DS Automobiles launches a new trim level, the Connected Chic version, with £200 extra kit.

• DS Automobiles launches Connected Chic, a new, well-specified and attractive DS 3 trim level
• The new Connected Chic trim level is a blend of outstanding style and the latest technological equipment
• The new model is positioned at just £900 above the Chic trim level, but has over £2,000 worth of additional equipment for less overall cost
• DS 3 Connected Chic is available from £16,115 and is arriving in UK showrooms soon

A new range model of the popular DS 3 is being introduced – the Connected Chic is the new trim level from premium French brand DS Automobiles. The new DS 3 Connected Chic model offers a perfect mix of stylish design and class with up to date technological features. 

Positioned between the Chic and Performance Line trim levels, DS 3 Connected Chic is an excellent investment for discerning customers, priced just £900 over the Chic trim level version, it features a generous specification of equipment valued at over £2,000.

These standard-equipped features include 17 inch alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, Contrast Pack (bi-tone paint including black roof and door mirror paint finish), Basalt trim, dark tinted windows, satellite navigation, Mirror Screen with Mirror Link® and Apple CarPlayTM , car alarm and automatic air conditioning.

DS 3 Connected Chic is available from £199/month with 36 monthly payments, conditions apply and details are available online at: http://www.dsautomobiles.co.uk/ds-models/ds-3/design/ds-3-connected-chic#

Engine availability

DS 3 Connected Chic is available with a range of efficient, powerful and award-winning engines in terms of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption:

• PureTech 82 petrol engine manual
• PureTech 110 petrol engine* with S&S (Stop&Start system) manual
• PureTech 110 S&S petrol engine* with EAT6 (Efficient Automatic Transmission with 6-speeds)
• BlueHDi 100 Diesel engine with S&S manual

* The turbocharged PureTech 3-cylinder petrol engine won the International Engine of the Year award in 2017, for its class for engines between 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre capacity, for the third consecutive year running.

Equipment availability

The new DS 3 Connected Chic is a fine balance of engineering and technology, offering DS luxury design, sporty drive and latest technology, and a distinctive combination of features including:

• 17-inch black diamond-cut 'Aphrodite' alloy wheels
• Bi-tone exterior colour
• Mirror Screen with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink
• Navigation from the 7-inch colour touchscreen
• Automatic air conditioning
• Black theme – high-end gloss black paint finish on dashboard, Basalt Black ‘Rayados’ cloth trim, gloss black centre console, gloss black interior door handle surrounds and dark tinted rear windows.

Equipment	Standard equipment items over Chic	Optional choices
Exterior equipment	17-inch black diamond-cut ‘Aphrodite’ alloy-wheels LED front fog lights Black contrast pack (bi-tone paint, including roof colour painted door mirrors) Black centre wheels caps	17-inch black diamond-cut ‘Bellone’ alloy wheels Chrome door mirrors Roof graphic and carpet mats (Zebra, Urban Tribe, Plane, Flower, Graphic Art, Pixel) DS LED Vision Xenon headlamps
Interior equipment	Basalt Black ‘Rayados’ cloth Gloss black centre console Gloss black interior door handle surrounds Dark tinted rear windows Front armrest	Basalt Black ‘Dinamica’ premium cloth sports seats Basalt Black ‘Akinen’ Alcantara® and cloth Basalt Black ‘Akinen’ Alcantara® and Emerald Green Cloth Basalt Black leather Basalt Black and Sand Beige leather
In-car entertainment	Satellite navigation MirrorScreen with Mirror Link® and Apple CarPlay
Comfort and convenience	Automatic air-conditioning Rear parking sensors – standard equipment on automatic versions	Electrically heated / folding mirrors Auto-dimming electrochrome rear view mirror Automatic lights Automatic windscreen wipers Space saver spare wheel
Safety and security	Alarm / DS Connect Box emergency & assistance system

Colour availability

DS 3 Connected Chic is available with solid, metallic and pearlescent paint finishes with themed Black roof:

• Polar White body colour with Black roof
• Ruby Red body colour with Black roof
• Sapphire Green body colour with Black roof
• Perla Nera Black body and roof colour
• Pearl White body colour with Black roof

Each colour is available with the Black Contrast pack, including Black door mirrors, and Black wheel centre-finishers; Solid and Metallic paint is £495, with Pearlescent paint at £730.

Prices

• PureTech 82 manual: £16,115 OTR
• PureTech 110 S&S manual: £17,395 OTR
• Pure Tech 110 S&S EAT6 auto: £18,915 OTR
• BlueHDi 100 S&S manual: £17,975 OTR

DS 3 is the most-popular model in the DS Automobiles’ product line-up, with over 400,000 sold worldwide and more than a quarter (over 100,000) with customers in the UK.

