DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE: plug-in hybrid SUV gets facelift and tech update

The DS 7 Crossback has been updated for 2022, with the French brand’s flagship SUV receiving a subtle visual facelift, a new infotainment system and a larger battery for the plug-in hybrid models, plus the addition of a new 355bhp range-topping high-performance model.

Among the styling tweaks for the DS 7 Crossback are new LED daytime running lights, a larger front grille and a tweaked “DS wing” motif, which is finished in either gloss black or chrome depending on specification. As a result, the car’s styling has been brought more in line with the brand’s latest model, the DS 4 family hatchback.

DS has also updated its BMW X3 rival’s headlights with ‘Pixel LED Vision 3.0’ technology, with the system capable of tailored lighting settings for certain types of road and weather conditions. It can even block individual high-beam light paths to avoid dazzling other road users at night.

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At the back, the current model’s ‘crossback’ badging has been replaced with ‘DS Automobiles’, flanked by a slimmer set of LED tail-lights. DS has added a crease along the tailgate to give a wider, more squared-off appearance to the SUV’s rear. There are also new 19-inch alloy-wheel designs, while the top-of-the-range E-TENSE 4x4 360 gets exclusive 21-inch rims.

More significant updates can be found in the DS 7’s cabin, where there’s a new 12-inch central touchscreen. It uses the same operating system as the DS 4, and is paired with a 12-inch digital driver’s display, which also gets updated graphics and driver personalisation options. All models feature ambient lighting and embossed leather dashboard and door panels.

Among the long list of safety systems is driver attention and tiredness warning, which uses two cameras (including one tucked behind the steering wheel) to monitor the driver. Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go is featured, too, along with Active Scan Suspension, which monitors the road ahead for imperfections and can adjust each wheel independently based on what it detects.

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Three plug-in hybrid E-TENSE versions of the revised DS 7 will be available when order books open in August. The front-wheel-drive E-TENSE 225 produces 222bhp from a 1.6-litre petrol engine and single electric motor. The E-TENSE 4x4 300 gets an additional electric motor on the rear axle, with the combination producing 296bhp.

Then there’s the latest addition to the line-up, the E-TENSE 4x4 360. It uses the same powertrain as the DS 9 E-TENSE 4x4 360 saloon. This is tweaked by the DS’s Performance division, increasing power output up to 355bhp, while lowered ride height, beefier front brakes and wider tyres at all four corners should help with the handling. Acceleration from 0-62mph in this version takes 5.6 seconds.

All three plug-in DS 7 models use a new 14.4 kWh battery (up from 13.2kWh in the current model) for a range of up to 40 miles in mixed driving conditions, or 50 miles if you’re just driving around town. Fully recharging it takes around two hours if using a 7.4kW home wallbox charger.