Test: DS 4 E-Tense 225. I understand you!

2014 : launch of the DS Automobiles brand. Communicators then have only one sentence in their mouths: “give us 10 years to become a true premium brand”. We are in 2021, seven years have passed. Where are we ? Let's try this new DS 4 to find out.

When you arrive at the place where the press trials are taking place, a hotel on the edge of the Château de Chantilly, you immediately realize the means invested by DS in soft power (you know, this completely indirect way of showing its power other than by the big paraphernalia (here, the cars) to establish its high-end image: a huge marquee stands up and the Aero Sport Lounge concept welcomes us from the entrance. And there, a deluge of models, pieces of leather, marquetry and everything and everything: the message is simple, DS must represent the high-end French automobile, approaching all the associated folklore - haute-couture, Haussmann buildings , illustrious castles ...

The soft power , it's good five minutes, but we are still here to talk about hard power : we bring the cars. A row of DS 4 is then offered to us and I rather fall in love. To say that the exterior design is worked is an understatement, with a rear ¾ that I find sublime rarely crossed. We immediately perceive an absolutely prodigious work of the sheet metal, while remaining “digestible” in the eyes of everyone; let's not forget the biton available either, which still adds a bit of drama. Not all brands - including one starting with Le and ending with xus - can say the same ...

For the rest, DS took advantage of the arrival of the new EMP2 “evo” platform to be able to dictate its choices: result, the windshield is moved back, the hood is lengthened and becomes flatter. , the wheels are HUGE (up to 20 ″); in short, you will understand, the proportions of the DS 4 are quite spectacular. We find the grille “DS Wings” which has just melted into extremely thin headlights that can be matrix on the top of the range. The light signature, also extremely elaborate, visually widens the front and makes the DS 4 almost unmistakable in traffic.

Add to the “civilian” versions a Performance Line declination declining chrome for a black plating on the grille and the rest of the fittings, the interior being covered with alcantara and a carbon brush. A Cross version -photographed in the article- is also present, but changes absolutely nothing on the mechanical side: no raised suspensions, no all-wheel drive, just black plastic shields, roof bars, specific rims and more. is pretty much it. (This makes me drift on the previous DS 4: born at Citroën, it had this weird positioning of an increased compact, with suitable ground clearance. When it moved to DS, marketing made a Crossback version from the CitroënDS4 without changing the ground clearance, while that of the “normal” DS 4 was lowered to reach a corresponding level. Are you still following?)

In terms of colors, I tested two shades: a Rouge Velvet and the famous Crystal Pearl typical of the brand. As much as the latter leaves me more or less marble on the DS 3/7/9, I find it absolutely perfect for the DS 4, its pearly complexion blending perfectly with the chiseled work done on the body of the compact. Come on, a little rant to end the color chapter: the color chart is still quite sad with light grays, dark grays, lacquered grays, black and white; you'll only find a Copper Gold and Velvet Red there, hidden at the bottom. A little daring, ladies and gentlemen of colors & materials !!

What about the interior? Oh, the interior is just like the other cars in the range: very refined. So, cars in a hurry, I had the most expensive version possible in my two test cars (+ € 3,750 on the top of the range), but we feel extremely good in this DS 4. The board option The DS 9's fully leather-covered edge is obviously not on call, but the hub of the leather steering wheel, the very nicely stitched interior doors, the “traditional” manufacture of the armchairs as watch straps, Guilloche veneers and a host of other small details give the driver the impression of being in a top-of-the-range car. That's good, this is the desired effect.

This DS 4 was also an opportunity for me to test the new central screen “in real life”, after a static discovery on the last Peugeot 308 . My verdict? Overall good. The various fully customizable pages allow you to choose which information to see where, while the small touch screen at the end of the central console allows, like the keys on the second screen of the 308, to find certain shortcuts directly (go to mom's house, turn on the air conditioning) at 22 ° C, listen to Nova or whatever). As for voice recognition, we were promised wonders ... The implementation was chaotic to say the least. But it will be settled at the exit, I promise!

Vroum? Vroum! The range of engines of the DS 4 is equipped with a 130 hp BlueHDi diesel, three PureTech petrol of 130, 180 & 225 hp, while a 225 hp E-Tense hybrid version will delight the Crit vignettes. 'Air and fleet managers. It is besides this last proposal which caught my attention, my guilty attraction for all that rolls and which connects having taken over. We are starting to get to know this power unit well, but a little reminder for the distracted: the E-Tense 225 is a PureTech 180 associated with a 110 hp electric motor for honest performance both dynamically (360 Nm, 0 to 100 km / h in 7.7 s) than virtuous (55 km of autonomy in 100% electric thanks to the 12.4 kWh of the battery, from 29 g of CO2 per kilometer).

