Introducing SUV DS N°7: Noble packaging for a familiar platform
Stellantis uses a familiar platform and repackages it with a premium claim in the DS N°7. The SUV comes with hybrid and electric drive.
(Image: DS)
The huge Stellantis group has also tried to get a foot in the door in the particularly high-margin segment. The DS brand was founded for this purpose in 2014, but the big breakthrough has so far failed to materialize. DS is making another attempt with a familiar concept with the N°7 SUV. The technical basis is known from other Stellantis models that are already on sale. Nevertheless, DS claims a higher standard.
Warm airflow
The successor to the DS7 grows to 4.66 m, the wheelbase to 2.79 m. This gives it approximately the dimensions of a Skoda Enyaq or Opel Grandland. DS boasts significantly improved all-round visibility thanks to larger windows. A large glass roof is available at an additional cost, but unlike in the predecessor, it can no longer be opened. The self-proclaimed luxury brand wants to set itself apart from other group brands with some details: if you like, you can have a warm airflow sent to your neck. The interior mirror either provides the usual image or the recordings from a camera in the rear window. In a Hyundai Ioniq 5, I found this not particularly convincing in a test, apart from the fact that the function of an interior mirror is thus maintained even with a roof-high load.
The matrix light is said to reach up to 540 m and illuminate traffic signs less glaringly than in the predecessor. Unchanged, a camera scans the road in front of the car and pre-conditions the dampers accordingly for unevenness. The driver can also hope for more powerful traffic sign recognition, especially since it can work predictively in the N°7. The recognition rate has not been convincing in numerous Stellantis models so far. ChatGPT is said to significantly improve communication via voice commands. Not new, but unusual is the idea of a night vision camera: using an infrared sensor, living beings are to be detected up to a distance of 300 m. On rural roads at night, this could represent a significant safety gain.
DS N°7: außen (5 Bilder)
DS
)Four drives at launch
Like other group models based on this platform, the N°7 will also be offered with a hybrid and various battery-electric drives. The entry-level model will be the familiar hybrid, which uses a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine. The system output is 107 kW, and consumption in WLTP is 5.4 liters. With the small buffer battery, a load point shift is possible, meaning the combustion engine is operated more frequently than usual near its best efficiency. We had this drive in an Opel Grandland Hybrid (test) in the editorial office last year. Its biggest advantage there was its lower price compared to the electric versions. A more powerful hybrid drive is expected to follow for the N°7, presumably as a plug-in hybrid with around 20 kWh of energy content in the traction battery.
We also firmly expect that the three battery-electric drives in the N°7 will be more pleasant to drive in everyday use. For cost reasons, Stellantis has decided to handle the primary drive via the front wheels. Even the base model has an output of 169 kW and reaches 190 km/h. The traction battery here has an energy content of 73.7 kWh. In WLTP, this should be sufficient for 543 km.
DS N°7: innen (5 Bilder)
DS
)Small battery without preconditioning?
In the other two versions, 180 (front-wheel drive) and 257 kW (all-wheel drive) are available. Thanks to a battery with 97.2 kWh, the WLTP range should be 740 or 679 km (all-wheel drive model), respectively. Apparently, preconditioning of the cells is only provided for the large battery, which can then be done manually or automatically via the route planner. If it is indeed the case that the small battery does not receive this in this Stellantis car either, potential buyers should be aware: The initial charging power may then be only in the medium double-digit range at autumnal temperatures.
DS N°7: Antriebe (3 Bilder)
DS
)Charging power on average
For the large battery, it is promised that the window between 20 and 80 percent state of charge can be closed within 27 minutes. The peak charging power is said to be 160 kW, with DS promising that between 20 and 55 percent state of charge, the charging power will remain almost constantly at 160 kW. If this is true, the charging power would have to drop drastically from this point on. Because translated, this means that around 58 kWh are recharged in 27 minutes with an average of almost 130 kW. This is not overly generous in the competitive environment, but a projected counter-calculation shows that the DS N°7 is also suitable for long distances.
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If you start your journey with a full battery, you can realistically expect to cover a little more than 400 km on the motorway in the first section before the charge level drops below 10 percent. Then, after just over half an hour at the charging station, 80 percent is reached again, and power for another good 300 km is recharged. With plenty of buffer and reserves, 700 km on the motorway can be easily tackled, provided you accept about half an hour's break in between. This may not be diesel-level, but it doesn't sound like the end of automotive freedom either.
(Image: DS)
Price: from around 40,000 Euros
The N°7 can be pre-ordered from May, with deliveries expected to begin in the fall. In line with the claim to offer a premium vehicle, we expect prices to be significantly higher than those for the Grandland. This would mean: For the hybrid, one would probably have to budget from 40,000 Euros, for the base version of the electric car, just under 50,000 Euros. More details are expected by April at the latest.
(mfz)