DS 3 Crossback E-Tense Review

Introduction

DS Automobiles is still a fledgling brand in the UK. The company was kicked out from under the skirts of Citroen in 2015 with an ageing model line-up that depended on one model: the brilliant DS 3. Today, the whole range has been revamped, with the charming but flawed DS 7 Crossback arriving while the sub-standard DS 4 and DS 5 models have gone to the scrapheap in the sky. 

While the passing of the DS 4 and DS 5 was largely welcome, DS then decided to kill off its best seller, the DS 3. The lively, quirky, exciting Mini rival was replaced with the DS 3 Crossback, a five-door compact SUV that had an improved interior and more space, but less charm and appeal. It was a decent car, but it couldn’t stir the soul in the way its predecessor could.

Now, though, the French company has given the DS 3 Crossback an all-electric powertrain, and that has boosted the car’s appeal. By solving issues with refinement and cutting running costs dramatically, the DS has gone from being an also-ran to a real contender.

Review Sections

At a Glance

The first electric car from Citroen’s DS offshoot, the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense might have a long-winded name, but its mission is simple. This is a small, premium SUV that’s here to look and feel like a posh SUV, without having the bulk or the running costs of a Range Rover. And it does it all in an unapologetically French way.

It isn’t quite as pretty as the old DS 3 hatchback, but it’s still a good looking thing. The ‘shark fin’ bits on the doors don’t quite work, yet even that can’t detract from the Crossback’s generally handsome figure. It’s kind of curvy in all the right ways, and it’s certainly more distinctive than an Audi Q2.

Sadly, it isn’t quite as competent as the Audi. DS is getting closer to its established rivals, but the DS 3 Crossback isn’t quite as rounded as a Mercedes-Benz or a Lexus. Some of the materials still feel a little bit sharp and cheap, and there’s less solidity than you’ll find in a German competitor. But for all that, the DS has charm and style, and they’re hard to come by in an Audi. Even the fast ones.

Better still, that electric powertrain is hard to fault. It offers more than enough range for an urban runabout, and it comes with a healthy 136hp. Performance is adequate, rather than exceptional, but it feels punchy and, perhaps most importantly, quiet – an area in which the conventionally powered DS 3 Crossback struggles.

Key Features

DS has gone to great lengths to make the Crossback distinctive and luxurious. On one front, it has been an enormous success, but less so on the other. There’s nothing quite like the Crossback’s cabin, which makes full use of DS’s trademark diamond patterns. It’s a quirky, left-field way of doing things, but it looks clean and modern, creating a focal point in the cabin.

It also works well with DS’s interior ‘inspirations’. The company offers a range of different interior themes that come with varying upholstery, dashboard trim and styling quirks. Rivoli is a highlight, with its pale leather across the seats and dashboard, but the Opera is a little more plush and practical, with softer leather and ‘watch-strap’ quilting on the seats.

All told, the ‘inspirations’ all look good, and the materials used – be it leather or Alcantara – feel perfectly pleasant, but the cabin is let down in other areas. Some harder plastics and thinner materials just dent the luxury image very slightly.

Range & Batteries

Under the floor, the DS comes with a 50 kWh lithium-ion battery that’s good for between 191 and 206 miles on a full charge. Naturally, the range is dependent on your driving style, the outside temperature and the weather, but experience tells us the range is usually fairly accurate. As long as you don’t use the climate control when you don’t need to and you drive with a little restraint, you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting more than 150 miles from a charge.

Performance & Drive

The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense only comes with one motor – a 136hp unit that powers the front wheels. It’s the same set-up you get in the Vauxhall Mokka-e, Citroen e-C4 and Peugeot e-2008, and it enables the electric DS to sprint silently from 0-62mph in a respectable 8.7 seconds.

Strangely, the instant acceleration from the electric powertrain means it feels faster, and the numbers suggest it’s very quick off the line. Getting from 0-30mph takes just 3.3 seconds, so very few cars will burn you off at the traffic lights.

