New Citroen DS 9 ready for right-hand drive markets

The sleek second-generation DS 9 has entered right-hand drive production, bolstering the French car-maker’s growing line-up in markets such as the UK and providing some insight into what we can expect from local sibling brands Peugeot and Citroen.

We already know the luxury marque’s flagship sedan is all but off the cards for Australia – at least in the near future – but it shows us what’s capable in areas such as design, technology and powertrains on the latest version of the PSA Group’s EMP2 platform.

Based on a longer 2900mm wheelbase that PSA claims has not been used on one of its sedans before now, the new 2021 DS 9 measures 4900mm long and 1900mm wide – and you could easily mistake its curvaceous silhouette for that of an Audi A7.

DS says its new design is a nod to the original Citroen DS of 1955, incorporating modern ‘DS Cornets’ on the outer edges of its C-pillars, along with new tail-lights, a steeply raked fastback-style rear window, flush-fitting door handles and a black roof.

The DS 9 is available in two model grades in the UK: Performance Line+ and Rivoli+, each with the choice of a petrol engine or E-TENSE plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) drivetrain, the latter the same unit found in the brand’s smaller DS 4.

Both powertrains are mated to an eight-speed e-EAT8 automatic transmission, but the PHEV pairs a 132kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an 81kW electric motor, delivering a combined output of 165kW.

That combination makes the plug-in DS 9 capable of a WLTP-verified pure-electric driving range of up to 50km.

A 265kW all-wheel drive version of the PHEV is also in the works – potentially sharing its powertrain with the forthcoming Peugeot 508 PSE – while at the entry level there is a non-electrified 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, also developing 165kW.

Among the luxurious cabin features for the DS 9 are plush DS LOUNGE seats all round (with heating, cooling and a massage function), a dash finished in Nappa leather, crystal-shaped touch-sensitive buttons and Alcantara roof lining.

Tech has also been upgraded, as with the DS 4, to now include semi-automatic overtaking, speed adjustment for corners and anticipated speed recommendations for traffic signs.

Meanwhile, DS Active Scan Suspension is said to scan the road to prepare the damping of each wheel for road imperfections, and DS Night Vision is said to improve alerts if it detects cyclists, pedestrians or animals up to 100 metres on the road ahead.

While the order books remain closed in Australia, they’re now open in the UK with prices starting from £40,615 ($A73,170).