After a few years of (very) little contested domination, the German saloons are slowly seeing more rivals emerge. A good example of this is new. DS 9 E-Tense who starred in another video on our YouTube channel.
Unveiled about a year ago, the Gallic brand's new “almiral vessel” now arrives in Portugal with two levels of equipment — Performance Line + and Rivoli + — and a plug-in hybrid engine. The goal? Establish itself as an alternative to successful German proposals. But does it have arguments to do so?
After Guilherme Costa saw him live, it was Diogo Teixeira's turn to visit the top of the range of the Gallic brand and find out if it has arguments for the difficult “mission” proposed to him.
proudly different
Based on an elongated version of the PSA Group's EMP2 platform (the same as the Peugeot 508), the new DS 9 E-Tense does not hide its origins, counting with a look where we quickly identified the typical characteristics of DS Automobiles. From the “horns” on the C-pillar to the LED taillights, aesthetically, the DS 9 E-Tense manages to stand out.
Inside, and as Diogo reminds us in the video, the environment also does justice to the tradition of the young French brand. In this way we have abundant use of leather, a rotating B.R.M clock, an infotainment system compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and even heated, cooled and massage seats… in the back!
In the field of mechanics, the DS 9 E-Tense combines a gasoline engine, the 1.6 PureTech with 180 hp and 300 Nm, with an electric motor of 110 hp (80 kW) and 320 Nm that is coupled to an automatic gearbox with eight gears .
The end result is a combined maximum power of 225 hp and a combined maximum torque of 360 Nm. As for the performance, the 100 km/h arrives in 8.7s and the maximum speed is fixed at 240 km/h.
Powering the electric motor and offering a range in 100% electric mode of up to 56 km (WLTP cycle) we find an 11.9 kWh battery which, thanks to the 7.4 kW on-board charger, can be charged in 1h30min. at domestic or public charging points.
Now available in Portugal, the DS 9 E-Tense is available from 59,100 euros in the Performance Line + version and from 61,000 euros in the case of the Rivoli+ variant.