The DS 9 is a saloon with four doors and 4.93 meters in length. It is available with two plug-in hybrid drive systems, a 250bhp front-wheel drive, and a 360bhp all-wheel drive. The sale price starts at €60,300 (all prices for the DS 9).
Some of its alternatives are the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (list, ordered by price, of plug-in hybrid sedans between 4.9 and 5.0 meters in length). The DS 9 has some details that make its occupants feel that they are in control of a high-priced vehicle, but it has others that are typical of simpler cars.
The DS 9 hit the market in 2020, although throughout this time its range has been undergoing changes (summary of them). The last one dates from May 2023, the date on which it added two new finishes —Opera and Esprit de Voyage— and equipment improvements —new instrumentation and a new multimedia system “DS IRIS SYSTEM”—. Earlier, in October 2022, DS increased the autonomy of the two plug-in hybrid versions and stopped marketing the 225-hp gasoline one.
The DS 9 E-TENSE 250 has an electric range of 74 km (before October 2022 it was 61 km), while the E-TENSE 360 has 62 km (before 47 km). The increase in autonomy is due to an improvement in the battery management system, not to an increase in its capacity, which is still 15.6 kWh of gross capacity in both cases.
Inside there are many pieces that give a great feeling of solidity and overall quality. There are also many upholstered surfaces in apparently expensive materials: there is leather on many areas of the dashboard and doors, as well as Alcantara on the headliner in some versions. The leather upholstery is thick and soft to the touch. As usual in DS, there are several decorative environments that combine different tones for the leathers and the trims of the dashboard and doors. They are called Rivoli+, Opera, and Esprit de Voyage. Another design detail is that the door handles sit flush with the body and only emerge from it when necessary.
The equipment can have things that are only seen in sedans of high level like, for example, two rear seats ventilated, heated, and with massage (this is also available for the front occupants). In the rear seats, you travel well because the occupants have a lot of attention and because there is a lot of space available, especially for the legs.
There are things that question whether the DS 9 is a luxury car. The clearest example is the operation of the screens of the multimedia system and instrumentation. These two elements have a fair graphic quality and a fluidity of operation that is also fair. After all, they are devices similar to those carried by various Peugeot and Citroen models at a much lower price. For me, this is the point that further distances the DS 9 from having a luxurious experience, even more than the fact that some controls (such as the turn signal levers or the gear selector) come from simpler models.
Since May 2023 there is a new multimedia system called DS IRIS SYSTEM, with a central 12-inch touch screen. We haven't tested it, but DS says it's better at everything. It can be paired with the MyDS mobile app to remotely control things like battery charging or check trip computer data. It is compatible with Android Auto and CarPlay and, as an option, a FOCAL sound system specially made for this vehicle can be ordered.
Ride comfort is generally good, with interior noise generally moderate and the suspension comfortable. There is a device called DS ACTIVE SCAN SUSPENSION that consists of a front camera that detects bumps and imperfections in the road and prepares the suspension to go through them. We give more impressions in the Driving Impressions section.
The two plug-in hybrid versions (250 and 360 CV) have the same combustion engine a 1.6-liter 200 CV and the same 109 CV electric motor on the front axle. The difference is that the 360 hp version has a second 113 hp electric motor on the rear axle (comparative data sheet). Until May 2022 it was possible to purchase a hybrid version of 225 CV. This had a 1.6-liter 180 hp gasoline engine, an electric 110 hp engine, and a lithium-ion battery with 11.9 kWh capacity.
All DS 9 have an eight-speed automatic gearbox (EAT8). The onboard charger supports charging at a power of up to 7.4 kW, so in 1.5 hours you can go from 0 to 100% battery.
As in most plug-in hybrid models, there are several power management modes: Electric, Hybrid, and Sport. The first is the one that the vehicle selects by default as soon as it starts and forces the system to circulate solely with the electric motor, the second combines the operation of the two motors depending on the power demand, and the third is aimed at obtaining the maximum benefits. Additionally, there is a function called E-Save that serves to maintain the battery charge at a certain level.
The DS 9 is built on the modular platform that, for example, Peugeot uses in the 508. Safety systems and driving assistants are very abundant and similar to those found in, for example, the DS 7 Crossback. We highlight DS DRIVE ASSIST (maintains speed and distance from the vehicle in front and keeps it centered in the lane in which it is driving; it works between 0 and 180 km/h), DS PARK PILOT (parks the vehicle automatically, in line or in parallel, without having to touch the steering wheel or the pedals), the DS NIGHT VISION (night vision system using an infrared camera with the ability to detect objects and people) or DS ACTIVE LED VISION (LED headlights with ability to adapt the range and intensity of the beam depending on the traffic conditions and the speed at which the vehicle is moving).
All DS 9 include standard elements such as instrumentation made up of a configurable screen, an ambient lighting system with various shades, and a clock on the top of the console manufactured by the specialist B.R.M.
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