DS Automobiles launches a serious limited edition DS 4 Crossback Moondust.

Starting the spring/summer collection off in style, DS Automobiles is launching a new limited edition: DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust.

Ever faithful to the styling philosophy of DS and focused on personalisation, the exclusive model - of which only 25 are available in the UK - features a matt paint finish and higher levels of equipment.

DS Automobiles is primarily designed for customers looking to express their individuality and DS 4 CROSSBACK fully ascribes to that aim, having won over numerous customers seeking to express their individual personalities.

Following the DS 4 CROSSBACK Terre Rouge limited edition offered in an exclusive matt Orange Tourmaline body colour launched for the 2016 Autumn-Winter collection, the 2017 Spring-Summer collection is now making its debut with a new limited edition - DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust. 

Its platinum grey colour also has a special matt paint finish, similar to that used on the capable DS 3 Performance Black model.

The DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust subtly combines refinement with technology, and includes Mirror Screen for smartphone access, DS LED Vision for a better view of the road and a reversing camera. 

DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust limited edition – of which only 25 are being made available in the UK from May - features Basalt Black grained-leather seats to amplify the elegance of this exclusive model. Orders can now be placed in DS Stores or DS Salons, or online at www.dsautomobiles.co.uk.

There is a choice of three engine / powertrain combinations that customers can choose from that offer high efficiency from the accomplished BlueHDi 120 diesel, the award-winning PureTech 3-cylinder petrol engines and the latest ‘quick-changing’ EAT6 (Efficient Automatic Transmission with 6-speeds).

DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust limited edition is based on the highly-equipped CROSSBACK trim level (which accounts for one-third of all DS 4 sales) and has the following key specification features:

Exterior:

• Exclusive Matt Platinum grey paint
• 18 inch gloss black ‘Brisbane’ alloy wheels

Interior:

• Basalt Black leather upholstery

Equipment includes:

• Front parking sensors
• Blind spot monitoring system
• Mirror Screen for smartphone access
• DS LED Vision
• Reversing camera
• Lane departure warning system
• Reverse-dipping door mirrors
• Aluminium sports pedals

Prices

DS 4 CROSSBACK Moondust limited edition models:	ON THE ROAD PRICE*
PureTech 130 Petrol S&S 6-speed manual	£26,410
BlueHDi 120 Diesel S&S 6-speed manual	£28,140
BlueHDi 120 Diesel S&S EAT6 auto	£29,360

* On-the-road pricing includes VED from 1 April 2017

TMW - I can see why this New Peugeot 3008 has achieved a car of the year win !!!!

In every brand there is one car that moves the goalposts and makes the others seem like "also rans" and here we have today, the All-New Peugeot 3008, a car that is truly one of the best cars thats for sale anywhere in the world, without exception everyone has stated that this is a brilliant car, and it is, but how good it is, is without question a top quality car.

From the design of the lighting to the interior, no amount of money has been spared to make this the car to own, and believe me, you would be more than happy having this on your driveway.

The car that we have here today is the 3008 Allure THP 165 EAT6, or in other words, a 1.6 litre with 165hp run through the auto gearbox,  the OTR of this car is £26,395, which is a really good price for the basic car, but this car is far from basic, as it has been specified with a number of the available cost options :-

• Metallic Paint - £525
• Electric Tailgate - £750
• Opening Glass Sunroof - £990
• Smartphone Charging Plate - £120
• Visio Pack 2 - £450
• Black Diamond Roof - £280
• Adaptive Cruise Control - £400
• Full LED Headlamps - £850

Does it look a £30k car, maybe not, but then the options are the users choice, so if you decide to take it to that level, thats for you to do, I know that if we were putting our money into this car, we would definitely pick some of those extra's.

The comfort on this car is second to none, you really feel like you are in an armchair, which on a long journey is a welcome relief, we took this car to Scotland during our time with it, and we both felt equally a refreshed after our journey as we did when we left, and combine this to the gadgets to play with onboard, we were very well kept amused.

The biggest and best gadget is the computerised i-Cockpit, on a normal car you have double dials in front of you, one for revs and one for mph, however on this one, you can change the dash so that you can have a multitude of versions, from navigation, revs, mph, car temp, car numbers, like mpg, average mpg, trip info and more, you can specify what side and what detail you require, personally, i have navigation on the left and car mp details on the right, and in the centre, well, thats set at mph.

The high roofline is not compromised by the opening glass roof, which runs the length of the car, in the contrary it made the car light and airy.

