Review: DS4 PureTech 225

So far, DS has not gotten beyond the status of a niche brand in Germany. With the new DS 4 that should change. Among other things, the compact car wants to stand out from its segment with its extravagant design. However, this has its price.   

Each manufacturer has its own premium brand. At the new conglomerate stellantis, a merger of the PSA Group (Peugeot, Citroen, Opel) and Fiat/Chrysler/Jeep DS this role and therefore not exactly an easy task: to persuade buyers to spend significantly more money from the existing construction kits alone with special design and high-quality interiors. With the DS 4, the brand has been offering its alternative to the Group siblings Peugeot 308 or the new Opel Astra for several months.

Average?

Formally, the five-door crossover is one of the compact cars, although with a length of 4,40 meters it almost leaves this segment, a VW Golf, for example, measures 12 centimeters less. However, DS does not use this lead to offer more space in the rear seats or more trunk space. In both cases, the 4 does not offer more than a good average. Rather, the designers focus primarily on optics and the model is as extravagant as one can expect from a brand that always emphasizes its close connection to the metropolis of Paris.

Review: DS4 PureTech 225
Formally, the five-door crossover is one of the compact cars, although with a length of 4,40 meters it almost leaves this segment

The mighty radiator grille in diamond design and the decoratively staged lighting units are particularly striking. In the Performance Line+ equipment version that we drove, the matrix light is part of the standard equipment. The daytime running light consists of a total of 98 LEDs. The door handles are also eye-catching, they extend automatically when you approach the vehicle and otherwise disappear flush into the door. At the back, the DS 4 shows a somewhat more conventional face, with extremely narrow lighting units. Overall, the appearance achieves its goal: the Frenchman's couture clearly sets it apart from the equally eye-catching Peugeot 308 and the Opel Astra, which has a rather sober, functional design, especially in the interior.

But no premium

Speaking of the interior: Here the designers walk on the verge of overkill. Their preference for the rhombus that can be found everywhere stops at nothing and means that you often press the wrong button on the actually well-placed window lifters. The fine choice of materials is also not maintained everywhere, every now and then the driver's groping hand encounters quite cheap plastic. The DS has a large and fine head-up display even with augmented reality, as additional information is displayed for the driver.

Other compacts have, however, already. Unfortunately, some functions can only be controlled via the central display and can no longer be selected directly. In addition, as with many brands, the voice assistant is far from perfect and tends to be somewhat deaf in some cases.

Review: DS4 PureTech 225
While the space available at the back is average at best, the front seat is extremely comfortable

Let's get to the drive, here DS inevitably has to use the PSA kit. We drove the 1,6-liter petrol engine with 225 hp, not to be confused with the plug-in hybrid version, which does just as much with the same engine, but also has an electric motor and a battery on board. With this version you can - as we know from our own experience - cover around 40 kilometers electrically. Our petrol engine has to do without any electrical support.

A lot of power with a relatively small displacement: This means that our DS 4 seems increasingly strained after a light-footed start at higher speeds. And this despite the fact that the eight-speed automatic transmission, which is standard in this equipment line, does its job very attentively and harmonises well with the drive. Reality then strikes when it comes to consumption: even those who use the power little and drive cautiously will find it difficult to get under 8,5 liters, with us it was just over 9 liters on average.

Chassis fits

While the space available at the back is at best average, as mentioned, you sit extremely comfortably at the front. The seats, in our case leather-covered chairs, are tightly sewn and don't evoke any memories of the soft foam rubber seats of the old French. This is matched by the well-tuned chassis. It is more reminiscent of "German" tuning, which does not harm the car. Under no circumstances should one expect a gentle movement à la Citroen DS.

Is the money worth it?

The version we drove has a lot on board that makes sense: navigation, head-up display, a whole package of assistance systems and a lot more. Nevertheless, the base price of 42.900 euros makes you sit up and take notice. Especially since you could invest a few additional euros, for example in the automatic tailgate (1.600 euros), the smartphone induction charging option (200 euros), a heated steering wheel (250 euros) or the highly recommended acoustic glazing (300 euros) because it fits the overall appearance. . Here DS behaves like a premium brand. The bottom line for our test car was 55.100 euros with a few other options. That actually goes beyond the normal compact class.

With so much money and visual finesse, one could almost forget that the DS 4 is not built in France, but rather in the rather unpretentious Rüsselsheim, where the Astra now also rolls off the same assembly line. Maybe this knowledge will help to make the DS 4 popular in Germany. All in all, the brand still has a very difficult time here: In the first quarter, just 541 vehicles were sold across all models. 

Technical data

Five-door, five-seater hatchback of the compact class; Length: 4,40 meters, width: 1,83 meters, height: 1,47 meters, wheelbase: 2,68 meters, trunk volume: 430 - 1.240 liters

1,6 liter four-cylinder petrol engine, 165 kW/225 hp, maximum torque: 300 Nm at 1.900 rpm, eight-speed automatic transmission, 0-100 km/h: 7,9 s, Vmax: 235 km/h, Standard consumption: 6,6 - 6,9 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 149 - 155 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d, efficiency class: A, test consumption: 9,2 liters/100 kilometers

Price: from 42.900 euros

Test car price: 55.100 Euro

In brief

Why: Compact class with a difference, visually special both inside and out

Why not: technically only standard goods, very expensive, operation partly cumbersome

What else: Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, VW Golf, Ford Focus, Mercedes A Class

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