That DS Automobiles chose St. Patrick’s Day to introduce their N°7 model as the replacement for their best selling the DS 7, is indicative of the luck they are wishing for that their best selling model in the compact SUV segment will have Stellantis continuing to support the brand in light of tough financial decisions as the company deals with a 2025 net loss of 22.3 billion euros ($26.3 billion USD).
While more SUV-shaped in the rear than the N°8 flagship, the N°7 has similar exterior styling and with its V-shaped front light signature, illuminated grille and the options of two-tone paint and large 21in wheels. It will compete with popular premium contenders like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
Scaled in size to N°8, N°7 measures 4,660 mm long (up by 70 mm from the DS 7), 1,900 mm wide and 1,630 mm tall with a 50 mm longer wheelbase of 2,790 mm.
The Premium model puts a focus on comfort, with its ‘active scan suspension’ featuring a camera that monitors the road surface and is able to adjust each shock absorber by a motorized solenoid valve to deal with road imperfections.
Similar in French “chic” interior appointments of the N°8, the N°7 features a 10-inch and central 16-inch touchscreen while retaining the four-spoke steering wheel that has had some consternation in press reviews.
Heated and cooled seats with a massaging function also feature a ‘neck warmer’ that blows warm air on the back of the neck — all under a panoramic glass roof.
N°7 will come with a choice of hybrid and electric powertrains when deliveries begin later this year. The 100% electric versions offer 2 battery variations;
- The standard EV version is equipped with a 73.7kWh battery and a 227bhp front motor offers 535 kilometers (337 miles) per charge.
- The Premium version has the same 97.2kWh battery of the No8 with a class-leading range of 740 kilometers (460 miles) in the single-motor Long Range version. There’s also a four-wheel-drive version, which adds a motor on the rear axle to boost power from 242bhp to 370bhp and returns a range of 680 kilometers (422 miles).
These figures are the longest ranges available in this segment — in good measure due to a drag coefficient of just 0.26 — what DS Automobiles refers to as “exceptionally careful aerodynamics”.
DS Automobiles claim that both EV versions can charge at up to 160kW — a speed that it will maintain between 20% and 55% capacity to give up to 118 miles of travel in as little as 10 minutes, promised DS. They also state that each EV version can run with the engine off up to 50% of the time, using energy generated under deceleration.
N°7 will also be offered from launch with a hybrid powertrain, combining a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo gasoline engine (the same as in the Vauxhall Astra) with a small electric motor in the gearbox for 143bhp and 53mpg.
N°7’s STLA Medium platform is shared with cars such as the Citroën C5 Aircross, Peugeot 5008 and Vauxhall GrandlandIt. It will be built at the Stellantis factory in Melfi, Italy, alongside the closely related Jeep Compass and a similarly sized new Lancia Gamma SUV.
Prices are expected to start at around €46.000 for the hybrid and €52.000 for the EV.