The DS 4 is available in 3 versions: DS 4, DS 4 Cross and DS 4 Performance Line.
4.40 m long, 1.87 m wide and 1.47 m high, it seeks to find a place among the premium models of the C segment. And it is true that aesthetically, it has all the chances of winning.
But does she have other arguments to make?
On the inside
Taking a seat on board for the first time, the impressions are mixed.
Overall, the dashboard presents well, even if we can't help but find a little minimalist side to it, certainly as far as its instrumentation is concerned.
Before his eyes, the driver is only entitled to a very small screen, truly unworthy of a car of this category and of this price.
Not very big either, the central screen and its many menus (not always very clear by the way) give the possibility of customizing the display but… we never succeeded.
As for the "touch pad" supposedly allowing us to enter an address in a handwritten manner, we only needed several (vain) attempts to use it to completely forget it.
Almost everything on the screen did not thrill us much more, nor did the seats (moreover very nicely designed), much less comfortable than the “Advanced Comfort” of a Citroën.
Another annoying detail, the door panels, whose design, if it does not lack originality, only allows the elbow to rest and not the entire forearm.
Hard !
The rear seats do not raise the level by their lack of space for the legs.
Ditto for the trunk (390 liters), in which there is not even a storage under the floor for the charging cable.
On the road
With a full charge, the 12.4 kWh battery can cover 55 km WLTP in electric mode.
During our test, however, the on-board computer never indicated more than 52 km.
By default, the car always starts in this mode.
For a hybrid, it's rather curious, isn't it?
In short, it is better to pay attention to it, otherwise you risk wasting your autonomy in zero emission mode.
In terms of pleasure, the hybrid system (cumulative power and torque of 225 hp and 360 Nm) seduces with its smooth operation, a pity that the gear changes of the automatic gearbox are sometimes too perceptible and in general, terribly slow by compared to what is done today.
If the light and natural direction is pleasant in all circumstances, the damping controlled Active Scan Suspension frankly disappointed us.
Still passes in the vertical movements, where its progressiveness is rather pleasant, but the vibration balance, it really did not meet our expectations with an obvious lack of "smoothness" and a clearly insufficient wheel control, going up to to cause slight deviations of the rear axle!
A rather disastrous assessment which, we are certain, is to be put down to the account of the 20-inch wheels which purely and simply undermine the work of the developers.
An option (€1,000) to avoid.
Budget
The DS 4 E-Tense is offered in 3 trim levels: Bastille + (€38,800), Trocadero (€44,000) and Rivoli (€47,500).
The standard equipment of the entry-level version is already quite complete with, among other things, flush door handles, LED headlights, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance , wireless Mirror Screen connectivity, and more.
At the end of this test, without having been able to recharge as often as we would have liked given certain fairly long trips on the motorway, our average consumption was 4.6 l/100 km.
The DS 4 wowed us with its design, but in use, it rather disappointed us.
In addition to a digital presentation unworthy of its rank and a lack of space in the back, we will especially point the finger at a very disappointing damping comfort.
A false note fortunately to be put on the account of the optional 20-inch wheels.
You have been warned.
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