- Electric version of DS’s small SUV driven
- Chic and posh with enviable dealership experiences
- But cramped and Tesla money
“BS? Is that American?” A direct quote from my mum when I told her what car I would be driving.
This misunderstanding probably wasn’t to do with Vodafone’s 5G service. It’s most likely because DS is still relatively new, only being a standalone brand since 2015. It still has its work cut out in terms of – to borrow parlance from The Apprentice – brand awareness in Britain. If only my mother knew DS was the eighth bestselling premium marque in Europe and THE bestselling in Argentina. Then she’d feel silly.
Maybe the name change will help. The electric DS 3, like the regular DS 3, has lost its Crossback denomination. There’s also a new nose, a new infotainment screen and a bigger battery capable of more miles between the plugs.
What’s new?
This is a facelift really, but the new battery should fix the biggest issue with the old car. There wasn’t that much wrong with the old E-Tense but the range was probably 150 miles top. DS reckons the new one should do 250. On our 130km test route we lost 40% battery, so we reckon it’s more like 200 miles.
Enough, but the Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona Electric will do more, and so will a Tesla Model 3.
If that seems like a tough comparison your eyes haven’t scanned to the bottom of the page yet. Things kick-off at around £37,000, but the price for top whack Opera cars comes in at £42,700. Which is knocking on the door of Tesla money thanks to recent discounts.
Interior any good?
Step inside the cabin and it looks prestigious enough. Serial anoraks will notice the DS 4’s steering wheel and switchgear from various Stellantis group cars, but it moulds together nicely. The new infotainment screen is really rather good; clear, concise, responsive. But it needs to be because the heating controls are on it.
There are shortcut buttons which come in a diamond shape, with four slots. Well three are usable, the top one is empty on purpose despite it making it look like there’s a feature missing
Room in the back isn’t great and probably best reserved for children. The boot’s large enough but there’s no frunk option so inevitably it’ll just be filled with charging cables anyway.
Can you hurry up and tell us what it’s like to drive please?
Once it is fully charged (30 mins 10-80% on a rapid charger thanks to 100kW charging speeds) and you boot it, 62mph will flash up on the 7.0-inch driver display in 9 seconds. Weirdly it’s marginally slower than the old model and while there’s not a serious nightclub’s doorman uppercut worth of power there is a polite postman’s shove through the letterbox.
Which is perfect should you find yourself in the wrong lane of a roundabout because you were admiring Valencia’s L’Hemisferic planetarium.
Interrupting adhesion is difficult to do, such is the delicacy of the traction control systems. You can elicit a bit of lift-off oversteer if you really must, but a hot-hatch this is not. 155hp may once have been hoonable, but today in an EV weighing more than a tonne-and-a-half it’s not particularly joyful to drive at ten tenths – the steering light, brake pedal a bit hard to modulate, not much feedback from the seat.
It’s much better suited to cruising speeds, delicately gliding over motorway imperfections. Around town it’s sharp enough but the ride creeps into bumpy territory, not helped by the 18-inch wheels on our test car.
Verdict
Compared with old this feels like a better product. Thanks to the increase in range, it feels like a first car now, rather than a second one. And compared with the regular petrol model it’s lightyears ahead in terms of noise and comfort.
It’s interesting too. Styling details and flair are abundant, and dealers even offer freebies such as guided tours round the Louvre.
It’s the opposite proposition to a Tesla, in that it doesn’t have market leading battery tech but you don’t have to pick your new car up from a marquee in an industrial estate. But judging by the Model Y’s bronze in the best selling cars of 2022 race, maybe electric car buyers want Silicon Valley efficiency rather than Champs Elysees frills.
The DS3 E-Tense won’t set the world alight but then most buyers will be more concerned with charging times than lap sectors. It’s interesting enough to make it on your shopping list if range and practicality aren’t top of your wants.