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DS – the premium arm of Citroen – is taking another shot at the lucrative luxury pie traditionally shared by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. This is the all-new DS No. 8. It’s an electric SUV Coupe that replaces the DS 9 flagship and promises the "art of electric travel." But can French flair and a 750 km (466 miles) WLTP range actually steal customers from the established giants? Join me for a comprehensive review and test drive.
In this episode, I’m taking the Long Range version with a 97 kWh battery on a 700 km road trip. The DS No. 8 is a visual standout with its Luminascreen lighting and an interior inspired by 1920s sports cars, but how does this "art on wheels" handle the reality of high-speed charging and long-distance travel? From the unconventional door handles to the DS Active Scan Suspension, I’m uncovering what it’s really like to live with this French flagship.
In this video:
SUV or Sedan? Decoding the "No. 8" name and why it doesn't look like an SUV even when parked next to one.
The
💯 Use my discount code: Marekdrives20 (works only on https://eu.3wliners.com/ )
🚗 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3IUEjkj
DS – the premium arm of Citroen – is taking another shot at the lucrative luxury pie traditionally shared by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. This is the all-new DS No. 8. It’s an electric SUV Coupe that replaces the DS 9 flagship and promises the "art of electric travel." But can French flair and a 750 km (466 miles) WLTP range actually steal customers from the established giants? Join me for a comprehensive review and test drive.
In this episode, I’m taking the Long Range version with a 97 kWh battery on a 700 km road trip. The DS No. 8 is a visual standout with its Luminascreen lighting and an interior inspired by 1920s sports cars, but how does this "art on wheels" handle the reality of high-speed charging and long-distance travel? From the unconventional door handles to the DS Active Scan Suspension, I’m uncovering what it’s really like to live with this French flagship.
In this video:
SUV or Sedan? Decoding the "No. 8" name and why it doesn't look like an SUV even when parked next to one.
The
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MotorTranscript
00:00ds citron's premium brand is taking another crack at having a piece of the action on the
00:05very lucrative market traditionally occupied by brands like audi bmw lexus mercedes or volvo
00:13but marek why didn't you mention alfa romeo seriously anyway this is the ds number eight
00:21and it competes against you'll never guess the bmw ix3 among others let's check it out
00:29this episode is brought to you by 3w liners keep your car interior clean with perfectly fitting oem
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01:06so
01:30never mind the digit the ds number eight is a coupe suv and yes it's bigger than the ds
01:36seven crossback suv but smaller than the ds9 but the ds9 sold so well it didn't even get a midlife
01:45cycle refresh also the ds9 was a limousine and the ds number eight because all new ds's now have the
01:51word number in its name may look like a limousine but it's actually an suv the coupe kind
02:04the car is 482 centimeters long and 190 centimeters wide the height is 158 centimeters and the wheel
02:12base is 290 centimeters long in terms of dimensions the number eight plays in the same league as the byd
02:19sea lion 7 also a coupe suv porsche macan also a coupe suv volvo ex 60 or the bmw ix3
02:30of course the
02:32bmw or the porsche offer much better performance and driving characteristics but that's no surprise
02:37oh and i forgot to add that ds number eight is an ev and it replaces the rather unfortunate ds9
02:46the press release mentions the french art of electric travel aerodynamics the drag coefficient
02:51is just 0.24 the light signature which indeed attracts attention ds always had interesting
02:59lighting first and foremost we have the ds luminous screen grille it's lit up all the time more
03:05discreetly during the day but it's on all the time then we have the matrix led headlights and the ds
03:11light blade vertical daytime running lights which resemble yes blades on guard
03:22also the rear lighting is multi-dimensional and you'll be able to tell this is the ds number eight
03:29if you ever see one in the wild and something tells me you'll see more rolls royces and bentleys
03:34than ds's but i'm foreshadowing if you ask me the ds number eight is a visually attractive interesting
03:42and unconventional vehicle without context it doesn't even look like an suv and even if you put
03:48it next to an suv only the height betrays it after many years of experiments with some of the worst
03:57retractable door handles ds finally managed to implement something that sometimes works the door
04:05handles can pop out as i approach the car with the key but i turned it off because i don't
04:09like
04:09when they do that or i can give him a light push
