. There are also three plug-in hybrid versions with 225, 300 and 360 hp. The 360 version, which is new to the DS 7 range but has already been introduced in the DS 9 and Peugeot 508 PSE, was developed by DS Performance engineers.
It has a 110 hp electric motor on the front axle and a 112 hp motor at the rear. This variant gets 21-inch wheels, 380 millimetre front brakes and reduced ground clearance for respectable performance with only 5.6 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h.
All PHEV versions are equipped with a new 14.2 kWh battery, which DS claims can travel up to 65 km in electric mode and up to 81 km in urban cycle. The battery can be recharged in two hours using the on-board 7.4 kW charger.
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