DS Motor Company has been working hard to open a place for itself in the past 10 years and become one of the best brands in France. Born from the bold and elegant creation of Citroën - and carrying the spirit of the legendary 1955 Citroën DS - now an independent DS brand combines design, craftsmanship and craftsmanship. The problem is that while its design is eye-catching, many of its products have one drawback. The new DS N8 aims to change this. This is the company's most serious attempt to build a truly reliable premium sedan. Given that the French prime Minister is driving in the DS N8, we have high expectations for the vehicle and that is under consideration.
Today we have the best N8 version at our disposal - we are driving the DS N8AWD Long term Jules Verne version. It features all possible features, as well as a two-tone hood and a unique blue interior, giving it a luxurious feel and a desire worthy of a premium. The combination of a huge battery and a new design allows for long distances, but more SUV platforms offer more flexibility compared to competitor sedans. The appearance of the DS N8 is undeniably French, combining drama and elegance. Unlike many modern electric cars that bring minimalism to the point of anonymity, the DS is deliberately dramatic. It does not attract attention by aggression, but through the unmistakable contours of each angle.
From the front, the wide grille and large logo create an ominous look. The lighting element extends towards the grille and enters the front splitter. The front detail makes the DS N8 look unique, but the styling does not seem too busy. The DS N8 side profile looks like a typical lift until you personally notice the size. It will be like an experiment that combines the characteristics of a sedan, SUV and coupe in one. It seems that there is nothing else on the road, but somehow you can bring out this look stylishly. The upper 2 decorative levels come with two-tone paint that emphasizes the aesthetics of the roof and outstanding design elements in chrome or body color to create excellent contrast.
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The front and rear of the DS N8 door handle are different, but both solutions feel particularly intuitive. On the front, when the vehicle is unlocked, the high-mounted handle extends outward. Due to the high-mounted handle and the reverse opening mechanism, the rear passenger has to adapt to unusual movements. This setting may be suitable for driver-driven use, but for ordinary passengers, getting in and out of the car feels unnecessarily complicated. The wheel size increases by 1 inch for each trim level. In the test unit, we got a 21-inch wheel that improves the appearance of the DS N8, but the range and comfort inside will definitely decrease.
The back of the N8 is again built in several different styles. The DS car is designed on the entire trunk and complements the N8 print with a small diamond appearance point to add additional style to the design. The taillights take inspiration from the headlights and stretch in all directions, and the bottom is the rear blindfold. This is a huge unit and no one wants to know if you turn around. The DS N8 cabin combines the typical French strangeness and the minimalist optimization of Stellantis. It is completely unwise for Jules Verne to decorate the interior with this blue, but not for N8 as a whole. Once behind the wheel of the DSN8, its unconventional characteristics quickly became apparent.
The spokes of the handle are placed in unexpected places, and drivers accustomed to the traditional 9- and 3-hand positions can be uncomfortable to set behind the wheel for a long time. In addition, the steering wheel buttons for stereo and cruise control provide a single platform with haptic feedback that is difficult to get used to. Indicators and wiper stems are also used to control instrument clusters, these clusters are wonderfully customized and provide great availability. Above the center console, there are several air conditioning buttons with hazard lights and car icons, and a menu of vehicle settings is displayed. What can be recognized as the 2nd level of the center console starts with a wireless phone charger that is too shallow to hold the phone in most corners.
The Armrests provide important storage as well as a single cup holder and your wrist can be closed below to create space to rest. Under the visible surface is the lower center console, which allows the storage of large items. There is also space for 2 cups and 2 USB-C charging ports to charge the device. This is a console that feels cheap, but adds a lot of practicality in a convenient area. The DS N8 front seat is one of the most comfortable seats in this part. They are soft and supple but also provide lateral support not to slide in corners like old school luxury land yachts. They also provide a lot of comfort for this piece, including heating, cooling and massage functions.
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One thing no other car has ever offered is a neck warmer, a special fan around the neck of the seat that explodes the hot air to the driver and passengers. It's a feature only available in high-end luxury convertibles, but it's included in the DS here. In the rear, passengers can enjoy a lot of amenities. The heat and cooling seats with respective A/C controls come from in front of the 2nd trim level. Sadly, the space is not as generous as it looks. Given that the French Prime Minister will be promoted by DS N8, we are here to look forward to more. Our reviewer is a 1.95 meter (6'4") tall person who can barely squeeze behind the driver's seat. Both leg and head spaces are damaged and are not suitable for vehicles with diplomatic aspirations.
Unlike the rear seats, the trunk is spacious and can carry a lot of luggage. In its normal form, it provides 620l of cargo space, and the rear seats can be folded up to 2 times. Because of the subwoofer, there is not much space under the main trunk. The DS N8 is not at that level, but driving is still fun. The steering is very light, but the weight of the corners is very good, giving the driver the necessary feedback from the road below. It's not direct and allows enough play until there's a big change in direction, but it's a far cry from the 1950s Citroen DS and S-class modern luxury cars. It is not so much that the body rolls in the corners, but this is unusual in the class. This may be because the battery pack is less installed, but to achieve this, the chassis also needs to be very rigid.
The ADAS system is easy to configure and allows you to easily disable the trash bin you need. The lane keeping assistant works well and does not get in the way, but has poor recognition of traffic signs and picks up random restrictions. Fortunately, you can easily disable these fake beeps by clicking on the car's menu and setting the features you don't like as favorites. You can then disable them with one click. Because the DS N8 has many blind spots, it is not easy to determine the exact location based solely on what you see. On the other hand, the handling is excellent, making the N8 perfectly suitable for urban use. The narrow parking space is easy to get in and out, and even some vehicles with rear wheel steering can be jealous of the ability of the N8.
The ride is soft, but not particularly suitable for classes. Many sedans offer a smoother ride without the extravagant ambition of the DSN8. This is sad because urban areas often ride potholes, and if you drive in tight rear seats, you'll get too much rebound. Stellantis uses infotainment versions of the DS N8 on multiple models of its brand. It's a great unit that works well and intuitively, which doesn't have any particularly weird features, but is the most important part. Unlike the Jeep Compass we recently reviewed, the DS N8 improves the experience as passengers cannot use the right part of the display while apple CarPlay is in motion. Otherwise, CarPlay works very well and can also project navigation to the dashboard display.
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