DS Automobiles: down-to-earth luxury

It is not easy for DS Automobiles to find its place as an independent brand within the Stellantis Group. Alongside the mass manufacturer Citroën and the somewhat more upmarket brand Peugeot, DS is supposed to embody "Luxe à la Française". The replacement of Citroën was actually completed long ago - but now DS is invoking this very heritage and celebrating the anniversary of the iconic Déesse.

Exactly seventy years ago Citroën laid the foundation for what has been DS Automobiles since 2014 with the DS. The still young brand can therefore look back on a long tradition and does so extensively. At the classic car show "Rétromobile" in Paris, DS presents the new, fully electric N° 8 - pronounced "Numéro 8" - embedded in an exhibition of historic models. And celebrates the brand value of comfortable travel - "L'art de voyager".

As usual with the French brand, the DS N°8 also focuses on driving comfort. The chassis is equipped with variable damper control as standard, which is connected to a camera on the windshield. Supported by tilt sensors and accelerometers, the system analyzes the road surface in milliseconds and passes the information on to a computer that controls each wheel individually. In this way, the damping adapts to the unevenness of the road in real time and is designed to offer first-class comfort.

Visually, the N° 8 draws heavily on the "Aero Sport Lounge" concept from 2020. The lines combine elements of an SUV with the elegance of a saloon and the practicality of a Shooting Brake. With its striking vertical lights and illuminated front end, the production model looks no less futuristic than the concept car.

The new flagship from DS is to be the N° 8 - the successor to the DS9. However, with a length of 4.82 meters, it is around 10 centimeters shorter than its predecessor. This is particularly noticeable in the rear, where knee room is much more limited and the battery in the underbody reduces seating comfort. Despite its appearance, the car is not a typical chauffeur-driven saloon. In any case, the front seats are the preferred ones, where the occupants enjoy the full luxury of DS: Nappa leather, artfully integrated lighting elements in the doors, dashboard and center console as well as a high-quality sound system from the French audio specialist Focal create an exclusive atmosphere. And air vents in the seats ensure a warm neck on cold days.

If it's not a chauffeur-driven saloon, it's at least a touring saloon. The combination of a 97.2 kWh battery and aerodynamic optimization should enable an impressive range of up to 750 kilometers. A drag coefficient of just 0.24 c_W contributes to this, as does the relatively low weight of 2.2 tons for a vehicle of this class. A heat pump fitted as standard also ensures a high level of energy efficiency. DS promises consumption of just 12.9 kWh/100 km.

The DS N° 8 is based on the STLA medium platform, which is also used for the Peugeot 5008, among others. The most powerful variant with all-wheel drive offers 257 kW/350 hp. In the front-wheel drive version, customers can choose between Long Range with 180 kW/245 hp and a downsized version with a 74 kWh battery and 169 kW/230 hp. The range of the latter is also limited to 570 kilometers.

As a luxury brand Stellantis wants to position DS within the Group in the future - as the French counterpart to Bentley and Rolls-Royce. DS still has a lot of work ahead of it, as the N° 8 still has too many large plastic covers and little high-quality piano lacquer.

However, DS is also keeping its price on the carpet: the N° 8 will cost around 65,000 francs - a fair offer for a car in this segment. This is still a long way from Bentley and Rolls-Royce in terms of price. But the foundation for French luxury has been laid.