Introducing the New DS 7 Crossback

The classic 1955 Citroen DS is undoubtedly a majestic car; it’s no coincidence either that the French word ‘déesse’ translates as goddess, that car is iconic.  It’s curves and polished chrome trim has an almost unparalleled ability to turn heads both back in 1955 and even still today (if you are lucky enough to spot one on the streets).

Fast-forward to the current day and the DS badge has been given a new lease of life by Citroen, firstly as a premium edition of their popular models before being launched as a car brand in its own right in 2014.  Until now though the cars released by DS have been very much reliant on the Citroen brand with its models being based on their existing models.  In a very exciting development this week in Paris DS unveiled the DS 7 Crossback, their new flagship offering and the first car in their range to be designed and built from scratch.

I was lucky enough to head over to Paris earlier this week for whirlwind 24 hour visit with DS to celebrate the launch, of course I managed to get a quick look around the DS 7 and I was really quite impressed with what I saw.  The attention to detail both in terms of the car’s design (inside and out) and the array of cutting-edge safety features make the DS 7 stand out from the pack.

The DS 7 Crossback Design

For the launch event DS had taken over the Elephant Paname, a former mansion that has now been converted into an impressive space normally used for expressive art and dance events.  Last week though it was all about the DS 7 though and the different floors of the building had been used to tell the story of the different elements of the car’s design.  These had been broken down to strands such as interior, bodywork colours and tech and they really opened my eyes to the massive amount of work that goes into making a new product like the DS 7 become a reality.

From the unique pearl stitching used on the upholstery, the luxurious interior itself to the purple pulse spinning headlights that catch your eye, this is a car that has thought about pretty much everything.  The model on display at the launch was the ultra limited edition ‘La Premiere’ edition which of course came with all the bells and whistles so it was pretty easy to get excited about it – from what I hear though even the entry levels come with a whole range of great tech and detailing.

There is more leather (or wood if you opt for that) encasing the interior than is generally available in any other similar car, which really does give the DS 7 a really luxurious feel – that dark red quilted leather in the La Premiere edition in particular is incredibly beautiful.

Comfort & Safety

As we move ever closer to autonomous driving new car models are introducing lots of new features and technology.  The DS 7 has the ability to Self Park at the touch of a button (no pedals) as well as hidden infrared camera to detect potholes for a smoother ride and lane positioning to keep you safely on track.

It’s pretty unlikely that the new DS 7 Crossback will command the type of attention is 60 years time that the original does but this new incarnation of the DS brand is a noble effort by anyone’s standards.

The DS 7 Crossback is expected to hit showrooms in the UK in January 2018.