Blingue-blingue
The DS 9 E-Tense has been significantly refreshed and equipped with a more powerful engine. E-Tense 225 became E-Tense 250 and although made in China, the DS 9 is still as French as Macron in an Alpino cap.
DS 9, a sedan in the high segment: the eighties on the line?
The heyday of the luxurious French limousines is indeed far behind us, but fortunately that refined segment has not been completely forgotten. DS realizes that it would be very embarrassing if Emanuel Macron had to be driven around in something German and that a Peugeot 508 would look just a little too ordinary under the carport of the Elysée. Voilà the raison d’être of the DS 9, the chic sedan from France. Don’t tell anyone: it’s being built in China, but hey, the Eiffel Tower was invented by a German and you don’t hear anyone complaining about that.
The rear lights come from a jeweler on Rue Rivoli.
How much of a limo is the DS 9 then?
The DS 9 is a hell of a car, a beautiful, stretched sedan with an appearance that you won’t mistake for anything else for a second. That’s nice in a time where more and more models all seem to have hatched from the same egg. You could call the DS 9 a bit kitschy, but a bit of extravagant bling is perfectly appropriate in this segment.
Anyone who examines the DS 9 more closely will soon see many special details. For example, there are orange lights at the top of the C-pillars that refer to the direction indicators that the original DS had in that location. More eye-catching and bold is the chrome strip that runs across the centerline of the bonnet. We often come across steering headlights these days, but hey, they were already on the (more expensive versions of the) Citroën DS fifty years ago. On this DS 9 they turn away at the end of the ride and those units degrade the Hope Diamond to window glass.
The dashboard of the DS 9 is full of beautiful details.
Nice, but inside?
The interior is also overloaded with extravagance and many beautiful details. Many buttons are made of aluminum with the well-known diamond profile and the central clock, which makes a 180-degree somersault when stationary, comes straight from the window of a Parisian jeweler. Below the clock is a nice, wide screen with a row of physical buttons underneath. The infotainment system that lies underneath does not appeal to us as much. The menu structure is complicated and illogical and even very basic actions require a number of submenus. The buttons below often refuse service. The trunk measures a neat 473 liters and if that is not enough for you, you should opt for a DS 9 without rear seat ventilation and electric operation of the tailgate. Then you get 510 liters.
How does the DS 9 drive?
Sublimely comfortable, but fans of sporty steering have taken the wrong train. It is wonderfully quiet inside and you almost get the feeling that the environment is projected in 3D on the windows, as in a simulator. The so-called Active Scan Suspension in particular contributes to this. The system uses cameras to scan the road ahead of you and prepares the adaptive shock absorbers for what they are about to encounter. It is very different from the hydropneumatic suspension to which its illustrious predecessors owed their sublime suspension comfort, but it is about the result and that is also impressive here. Unfortunately, the system does not have cat’s eyes, so it does not work in the dark and above 130 km/h it also exceeds the reaction time of the system. Moreover, it only works in Comfort mode. The steering is very light and does its utmost not to tire the captain with unnecessary information and that also contributes to the wonderful comfort of the DS 9. This recipe does lead to a car that is not at all suitable for sporty, sharp steering. That may sound obvious, but there are brands in the higher segment that are able to give high-quality comfort a sporty edge thanks to adaptive shock absorption.
It is nice and spacious in the back of the DS 9.
Does he want to move a bit from his place?
The drivetrain is mainly built for zen handling. When driving relaxed, the machine is quiet and smooth. The switches between electric and petrol are smooth and the eight-speed automatic transmission ensures a smooth transition through the gears. On electricity we managed 52 kilometers from a full (15.6 kWh) battery before the petrol engine had to take over. Purely on petrol we recorded an average consumption of 8.3 l/100 km, or 1 liter per 12.1 kilometers. The DS Driver Attention Monitoring monitors whether you are staying alert, but is downright hypersensitive. Even if you are high on adrenaline and caffeine, you will receive a bling with the warning ‘soyez vigilant’ at least once every ten kilometers. That may sound like a novel by Simone de Beauvoir, but it means nothing more than ‘pay attention to the road, let’s get started’.
I still rarely see the DS 9…
We rode the Opéra, the most spacious version after the Esprit de Voyage. Everything you see in the photos is standard. Only the metallic paint (Midnight Blue) requires an additional charge. Front seats and rear seats with heating, ventilation and massage, night vision, nice audio, sliding and tilting roof, leather and Alcantara: it’s all there. But indeed, you are driving something exclusive if you dare to choose a DS 9, because between its introduction in 2021 and the moment we complete this test, no more than 65 units have been sold in the Netherlands.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl