USED BUYER'S GUIDE DS 4 Mk 2

HOW often have you heard people say that all new cars look the same?

- Richard Dredge

While that’s arguably true with some car makers, other brands are doing their best to buck the trend — and one of them is DS. Both inside and out, DS's cars have their own unique identity. Take the DS 4 for example. Is it a hatchback or is it an SUV? The answer is that it’s somewhere between the two, so it’s sleeker than a regular crossover and is crammed with thoughtful design details from bumper-to-bumper. But is that enough to make you want one? We'd say yes — perhaps a lot more than you realise.

HISTORY

ORDERS for the DS 4 opened at the end of 2021, with the first deliveries taking place in early 2022. Buyers could choose from a mix of engines, starting with a 1.2-litre turbo PureTech petrol and a 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 diesel.

For those who wanted more poke, there was a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol unit in the form of the PureTech 180 and PureTech 225, while the plugin hybrid E-Tense 225 promised power with economy. All came with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and no manual option.

By June 2024 a 134bhp hybrid powertrain joined the DS 4 range, with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Three years on, DS has given the car the new No4 name to line up with its range siblings, plus a midlife update, with a refreshed design and the option of a 210bhp electric powertrain (sold as the E-Tense), and a bigger battery for the plugin hybrid. Previously a 12.4kWh item, it was upgraded to 14.6kWh to give an electric range of up to 50 miles.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?

WE’D suggest a plugin hybrid if you can charge at home, because this could dramatically cut your fuel bills.