04:16yeah anyway and these are the front door handles because the rear door handles are concealed in the c
04:21pillars and i understand this choice from the visual perspective but i'm not sure if a flagship
04:26limousine should have high mounted concealed door handles when the driver the security details opens
04:31the door for the vip they should be able to hold the door securely by the handle with one hand
04:37while with the other hand they hold an umbrella or they help the vip to exit the vehicle in my
04:44opinion
04:44this is a bad design choice
04:49too much egalite et fraternité
04:54and since we're around the rear doors let's take a look at the rear seats which seem comfortable but
05:01look how high my thighs are in the air furthermore the seat cushion is short legroom i'm 175 centimeters
05:09tall and the driver's seat is set to my driving position is fine but with the passenger seat pushed
05:16all the way back it's tight furthermore the front seat backs feel flimsy the same goes for the door
05:23upholstery headroom is okay but that's because the backrests are reclined at a 30 degree angle
05:29and the backrest angle isn't adjustable there are door pockets cup holders in the armrest a flat floor
05:38usbc ports and a 12 volt outlet third zone climate control and heated and ventilated
05:45well no heated and ventilated seats are an option and somebody hasn't specified them on this example
05:53ice fix anchor points are only in the rear the backrest splits 40 20 40
06:02the boot capacity in this test car is 605 liters as some of the underfloor space is occupied by the
06:08optional focal audio system subwoofer the standard capacity is 620 liters for the front wheel drive
06:15version and 581 liters for the all-wheel drive you can order an optional mini spare for the front
06:21wheel drive model which takes up most of the space under the floor and then the boot volume drops to
06:26574 liters
06:30the boot is 115 centimeters deep 100 centimeters wide between the wheel arches and approximately 50
06:38centimeters high from the false floor to the parcel shelf plus another 12 centimeters or so under the
06:43floor be warned the parcel shelf has massive mounting points on the side so you can't use the full boot
06:50width all the way to the shelf also the parcel shelf doesn't fit under the floor a manually removable tow
06:57hitch is available as an option nothing says flagship like having to remove the tow hitch yourself
07:03at least the gesture opening and closing of the boot works flawlessly
07:08and of course there is no frunk audi bmw and mercedes stubbornly avoided it for years so
07:15let's not expect anything different from the french
07:21but they've got uh gas struts premium luxury
07:31i respect ds for constantly experimenting with its user interface most brands once they introduce a new
07:40feature in one model quickly try to standardize their interior design for example every volvo
07:46cockpit has looked roughly the same for years regardless of the segment with ds you never know
07:52what will surprise you in the most recent model for example i booked the ds number eight for test drive
07:59because of the steering wheel i promised myself that i would focus more on cars that picked my interest
08:06because most new cars these days are predictable and boring regardless of the price range now this
08:12four spoke steering wheel bridges the old automotive world with the modern era symbolized by ubiquitous
08:19screens ds has ditched the pop-up analog clock it's a shame because it was a nice detail that just
08:28needed
08:28some refinement but the dashboard design still reminds me of the 90s 20s sports cars with brushed
08:35aluminum finishes i mean it was brushed aluminum back in those days nowadays it's more like plastic
08:42i think but i'm buying it even if for the first two days those large silver speaker grills were very
08:47distracting i kept seeing them out of the corner of my eye more than the wing mirrors incidentally
08:53audi for example installed displays for the virtual wing mirrors around here so it is a good place for that
09:00not necessarily for the speakers in front of the driver is a 12 and a quarter inch display i like
09:07that you can configure several views with different content depending on your needs for example i might
09:12want navigation and multimedia for the city and energy consumption data for the motorway the central
09:18display measures a whopping 16 inches across the ds iris 2.0 operating system is decent though not without
09:26its french quirks which i'll discuss in a moment in everyday use what bothers me most is that comfort
09:34settings including seat or steering wheel heating require exiting the navigation system as the climate
09:40control settings take up the entire screen yes you could probably create some shortcuts but a few more
09:46physical buttons could also have been added these french quirks include for example the way settings are
09:54highlighted depending on the context so in the safety system settings disabling something requires me
