DS7Crossback

FIRST DRIVE We try new crossover with potent petrol power

- James Brodie

AS the first standalone model from the PSA luxury brand, the new DS 7 Cross back arrives with quite an extensive brief. Not only is it tasked with leading DS away from Citroen and to heady upmarket heights, it spearheads what will be a charge of six all-new models, and has to take on a hatful of talented, established rivals, too.

With such an imposing to-do list, it isn’t too surprising to see that the DS 7 hasn’t quite ticked all the boxes. So far, we’ve found it to be distinctive enough to turn heads, but not polished enough to really compete at the sharpest end of the posh crossover market.