So let's go. Despite starting in “electric” mode by default, I prefer to play around with the different driving modes and stick to the “comfort” mode. And there, my friends, it's the big game: the active suspensions managed by a camera scanning the road in front of you come into play. We have already seen this equipment on the DS 7 and DS 9 and I loved it every time, and it is again a very big yes from me in terms of comfort and road holding in general. Despite, once again, the diametrically crazy rims, we find ourselves in a small cocoon, isolated from the bumps of the road. Even the horrible donkeys blooming absolutely everywhere are just a bad memory: we are really at a very high level. And do not think that this technology makes this DS 4 soft and unpleasant when you increase the pace since, sport mode engaged, the compact stiffens all this little world in a very satisfying way. Let's get on well: we are not in an RS3, but we can print a rhythm that is ultimately quite nice.

And it does not stop there ! Imagine that the DS 4 is also very pleasant to drive. The soundproofing is neat, the advanced head-up vision displays the necessary information in a large way (... on condition, as usual, of not wearing polarized glasses - which is my case). The thermal / electrical transitions are completely transparent, city driving is no problem with a good turning radius and FINALLY READABLE 360 ° CAMERAS, useful not to empty your PEL in repairing the quirky corners of this beautiful bodywork. I will be a little (but really a little) more grumpy on the management of the brake pedal, difficult to pin down on the very last km / hour, but it's really a matter of nitpicking.

Come on, a second note: the ex-PSA hybrids and electrics have a “brake” mode which increases the regenerative braking of the car and therefore reduces the use of the brake pedal. To activate or deactivate it, it was enough previously (= on the 3008 , DS 7 and all and all) to pull on the gear lever; an activity of disarming ease and which could be practiced at the slightest slowing down (“ a red light on the approach? hop, I go from the more pleasant“ freewheel ”mode to driving to the“ brake ”mode with a single stroke wrist to press the pedal less“). Now the “B” key is a tiny little button next to the tiny gear selector, almost impossible to find out of the box while driving. But hey, if we come to nitpick about this kind of thing, it's because the car doesn't have much to be ashamed of ...

What about when you don't want to drive? We delegate, and the DS 4 manages to take care of itself correctly. Already today with a couple “adaptive cruise control / lane keeping” well done and, really top detail, a maintenance in the side of the selected track. Let me explain: you are on the road to the far left of the ring road and you therefore have to push yourself a little further to the left to let these terrifying bikers / scooters pass who are moving up the line. The system will then detect that you are on the left of the lane and will let you there. Isn't life beautiful?

Still on this chapter, know that a more evolved system will arrive a little later in the marketing of the DS 4 (but when, mystery) and will be able to take care of overtaking, speed in curves and the anticipated adjustment of the vehicle. speed relative to regulatory limits. Let’s end this tech chapter with the announcement of the presence of the “DS Night Vision”, an infrared camera in the grille retranscribing the front of the car on the screen in the middle of the night. A system already seen with its big sisters but that I sincerely did not expect to find on a compact, as premium as it is.

Come on, the money. My model with pretty much all the options checked was displayed at ... € 58,200 (and you won't even get a bonus, limited to vehicles under € 50,000). That said, you should find what you are looking for in the range since the first model starts at € 29,600 (“Bastille” & PureTech 130 finish, equipped… with hubcaps!). The hybrid versions are displayed from 38,500 €.

“Give us 10 years to become a true premium brand ”, they say. There are three left; let us call on the forces present. We have a DS 7 Crossback , which works well in affluent neighborhoods, which I love to drive and whose finery I have learned to appreciate; then we have the DS 3 Crossback , whose French sales figures and even more European sales figures will be kept quiet; we continue with the DS 9, a super car that arrived three years late in a market where you have to be super mega top from its launch; and we finally have our DS 4. And this DS 4, it arrives in a not easy market, but it has more than one string to its bow. I will even go further: I find this DS 4 excellent. And you know what ? I want to believe it. I want to believe in the marketing discourse, I want to believe in this French brand and proud of it which has wiped a lot of plaster since its creation. I feel that something is happening, that the brand and its values ​​are starting to infuse into the general spirit. It happened through sponsorship, fashion weeks, advertising campaigns, concept cars and so many other things, but it is starting to bear fruit. The DS 4 is a great product, my little finger tells me that the restyling of the DS 7 will put it back on track, let's expand the range a little bit and we'll have something solid, something we will be proud of. Ladies and Gentlemen of Marketing: I understand you!