Á«»¨Ö±²¥

DS is having another go at re-inventing itself — we make this at least the fourth, maybe fifth time since the badge was spun off as its own brand in 2014 — and there are two cornerstones to the ‘hey, look at us’ effort. One is electric power, and at long last this No.4 now comes in an all-battery form to match the incoming DS flagship, the No.8. Two is a new badging strategy that basically pinches an idea from famed perfume and fashion brand Chanel - so the DS 4 has been facelifted and is now called the DS No.4. E-Tense, which used to refer to the plug-in hybrid, is now the all-electric version. Does it come up smelling of roses, though?

Well, it looks fairly smart. The overall shape hasn’t changed much in the re-badging from DS 4 to No.4, but there is a new front end that includes a shallower, but wider, grille (kind of ironic considering an electric car doesn’t really need a grille much…) that brings the No.4 into close visual line with the No.8. Actually the change is more significant than it looks, at first — the bonnet has been stretched by 12mm compared to the old DS 4, to give it that new face.

Once again, the No.4 E-Tense isn’t really a full-on SUV, but sort of a low-roofed crossover that’s almost a big hatchback. Actually, its closest alternatives in terms of style are probably the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, rather than any taller BMW or Audi models, but even those cheaper Korean models make a better fist of being an all-round useable electric car than the No.4 E-Tense is likely to.

DS No.4 E-Tense: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 280 miles
Efficiency: 4.8 miles per kWh
Battery size: 58.3 kWh
Max charge speed: 120kW
Charge time AC: 8hrs
Charge time DC: 31 mins
Charge port location: Right rear
Power output: 213bhp

Still, it’s a reasonably handsome thing, and you can imagine it looking the part swishing silently up in front of a chic Parisian hotel.

Speaking of chic Parisian hotels, that’s clearly the look DS is going for with the No.4 E-Tense’s interior. There’s a new digital instrument panel, and a new central touchscreen that gets some bespoke software so that it doesn’t look as if it’s been entirely nicked from a Peugeot or a Citroen. There’s leather covering for pretty much everything, and the seats continue a DS tradition of looking like a chunky metal watch strap.

There’s tech too, including not just a head-up display, but even an infra-red camera for night driving, and Chat GPT AI for the voice control system. Space isn’t brilliant, though, and anyone stuck in the rear might feel a bit short-changed. DS also uses a few too many Peugeot-Citroen-Vauxhall parts-bin switches in the cabin, and they cheapen the premium effect.

Boot space is also less than stellar, with this E-Tense version holding up to 390 litres of luggage, compared to 430 litres for the DS No.4 Hybrid.

Even the electric powertrain is fairly middling. There’s a front-mounted 213hp electric motor, shared with the likes of the Peugeot E-3008 and the incoming new Citroen e-C5 Aircross, which gives solid performance (reckon on around 7.5 seconds to get to 62mph) but while those taller electric SUVs get a 73kWh battery pack for a healthy 300-mile+ range, the No.4 has to make do with a smaller 58kWh battery, which gives it a maximum range of only 280 miles, which isn’t all that great. Charging is good though, with a maximum DC charging power of 120kW, which means you can add 62 miles of extra range in just ten minutes’ charging.

You can check out our best DS No.4 E-Tense deals right here on Á«»¨Ö±²¥, if the early signs have got you interested in this car. Or, check out great deals on other new and used DS models. You can even use Á«»¨Ö±²¥ to sell your old car, and our network of trusted dealers will bid to get you the best price.

DS is going to have to be very careful in how it prices the No.4, as Peugeot already has on sale the E-408, which uses the same battery and which arguably has the more striking styling of the two cars, with very similar performance. Clearly the DS will have to be more expensive than the E-408, but then it risks being too expensive for what it offers, particularly when one considers the much longer ranges available from the Peugeot E-3008 and the Citroen e-C5 Aircross SUVs.

Equally, while the DS No.4 will very likely be much cheaper than cars such as the BMW iX1 and the Mercedes EQA, it will have to be sharply priced and well-equipped to tempt buyers away from either of those German alternatives, while others — such as the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Skoda Enyaq Coupe — will be tempting for those same buyers too.