DS No8

WE’RE going to get straight to the point and start this review by saying the DS Automobiles No8 is a very good car.

- Jordan Katsianis

There’s no caveat to this, no obvious ‘buts’ or deal breakers, aside from maybe just one. No matter how good or bad they are, big, expensive French cars just don’t sell well here in the UK. And if this remains the case for the Citroen spin-off brand's new flagship, it would be a shame, because there's a lot to like.

Under the skin, DS has used the same STLA Medium platform as found on the new Citroen C5 Aircross and Peugeot E-3008, but here there's a stretched wheelbase plus a lowered roofline. This yields a couple of immediate benefits, such as a sleeker silhouette that does a good job of paying homage to Citroen icons such as the DS and SM, and also makes the DS No8 one of the slipperiest of all STLA-based models, helping to maximise its range.

The DS No8 is only available with all-electric powertrains, and features single or dual-motor layouts and two battery options. The entry-level model uses a 73.7kWh battery and a single 226bhp motor mounted on the front wheels, but a second, long-range 97.3kWh battery pack can be had with either a 242bhp single or 343bhp dual-motor layout. All have a subtle overboost function, which adds around 30bhp to the total, but is only available for a short period to help with overtaking.

More impressive, though, are the range figures, with the base car quoted to be capable of 341 miles on a charge. However, the long-range single motor variant, with its headline 465-mile range, not only matches lots of key rivals, it annihilates them. Even with the highest performing dual-motor set-up, a 426-mile range is on offer. As well as making use of the STLA-Medium platform's inherent efficiency, DS has been able to double down on this with a range of aero tricks, backed up on paper with an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.24.