But performance is not the DS 3 Crossback’s forte. Even in Performance Line trim, the jacked-up hatchback is no supercar. The high driving position makes it feel a little top-heavy in corners, so it rolls and wallows as you steer. The huge battery pack should help, placing the weight lower in the car, but it gives the E-Tense a slightly sluggish demeanour.

Fortunately, the DS is quite comfortable, with a supple ride that irons out most of the bumps – particularly on the motorway. The car weighs 300kg more than the petrol model, and that makes it feel a little more settled at speed, but it also makes the suspension work harder around town. The occasional harsh pothole can catch the car out, making it thud into the road surface.

Despite that, it remains a decent urban runabout. You’ll have more than enough range for pottering about, and the light steering makes the DS easy to manoeuvre. The lack of rear visibility is an issue, but parking sensors and a reversing camera more than make up for that.

Charging

To make electric cars viable, it’s best to charge at home as often as possible, both for the health of the battery and for the health of your bank balance. However, DS does not advocate the use of a 13-amp, three-pin plug socket like the one you find in your lounge. Instead, the company recommends installing a 7.2kW wallbox at home, which will allow you to charge the battery in around seven-and-a-half hours. Perfect for overnight top-ups.

If you do need to charge while out and about, a 100kW rapid charger will get the battery from empty to 80% in half an hour. That’s just enough time to grab a coffee and a slice of cake. You probably should be stopping for a break every 150 miles or so anyway, so it isn’t too much of an imposition.

Running Costs & Emissions

If you can run the E-Tense on a home charger, your bills will be tiny compared with a petrol or diesel car. With a good electricity tariff that gives you a low off-peak rate, charging overnight will cost you very little indeed. But if you’re charging at public stations instead, the bills will rise significantly. It’s definitely worth joining a few charging schemes to get cheaper access to plugs.

And if you’re a company car driver, you’ll be saving money hand over fist. Because taxes are based on carbon dioxide emissions and the E-Tense doesn’t emit any, Benefit-in-Kind tax rates are through the floor. In the 2021/22 financial year, an E-Tense incurs just 1% in BiK tax.

Interior & Technology

Alongside some luxury brands, the E-Tense’s cabin definitely looks distinctive. The diamond patterns, the big screens and the quilted leather of high-end models make it feel different to anything else out there.

By and large, the quality is good, albeit less solid than a BMW or an Audi. The leather is beautifully soft and the dashboard plastics are mostly good, but a few thin, cheap-feeling materials let the side down. And the way those materials are stuck together sometimes leaves something to be desired.

Nevertheless, the car is worthy of its place on the premium stage. Partly because of the technology on board. You get a digital instrument display as standard, and that’s supplemented by a seven-inch touchscreen. Move up the hierarchy and you can have a 10-inch screen with satellite navigation.

The screen displays are great – particularly the driver display – although the navigation system feels a little dated by modern standards. That said, it usually works well, except for a few issues with sluggishness. Generally speaking, it’s better to use the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay systems that are included across the range, because they link closely with your smartphone and give you a more intuitive experience.

Practicality & Boot Space

The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense should be a practical SUV, and it comes with a competitively sized boot. The 350-litre space is about the same size as that of a Ford Focus hatchback, but it’s far smaller than that of the Kia e-Niro. That said, it’s more than you’ll get in a Vauxhall Mokka-e. And if you fold down the back seats, you get more than 1,000 litres to play with.

However, the fly in the ointment is the cabin space, which proves slightly tight for those occupying the rear seats. Those in the front won’t have any issues and kids will be fine in the back, but the rear seats aren’t as spacious as they are in the Kia e-Niro. It’s also a bit dark back there, thanks to the strange ‘shark fin’ features on the rear doors.

Safety

The DS 3 Crossback shone in the Euro NCAP crash test, but that isn’t immediately obvious if you scour the safety organisation’s website. The site lists two results for the car: one with the safety pack and one without. Unsurprisingly, the car with the safety pack scored better, achieving the full five stars, whereas the ‘standard’ car only managed four.

