Ted Welford heads to London to put DS’s new premium crossover through its paces

What is it?

DS is remembered as Citroen’s forward-thinking model back in the ‘50s, and the firm aimed to capitalise on that beloved heritage by re-launching the model name in 2010 with its DS3 – a genuinely likeable supermini.

But as of 2015, it’s been attempting to fend for itself, which has proved to be a challenge for the brand. It didn’t help that its early models were just rebadged Citroens. Now though, the firm is trying to separate further from Citroen. This has meant stopping production of the ex-Citroen models and launching with its own cars.

The first came last year with the DS 7 – a mid-size SUV rivalling models such as the Audi Q5 – and now we have this, the new DS 3 Crossback that’s looking to take advantage of the lucrative small crossover market.

(DS)

What’s new?

The DS 3 Crossback is the first model to use the PSA Group’s new \Common Modular Platform’ – better known as CMP. The key benefit to these new underpinnings is flexibility, which is why the DS will be seen with an all-electric version later in the year, alongside the petrol and diesel models tested here.

The DS 3 Crossback also majors on tech – with the highlights being Matrix LED lighting, a 10-inch touchscreen and flush pop-out door handles.

Alongside the car, buyers get access to DS’s ‘Only You’ programme – essentially a concierge service that can allow free rental of another car, eight years of roadside assistance and access to VIP events via an app. It’s things like this which DS hopes will make its cars stand out from more established rivals.