Test Car Specifications
Model: 2022 DS 4 Rivoli E-Tense 225 PHEV
Price: £47,185 as tested
Engine: 1.6-litre petrol plug-in hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Battery: 12.4kWh lithium-ion
Power: 225hp
Torque: 360Nm
Emissions: 27-35g/km
Economy: 176.6-235.4mpg
0-62mph: 7.7 seconds
Top speed: 145mph
Boot space: 390 - 1190 litres
Styling
The new DS4 looks considerably more attractive than its predecessor, what with the bold front end and angular daytime running lights. The overall shape is a bit chin-heavy, with a front overhang that looks low and slightly out of proportion, but it's generally a good-looking thing. Perhaps it isn't especially distinctive compared with rivals such as the Audi A3 Sportback and Mercedes-Benz A-Class, but it certainly looks worthy of a place in the premium market.
Interior
DS prides itself on its cabins, and the DS4’s interior certainly looks the part. There’s a massive central touchscreen and a digital instrument display, as well as a smaller touchscreen in the centre console that’s used for shortcuts when navigating the main screen. The screens are a bit hit-and-miss – they look good, and the instrument display is great, but the navigation system is a little old-school for a car that costs about £50,000. Still, interior quality is generally reasonable and the materials are mostly great, apart from a few dodgy plastics lurking here and there. You’ll never mistake it for an Audi, but it’s just about good enough to mix it with the Volvos and Land Rovers of this world.
Practicality
The DS 4’s cabin is more than spacious enough, with adequate room for four adults. Legroom is decent, albeit unexceptional, and the same goes for headroom, which will only be an issue for the very tallest passengers. Boot space is adequate too, with our E-Tense plug-in hybrid test car offering 390 litres of luggage capacity – roughly the same as the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. But the pure petrol versions come in with 430 litres of luggage space, and that makes a noticeable difference. In fact, it’s one of the most spacious cars in its class.
Performance
The DS4 engine range essentially comprises a petrol engine and a diesel engine, plus the plug-in hybrid we tested. The petrol option is a brilliant little 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine used across the Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall ranges, while the diesel is a 1.5-litre engine that’s also used here, there and everywhere by DS’s parent company, Stellantis. Both engines produce 130hp and drive the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
But the plug-in hybrid, known as the E-Tense 225, combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce 225hp – hence the name. Officially, it’s capable of three-figure economy, although you’ll need a very particular lifestyle to achieve that. If most of your journeys are short and you can charge the 12.4kWh battery regularly, you might top 100mpg, but if long distances are your bag, you’re going to prefer the petrol or diesel engines, despite the shortfall in power output.
Ride & Handling
As you'd probably expect from a French premium brand, the DS4 is primarily designed to be comfortable, and that makes it a fantastic motorway cruiser. The suspension is soft and pliant, and while that isn't always ideal at low speeds, where the car seems to lurch into potholes occasionally, it's great on the motorway, where the DS seems to glide along quite happily. And because it's a hybrid, it's pretty refined once you're up to speed, even if getting there is occasionally raucous. Of course, all this comfort means handling is a bit lacklustre, and the steering feels a bit numb, but it's generally composed and that makes it pleasant enough to steer about. The light steering comes into its own around town, too, making the car feel agile and manoeuvrable.
Value
DS 4 prices start at just over £28,000, which isn’t too bad considering the supposedly premium positioning. That said, it is around £3,000 more than the basic Audi A3, and the plug-in E-Tense model came with a price tag approaching £50,000. At that point, it doesn’t matter whether you get leather upholstery and a clever infotainment system or not – it’s simply a very expensive car. Of course, you can spend a lot less without sacrificing too much, but the DS 4 will never be especially cheap.
Verdict
The DS 4 is an attractive and comfortable alternative to rivals from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, but that's all it is. While it may feel upmarket, it isn't compelling enough to take customers away from big-brand models and convert them. But perhaps it doesn't have to, because the market is so big that a small slice will still make this one of DS's most popular models. And it certainly deserves to be described in such terms.
