New DS 4



DS, the fledgling premium sister brand to Citroen and Peugeot, has revealed the new DS 4. It's been unveiled in tandem with a new crossover-style DS 4 Crossback, meaning the car now comes in two distinct body styles.



The most difference between old and new DS is the new nose, very similar in design to the new DS 5’s, featuring a wide, upright grille surrounded by chrome ‘DS Wings’ with a prominent DS logo in the centre. The new headlamps feature some intricate detailing and advanced technology. There are 84 LEDs in the daytime running lights, while scrolling LEDs are used for the indicators.

Personalisation options extend to the door mirror caps that can be had in body colour, chrome, contrasting roof colour or in matt black with the DS monogram etched into the surface. New alloy wheel designs also feature.


The premium story continues inside with the new option of a full leather dash top and door panels in two colours, hand stitched, taking around eight hours each. DS’s unique ‘watch strap’ leather seat facings are also available, while the rest of the cabin benefits from plenty of neat chrome touches and soft plastics.

The tech story is twofold, with Apple’s CarPlay featuring in the class for the first time, activated via a seven-inch touchscreen. CarPlay will make use of the phone, text, mapping and music features of an owner’s iPhone, with Apple icons displayed on the screen. A MirrorLink feature will mimic what’s on the screen of other brands of smartphones, too.

Otherwise, the interior is unchanged, with plenty of room up front and a large windscreen that extends up towards the driver’s head, one reason why DS doesn’t offer a panoramic sunroof option.


However, the centre of gravity of the DS 4 has been lowered to make the car feel more agile and stable.

The engine range is now all turbocharged, and features the award-winning three-cylinder 1.2-litre. This delivers 128 bhp, yet is still capable of 55 mpg fuel economy with CO2 emissions of 119 g/km. The 1.6-litre petrol with 163 bhp now comes with a torque converter gearbox for smoother shifts, while a 207 bhp version of the same engine is reserved for the hatchback and not available in the Crossback.


Both models get the latest Euro 6-compliant BlueHDi diesels, though – all 1.6-litre units. The 118 bhp version has an impressive torque figure of 300 Nm, while still returning 72 mpg and emitting 100 g/km whether you choose the six-speed manual or new six-speed auto. A 148 bhp version is marginally less efficient, while the 178 bhp diesel will still claim 64 mpg and 115 g/km in automatic form, and offer a massive 400 Nm of torque.