DS 7 review

Inside, it's all about the diamonds; a motif that spangles everywhere you look. There are diamond-faceted switches, diamond-shaped virtual dials, diamond screen graphics, diamond knurling, and diamond stitching on some versions. Couldn't be more different from the plainer finishes preferred by most rivals.

Is it all style over substance?

All models now get a 12.3-inch widescreen centre touch display, which was redesigned as part of the 2022 mid-life facelift. It looks impressively sharp but takes some getting used to. Thankfully, the line of handy shortcut buttons below it has been retained, allowing various functions without any round-the-houses menu-diving.

The driver's screen (also 12.3-inches) offers various layouts, including 3D navigation and energy flow on plug-in hybrid versions, but as ever we tended to revert to the traditional dials. Again, it's all laid onto a diamond pattern, and that does little for clarity. Luckily some versions get a fine HUD.

What luxuries do you get? 

The DS 7 parades a notably lush choice of materials including much Alcantara and Nappa leather, while top-spec models get massaging, vented and heated seats. It’s not all rosy – the B.R.M dashboard clock feels slightly at odds with the rest of the interior, while the metal electric window switches, located in the centre console, are more an inconvenience than anything. In fact, there are no switches at all on the doors. You do, however, get carpet-lined door bins to stop any rattling down there.

In the back, you get individual climate controls, while there’s plenty of legroom, if headspace is a little limited.

Boot space is 555-litres whether you go for the diesel or plug-in, with the battery having no impact on loadspace thanks to its position beneath the rear seats. That’s more than you get in an Audi Q3, Mercedes GLA and Volvo XC40, but slightly less than the BMW X1 and Jag E-Pace.

In fact the DS 7 proposition is to sit between the established classes. It's bigger than an Audi Q3 but smaller than a Q5, but the prices are closer to the former than the latter.