223kW and 50km EV range are two sides of the same coin.
After Groupe PSA detailed its accelerated its plans to roll out electrified powertrains across its fleet, nascent brand DS has taken the lead (again) by offering the very first PHEV in the latest-generation fleet, and offering the very first “high-performance petrol-electric hybrid in the segment.” The DS 7 Crossback E-Tense makes its debut a little earlier than the expected Paris motor show unveiling (that opens next month), but PSA’s dropped some salivating details on the smart and stylish luxury SUV that’ll join the DS 3 Crossback on the marque’s stand.
The 7 Crossback is not something we’re entirely unfamiliar with, following the model’s debut last year. The big changes with the arrival of the E-Tense is under the skin: Under the floor lies a 13.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack, sandwiched between electric motors on either axle, working seamlessly with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The result? 223kW and 450Nm, sent to all-four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and an all-electric range of 50km per full charge.
Impressed yet?
Like Volvo has with its T8 TwinEngine powertrains, DS has used the petrol-electric hybrid setup to maximise performance efficiency, being able to offer pretty healthy outputs as well as usable zero-emissions range. The 7 Crossback E-Tense is a plug-in hybrid too, meaning that in addition to brake-regenerative charging, you also get to plug the car into a wall socket. 8hrs will recharge the car from flat till full from a home wall socket; a 14A “GreenUp plug” (we don’t know what that is) will do the job in 4-hours; a 32A wallbox charger will top up electric range in just 2-hours.
The DS 7 Crossback E-Tense offers four driving modes, and an additional range-save mode which we’ll get to in a second. By default, the 7 Crossback E-Tense starts up in Zero-Emissions mode, motivated by the electric motors alone “for driving comfort, silent running, and no emissions.” Next up is Hybrid mode, which optimises the turbo-petrol engine and the electrical system to provide maximum running efficiency. When spirited, Sport mode can be called upon to provide the full thwack that the powertrain can offer, while 4WD mode ensures maximum traction when traversing less-than-ideal surfaces.
Lastly there’s ‘E-Save,’ which conserves between 10km-20km of battery charge to be used during the last leg of the journey, determined by input into the built-in satellite navigation. The sat-nav, displayed on the high-definition touchscreen, will show drivers in real-time the distances and/or portions of the journey that can be covered in ZE mode, and where nearby charging stations are located.
DS is keen to point out that no practicality was compromised in turning the DS 7 Crossback into an E-Tense, with the batteries fitted under the floor and the two electric motors only occupying room that was engineered into the design of the EMP2 platform from the get-go. The DS 7 Crossback E-Tense will be offered in Europe with 19-inch wheels as standard, as and offers a new ‘Crystal Grey’ hue to the lineup.
The rest of the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense is similar to what we’ve seen before. The design of the 7 Crossback is either derivative or exciting, depending on who you talk to. This writer quite likes it, though concessions must be made in that the face does look a little Audi Q5 in appearance. But tell you what though, an Audi Q5 doesn’t have swivelling headlight lenses does it?
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