If you want a premium mid-sized SUV in the current market, you're not short of choice. But there's nothing quite like this, the DS 7. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the latest version.

As the DS brand points out, beyond the motor industry, three of the world's top five luxury brands are French. Why shouldn't Gallic style be equally desirable when it comes to cars? Perhaps it can be with this one, the DS 7, here usefully improved. This upper mid-sized Crossover was the first of the company's very own designs and it's still appealing for the right kind of customer.

Back in 2017, the DS brand brought us its first uniquely-designed car, the DS 7 Crossback. Under its skin lay much that was shared with mid-sized Peugeots and Citroens, but it was all covered with a thick sheen of Gallic gloss that allowed this car to represent a refreshing alternative to the Teutonic ambiance that tends to dominate amongst premium mid-sized SUV models of this sort.

There were a few signs of classic DS innovation here too. Given the marque's heritage in pioneering suspension technology, it was appropriate that the highlight from launch was a camera-driven active damping system that set new standards in this sector, recognising bumps and road undulations before you even reach them. Features like adaptive headlights and a 'DS Connected Pilot' package with 'level 2' autonomous driving were more familiar to buyers looking at the latest models of this kind, but the DS 7 Crossback aimed to set itself apart with a uniquely sumptuous, tactile interior. The idea was to bring a bit of Louis Vuitton and Chanel to the mid-sized premium segment. That's also the idea with this updated model, which has lost the 'Crossback' moniker and is just called 'DS 7'. Let's check it out.

On any DS 7 E-TENSE model, there are four drive modes available. 'Zero emission' is the default setting, which sees functioning only using its electric motors. More commonly, you'll be running in 'Hybrid mode', which sees the electric motors and the engine efficiently working together. If you're pressing on, you'll use 'Sport' mode, which is engine-only. In its '300' and '360' forms, this is a 4x4 model and if you're off piste, you can make the most of that by engaging a '4WD' setting which activates the rear axle for all-wheel drive.

We should point out that you don't have to have Plug-in power in your DS 7: the brand is still offering a conventional 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 diesel unit for those unconcerned about the current environmental zeitgeist. Whatever engine you choose, across the range, as before, top models feature the 'DS Active Scan' camera-driven active damping set-up that is able to anticipate bumps and undulations before you even get to them. Across the line-up, you can get an optional 'Grip Control' system that optimises front wheel grip for light off road use.

This revised DS 7 gets a restyled front end, with slimmer 'DS PIXEL LED VISION 3.0' headlamps and 'DS LIGHT VEIL' daytime running lights. The DS WINGS and the grille are larger and the valance has been redesigned with a range of colours depending on the model.

Inside, there's smarter upholstery, with specifically draped Nappa leather on the dashboard and door panels. The 12-inch high-resolution centre touchscreen has been redesigned too, now featuring a menu made up of widgets for accessing all its functions with a single movement: for controlling the connected navigation, the ventilation, the digital audio sources and journey information. The centre screen gets a strange barrel-style crystal-like centre volume dial. And, like the 12-inch instrument binnacle TFT monitor, can be configured via a 'DS Sensorial Drive' feature to display its information in shades of either Cashmere or Titanium.

Out back, there's a decently-sized 555-litre boot. Fold the rear seats and the capacity rises to 1,752-litres.

DS 7 pricing ranges from around £36,000 to nearly £60,000. There are three trim levels - 'Performance Line', 'Rivoli' and 'Bastille' - which feature distinctly styled interior packages (DS calls then 'Inspirations'), most themed and styled around the perceived ambiance of various Parisian districts. The core DS7 line-up is built around three Plug-in Hybrid E-TENSE petrol engines and a conventional diesel. Either way, you have to have auto transmission.

Safety for this updated model is optimised with 'DS DRIVER ATTENTION MONITORING' that analyses the driver's level of attention with two cameras. The first checks the behaviour of the car in its surroundings and the second, positioned facing the driver, diagnoses where they are looking and their face and eyelid movement which translates to the level of sleepiness and attention. This is unprecedented in the segment. The DS 7 is also equipped with 'DS DRIVE ASSIST' adaptive cruise control that can initiate stopping and restarting without the driver intervening.

Let's get to the exact WLTP figures that the DS 7's various engines can produce, the base 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 auto diesel model manages 53.3mpg on the combined cycle and up to 140g/km.

On the move on a DS7 E-TENSE PHEV variant, energy is regenerated whenever the driver decelerates or uses the brakes, which extends the battery range. Another function, 'E-SAVE', also allows the driver to save enough energy to drive in all-electric mode for the last 6 or 12 miles of a journey. The map on the centre-dash touchscreen shows to the driver in real time the distance which can be driven in the car's all-electric 'Zero emission' mode or where charging stations are available nearby. This E-TENSE model's battery can be charged in two hours using a 32-amp wall-mounted terminal with a 6.6 kW charger; or in 8-hours with a traditional 3-pin domestic socket.

What else? Through a provided 'MyDS' app, you can programme or switch on charging and follow your car's state of charge on your smartphone. The warranty is an unremarkable three year/60,000-mile package. Service intervals are every year or every 20,000 miles with normal usage or every year or 12,500 miles if the car is regularly driven in an arduous conditions.

And in summary? Well the DS brand is about a 'Different Spirit' - a different way to go. Other marques have promised that: with this car though, this one delivers it.

INSURANCE GROUPS: 22E-39E (est)

CO2 EMISSIONS: 107-134g/km (est)

PERFORMANCE: [BlueHDi 130] 0-60mph 10.8s / top speed 121mph (est)

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [BlueHDi 130] (combined) 68.9mpg (est)

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: stability control, ABS, six airbags

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4530/1871/1539 mm

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