The best was diesel, the most premium plug-in hybrid
The first sitting in the interior of the new DS 4 took my breath away. Literally, because the smell of leather was similar to the most expensive luxury cars. At first glance, the materials in the highest equipment are significantly better than those of comparable competitors in German brands.
The driver fits into perfectly shaped seats, which are made of a special leather upholstery. It holds the body perfectly and at the same time provides perfect comfort. The master of the car is, in a good way, surrounded by the car and incorporated into it. Unlike the tests of the older DS cars, I was pleased to say that there was a decrease in self-serving design creations, which had a negative effect on the friendliness of the car’s controls. It has managed to get much more consistent here, although the shapes of some drivers are still not completely ideal.
I was the first to test the basic engine with a three-cylinder 1.2 PureTech 130 petrol turbo engine. And after the start, there was a bit of a shower. Inside the incredibly luxurious interior, the rumble of a three-cylinder engine sounds very inappropriate. At the same time, it cannot be said that it is a less dynamic basic power unit, but the premium is definitely not clear from it, and I was also disappointed by the high consumption in urban and suburban traffic. Also, the cooperation of the engine with the eight-speed automatic was not always the first.
In terms of appropriateness, consumption and cooperation with the automatic transmission, the four-cylinder diesel fifteen-engine worked much better, which we definitely recommend especially to those who will complete longer routes with the DS 4. She also pleased with a very decent soundproofing and solidly cultivated speech. Its consumption on the same circuit against the gasoline engine was half, ie about five liters.
In our first tests of three different specifications, the DS 4 plug-in hybrid system of a four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor was by far the most premium power unit. Its 300 horses give the car its famous dynamics as well as the required velvetiness and quietness when starting off, in harmony with the spoiled interior full of technological gadgets. In this version, however, the chassis with a simple rear axle reached the limit in winter weather. An extra 300 kg against the basic three-cylinder petrol engine was damn well in the corners, and I was constantly struggling with the understeer of the front-wheel drive on the slicked asphalt. And it will not please even the price almost 300 thousand higher than the basic gasoline engine.
Overall, however, we were thrilled by the first acquaintance with the new DS 4. We even make it one of the candidates for Car of the Year. In addition to the expected comfort and luxury, it offers unexpectedly advanced technologies and a wide range of different types of drives – all wrapped in an attractive design. The biggest weakness in the first driving tests was the chassis properties in the bends on the bumps, which result from the not very sophisticated design of the rear axle. Overall, however, it is a very interesting and surprisingly strong alternative to German premium brands in the segment of hatchbacks, but also urban SUVs of the lower middle class.
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