10:03sliding the virtual slider from green which is on to gray which is off however in the quick menu for
10:13disabling adas it's the other way around so it's logical when you think about it but to avoid confusion
10:19they could have simply used check boxes here another french quirk is the cup holders under the center
10:28console in order to place a cup in there you have to take your eyes off the road and lean
10:33down and of
10:34course at least one time i placed the cup next to the cup holder and it fell over when i
10:40was turning
10:41forget about placing even half a liter bottle in there there just isn't enough height
10:47the french they don't drink much water anyway do they l'eau c'est pour le poisson vous savez ce
10:55que font
10:56le poisson dans l'eau garçon du café at least there are large door pockets the wireless charging is line
11:07with what looks like alcantara it doesn't drop the connection so that's good and it's even ventilated
11:13but not from the bottom where the phone heats up rather from above and when the sun shines through
11:21the panoramic roof the phone starts to overheat the storage compartment under the armrest however
11:27is ventilated and it's spacious the glove box is also large
11:49the ds number eight is designed to transport us comfortably from a to b this comfort is influenced
11:55by several factors ride and acoustic comfort seat comfort range and route planning with charging to
12:02ensure stress-free journey it would also be nice if the assistance systems could relieve the driver
12:09of some of the driving burdens
12:15the ds active scan suspension featured in earlier ds models actively scans the road ahead the camera
12:21detects imperfections in the road surface and sends the information to the active shock absorbers which
12:26react proactively to smooth things out and it works brilliantly except for manhole covers which the ds
12:34still considers an even element of the road infrastructure not a potential trap which will
12:39damage your 21 inch rim but for most of the time the suspension is generally comfortable
12:49next up is the acoustic comfort which ds states is benchmark in its class i don't know what class they
12:57are talking about if they are talking about the bmw ix3 which turned out to be suspiciously poorly
13:04soundproof during my first drive in spain then the ds number eight is indeed better but if you're driving on
13:11an expressway at speeds above 100 kilometers per hour wind noise becomes noticeable the press release
13:17doesn't mention active noise cancellation perhaps the designers thought that cover all the bases with
13:24aerodynamics and laminated glass and no one would be driving the ds any faster because france is riddled
13:30with speed cameras the next item on the list is seat comfort and here i was um surprised actually
13:38not only are the seat cushions short which made my thighs go numb after a couple of hours
13:45but the lumbar support adjustment is inadequate and after 700 kilometers my back ached like it hasn't done
13:54in a long time these seats are bad period and of course i stopped for charging and halfway through the
14:01journey i also took a half an hour walk so i wasn't behind the wheel for eight hours straight
14:07i was picking up an elderly relative from their vacation and it was 350 kilometers one way from
14:16where i live so besides testing the comfort i had the opportunity to test the range and route planning
14:24with charging
14:28speaking of the range the ds promises up to 750 kilometers wltp combined and over 500 kilometers on
14:36the highway i was driving on a dual carriageway with a speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour
14:41and in places even lower energy consumption for the entire trip was just under 23 kilowatt hours
14:48which includes a couple of dozen kilometers in the city at the beginning and at the end of the journey
14:54along the dual carriageway the car was using 25 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers on the first
15:01leg of the journey and 24 kilowatt hours on the return leg the temperature jumped from about 3 4 degrees
15:08celsius in the morning to about 15 in the afternoon this is a front wheel drive long range model with
15:16a 97
15:16kilowatt hour traction battery so simple math tells me the best it could do at 120 kilometers per hour was
15:23maybe 400 kilometers of course i could drive 100 or 110 kilometers per hour but i wouldn't be able to
15:32last
15:32in these seats for so long
15:37route planning with charging works well enough you can enter not only the battery charge level at the
15:43charger but also at your destination which is important when you have a longer route to cover that day
15:50and you don't have time to charge at the intermediate point i had time to charge because we planned to
15:58go to a restaurant but there wasn't even an ac charger anywhere in the area not to mention a dc
16:04charger
16:08so i had to fast dc charge once on the way there and another time on the way back there
16:15were charging hubs
