The French are good at many things, few drawn directly from those cruel stereotypes about cheese and surrender. But the creation of SUVs has, until recently, not figured on that list of accomplishments. Indeed when the nation’s automakers have needed to create véhicules tout-terrain in the past they have done so by either combining forces with non-French automakers—PSA’s previous partners include both Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi—or by doing something as compellingly mad as sticking two engines into a Citroën 2CV to create the four-wheel-driven Sahara. No longer, because the new DS7 Crossback, seen here ahead of its official unveiling at the Geneva auto show, is as French as Serge Gainsbourg smoking a stick of camembert. It could also be the model that helps the DS brand achieve its long-stated ambition of launching into new markets, including North America.
The DS sub-brand is named after the original Citroën DS of 1955, with the badge being brought back in 2010 to denote upmarket Citroëns. Two years ago PSA made the decision to split DS into a separate division, positioned above both Citroën and Peugeot and charged with competing in the premium segment. So while DS models share their underpinnings with other, more proletarian PSA models, they get plusher materials, more technology, and—we suspect—more pretentious advertising. While a DS6 crossover has previously been built and sold in China, the DS7 is the first adjudged worthy of launch in France and the rest of Europe.
It certainly gives off plenty of upmarket vibes, bearing a marked resemblance to a Lexus RX at the front while doing an almost startling impression of an Audi Q5 when seen from behind, including the full-width liftback with integrated taillights. At 179.9 inches long, it’s 3.1 inches shorter than the Audi but 7.9 inches longer than the Range Rover Evoque. The cabin features a 12.0-inch central touchscreen, digital instruments, and power-operated tilting rear seats controlled by switches next to those for the power windows. The prototype vehicles we saw looked to be impressively well finished, with deluxe details such as stitched leather panels and a high-grade audio system from French maker Focal.
Under these surfaces, the DS7 is profoundly nonradical. It sits on the mid-size configuration of PSA’s EMP2 modular architecture, and power comes from a familiar range of engines. Three are gasoline—Europe’s backlash against diesel is well underway—starting with a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder making 128 horsepower, with turbo 1.6-liter inline-fours in 178-hp and 227-hp versions positioned above it. These are developments of the THP unit that powered previous-generation Minis. There will also be two diesels, an ultrafrugal 128-hp 1.5-liter and a 178-hp 2.0-liter. The base gasoline and diesel engines will have a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with all others having a standard eight-speed auto, which will also be an option on the smaller diesel.
Only front-wheel drive will be offered initially, and PSA engineers say there are no plans to launch an all-wheel-drive DS7 using a conventional mechanical system like the one Citroën used in the the 1970s-era FAF. Buyers in search of a powered rear axle will have to wait for the forthcoming hybrid version, which uses two electric motors, one at the back, and which work with a 198-hp version of the 1.6-liter to produce a claimed total output of 297 horsepower.
Sadly, the DS7 rides on steel springs; Citroën has given up on the hydropneumatic suspension that formerly inspired ride comparisons with magic carpets. There will be the intriguing option of a ground-reading Active Scan suspension that uses a high-mounted camera system to look for bumps in the road and preset the stiffness of variable dampers accordingly. This is, in essence, a system similar to Mercedes-Benz’s Magic Body Control, found on some of its more expensive models. We had a ride in the passenger seat of a DS7 prototype and, although it didn’t have the scanning suspension, it did feel impressively compliant when asked to deal with some of the rougher surfaces at the vast Belchamp test track in eastern France.
The Crossback’s most obvious technical highlight will be active LED headlights, used in all except the base DS7. These feature three powered moving elements that can spin around or angle themselves independently. They give what we’re told is “welcoming animation” when the car is unlocked, making the car look as if it’s blinking sleep out of its eyes, but also will offer different driving modes for city, country, and highway driving and can aim the DS7’s beams into corners. That’s another innovation that was introduced on the original Citroën DS more than 60 years ago, although something that has become more common in recent years. We’re told that these light units could pass U.S. federal standards without the beam-bending function.
Production of the DS7 Crossback starts toward the end of this year at PSA’s plant in Mulhouse, France, with European deliveries set to begin in early 2018. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re told it will undercut its obvious German rivals while offering generous standard equipment. DS is set to follow its launch with two other new models in quick succession: a smaller crossover and a large sedan. With such a U.S.-appropriate model lineup, it surely can’t be that long before DS acts on PSA’s oft stated desire to start selling cars in the United States again, although the declarations of anti-import sentiment coming out of Washington lately surely must have the planners sitting up late, recalculating their sums.
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