But never fear, because all UK-bound DS 3 Crossbacks come with the safety pack as standard, so it’s a five-star car. And with a 96% score for adult occupant protection, it’s an incredibly safe one at that. Even the closely related Peugeot 2008 couldn’t manage quite such an impressive result.

The safety pack clearly plays a key role in the Crossback’s safety credentials, helping to prevent accidents happening, rather than protecting you when they do. The package includes lane-keeping assistance and emergency braking tech that hits the brakes automatically if you fail to react to a hazard. If you want more, you can specify the Advanced Safety Pack, which is standard on Ultra Prestige models and comes with blind-spot warning and more advanced emergency braking systems.

Options

The DS 3 E-Tense range comprises five different models, each with a different character. The entry-level Prestige gives you everything you need and wraps it in French chic, while the Performance Line and Performance Line+ models offer you something slightly sportier. The Ines de la Fressange version, meanwhile, is an unmistakably Parisian special edition that sits just below the range-topping, high-luxury Ultra Prestige.

The entry-specification car is already a luxurious thing, though. You get 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning and rear parking sensors, as well as a seven-inch touchscreen, tinted rear windows and automatic windscreen wipers. You also get the Bastille interior trim, with bronze cloth upholstery, and bronze features on the dash.

Opting for the Performance Line will see your car fitted with much the same standard equipment, but it comes with a moodier, motorsport-inspired look. You get darker trim around the grille, black alloy wheels and Performance Line badges, plus an Alcantara-trimmed interior and dark roof lining to make the cabin feel more like the cockpit of a race car.

If you choose the Performance Line+, you add more luxurious equipment to that sporty specification, with larger alloy wheels joined by a 10-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation and keyless entry.

Then there’s the limited-edition Ines de la Fressange, which takes inspiration from the fashion house of the same name. The blue, red and black paint job reflects the brand’s own colour schemes, while there’s blue interior trim and Ines de la Fressange badging scattered around the car. Otherwise, the specification is largely the same as that of the Performance Line+.

Finally, the range is capped by the Ultra Prestige. Again, that car comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, but it also gets a reversing camera and some extra safety kit. But the highlight is the Bastille Leather upholstery that can be upgraded to the lighter Rivoli design or the more luxurious Opera. Rivoli trim really brightens the cabin, but it’s less practical than the Bastille or Opera choices.

If you thought the interior choices were good, wait until you see the colour schemes on offer. With a contrasting black, red or white roof, the DS really looks the part, and the paint jobs make it even more striking. We love the Millenium Blue and Ruby Red, but Whisper Purple and Imperial Gold also look great. And the Performance Line models particularly suit the Platinum Grey.

Rival Cars

The market for compact electric SUVs is growing, but DS has positioned itself at the premium end of the market. For the time being, that means its only major rivals are the incredibly stylish Mercedes-Benz EQA and the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Both are more polished products, but they feel quite conventional alongside the more intriguing DS.

If you’re prepared to drive something less upmarket, you could also consider the Mazda MX-30, although its range leaves plenty to be desired. You could also look at the more convincing but slightly larger Volkswagen ID.4, or the Hyundai Kona Electric. The Peugeot e-2008 is the funky-looking option, and it uses identical powertrain technology to the DS.

But the king of the compact electric SUVs is the Kia e-Niro. With lots of range and plenty of standard equipment, it’s a great all-rounder. It’s comfortable and solid to drive, but its appeal comes from the build quality, refinement and on-board technology, all of which are far more advanced than you might expect from a Kia. It’s brilliant.

Verdict & Next Steps

There’s no doubt the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense is more appealing than its conventionally powered siblings. Not only is it quieter, but it’s slightly more comfortable and it’s definitely much cheaper to run. It isn’t as complete a car as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the Peugeot e-2008, but feels like a more interesting and more premium alternative. If you’ve already ruled out the conventional luxury SUVs, this is a quirky and left-field alternative that deserves your consideration.

Where to next?

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*Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top five leading independent car website reviews of the DS3 Crossback E-Tense

**Correct as of 19/08/2021. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments or £2,029.10 - Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.