16:16along the way which finally worked without a hitch outputting up to 400 kilowatts they were conveniently
16:22located where i needed them and also rather expensive i charged 60 and 50 kilowatt hours and in total it
16:30cost me more than 80 euro yes there are ways to charge cheaper but i was focusing on convenience rather
16:37than looking for a cheaper network by the way if i hadn't charged the car at home but had to
16:43use only public
16:44charging network the entire trip would cost me close to 120 euro even with the current fuel prices
16:50it would be cheaper to drive an internal combustion engine car but of course for commutes from the
16:57suburbs an ev is cheaper than an ice car especially if you have solar panels in any case the route
17:04planning
17:05worked but i noticed that the charger database was out of date i passed chargers including several hubs that
17:12the ds navigation system didn't know about i like that the sat nav sees average speed cameras unfortunately
17:21it doesn't tell me my average speed like for example hyundai does it only flashes yellow or red if i'm
17:28going
17:28too fast at that given moment
17:34the ds number eight can charge at up to 160 kilowatts the most iso was around 150 but i was
17:42talking to
17:42another driver by the charger so i may have missed the peak battery preconditioning is automatic when
17:49you navigate using oem sat nav if you're using google maps you can set the preconditioning manually as
17:55standard the ds has an 11 kilowatt onboard charger you can option a 22 kilowatt hour charger as well
18:06driver aids which should make long motorway journeys less tiring in the ds number eight are subpar to
18:13say the least the car does have adaptive cruise control with active lane keeping assist but in dense
18:19traffic you simply cannot rely on the system to start braking sufficiently early it's as if the radar
18:27didn't see further as the speed increases
18:31so you have to constantly adjust the distance to the car in front because it's either too short in
18:37case of an emergency braking or too long and then other drivers will keep cutting in front of you
18:45there is also a lane change assistant but even with the indicator on when the car should know it's
18:54about to overtake the adaptive cruise control will keep slowing down until you're all the way in the left
19:00lane and only then it'll accelerate again so you're basically blocking other drivers
19:07on the plus side once you're off the motorway the ds number eight has a surprisingly quick steering rack
19:14visibility is okay and there's also a virtual rear view mirror should you have tall passengers in the
19:21back on the negative side i don't like how the regenerative braking is set up regardless of whether i
19:29set it manually with paddles on the steering wheel or set it to full-on one pedal driving it's always
19:37somewhat abrupt i wasn't able to learn to feel it within a week so i think it's not me it's
19:45it's the car
19:52there are two battery packs and a choice of front wheel drive or all-wheel drive the basic model has
19:58230 horsepower a 74 kilowatt hour traction battery and a range of 550 kilometers the front wheel drive
20:06long range model like i'm reviewing today has 750 kilometers range and 245 horsepower an all-wheel drive
20:13version with the same 97 kilowatt hour battery has 350 horsepower and 688 kilometers of range the 0 to 100
20:23kilometers per hour time is 7.7 7.8 and 5.4 seconds respectively i checked and instead of 7
20:30.8 seconds
20:31i managed 7.9 seconds it was cold and the car is on winter tires this could have also affected
20:39the range
20:40if you're wondering how do these matrix led headlights work they get the job done they light up the sides
20:48of
20:48the road while at the same time avoiding proceeding and oncoming vehicles it doesn't seem like much
20:54on camera but to the naked eye it looks a bit more effective however it's not as fancy as what
20:59the
21:00audi bmw or mercedes headlights do in this scenario prices of the ds number 8 start at 57 700 euro
21:22this test
21:23car is a front wheel drive long range in etoil trim with options it costs 80 130 euro
21:33i was so busy making fun of the french automotive savoir faire that i forgot to record the ending while
21:40i was still on set so i had to go back to ds and now i have to do it
21:43in the parking lot like a twat that
21:45i am anyway to sum up the ds number eight is a car you buy not because it's the best
21:50but because on the
21:51one hand people will point fingers at you behind your back and on the other hand they will envy you
21:56for being so chill despite the backache because this thing really has terrible seats anyway how do
22:05you like the ds number eight let me know in the comment section below if you like my sarcastic down
22:13to earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday 3 pm central european time and don't
22:20forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching
22:26and i will see you in the next one
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