The fuel consumption of our car is quite good considering thats it is not the smallest of SUV's in the world, and now that the PSA group posts actual figures rather that laboratory achieved results, it makes for a more honest approach to the customer, so, our car we had has a claimed :-

• Urban - 37.2mpg
• Extra Urban - 55.4mpg
• Combined - 47.1mpg

And yes this is achievable, we got into the mid 40's on our run up to the highlands, which considering the 1.6 litre engine, pulling along this large car is a great result.

Driving the car is a really nice experience, it goes where you want it to go, without any issues, the lane assist tells you if you are wandering too far off course, combine this to the "queue buster" which will slow the car down when getting near an obstacle in front and then pull away again back up to our set figure on the cruise control, and you get a decent driving car.

We were surprised at how small the tuning circle of this car is, it is like a Hackney Cab, put it on full lock and it seems to turn around on a sixpence, as the old saying goes, this is a big car that can return small car expenses, and today, this is very important.

Interior space is great, with the front two seats having the premium, all the swtichgear and touchscreen are near and handy, you dont need to stretch out to reach anything up front, the rear seats are also well appointed, with good comfortable seating, and again like the front, there is plenty of room for the biggest of rear passengers to get comfortable.

The boot, well, thats cavernous, the electric tailgate, works very well with the key fob, however the foot under the bumper only worked once during the entire week, which was a shame, but the space within is huge, and will take virtually all the luggage and shopping that you can throw at it.

The Peugeot 3008 has taken a large number of awards already, and the Car Of The Year title just goes to show that the company is on a roll, bringing new, great cars to market, however, this new car also shows how others including its own cars are now running far behind, the brand will, i am sure put that to rights, when all the new cars are launched.

As it stands this new car from Peugeot is one of teh best cars for sale today, and given the opportunity this car would be on my driveway more permanently, as it is a great easy car to live with.

CONCLUSION

This is one stunning car, does everything very well, and has loads of room, it is economical, quiet and very comfortable, the tech is really up to date, you never feel like the is left wanting for anything, it's easy to park, the allround camera system, is really precise.

Everyone can access the car with ease, it comes across as light and airy, especially with the glass roof, would i have one, damned right i would, and when we are ready to change, this car will be one that we seriously consider, the blog, has tested a large number of cars over the last year or so, and with that, we have an idea of many styles of car, from uber luxury, like the Rolls and Bentley, to cars at the other end of the scale, like the Vauxhall Viva, City cars to SUV's, MPV's and saloons, and this one is by far and away one of the best cars tested.

DS Automobiles adds a new Performance Trim level across all models, to give them a more sporty aura.

DS Performance, synonymous with the FIA Formula E Championship, is the creative force behind a new trim level – ‘DS Performance Line’ that will be available across the DS Automobiles range from October. Officially revealed for the first time today, the DS Performance Line combines the spirit of the GT with refinement and the latest DS brand technologies.

For DS Automobiles, the last year has been all about performance. DS Virgin Racing reached the podium in its first Formula E season by winning the Buenos Aires E-prix and repeatedly finishing in the points or starting at the front of the grid throughout the 2015/2016 campaign. 

DS E-TENSE was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show as a unique, high-performance electric car showcasing future DS technology and styling, and New DS 3 Performance and New DS 3 Cabrio Performance were recently launched as two models proudly expressing their dynamic credentials.

Now, with the introduction of the DS Performance Line, the brand’s engineers and designers – along with the DS Performance motor sport division – have utilised their know-how to create this new offering.

"The ‘DS Performance Line’ offers all the fundamental ingredients of a Grand Tourer, namely style and driving pleasure," said Éric Apode, DS Automobiles’ Vice President for Products and Business Development.

PERFORMANCE APPARENT FROM THE VERY FIRST GLANCE

Be it a New DS 3, New DS 3 Cabrio, New DS 4 or DS 5, a Performance Line model is instantly recognisable.  Each body style is specified with a contrasting black roof, combined with a specific palette of body colours (seven for New DS 3, six for New DS 4, and five for DS 5). The new large gloss black alloy wheels feature the DS logo set against a Carmine Red background on the centre caps to add exclusivity to all DS Performance Line models.

The signature colours of DS Performance (Carmine Red, White and Gold) are seen on key components of the vehicle, such as the door mirrors and the rear spoiler. In addition, the front doors and bonnet are adorned with special new ‘DS Performance Line’ badges.

REFINEMENT AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL TO COMPLIMENT THE DYNAMIC STYLE

Refinement and attention to detail are two fundamental values for DS Automobiles. The DS Performance Line pays tribute to these brand values with a number of specific features including a new style of upholstery with black Dinamica cloth, or a choice of two grades of leather trim. 

The overstitching on the seats reflects the colours of DS Performance. The special stitching also adorns the door panels, the gear lever gaiter and the leather steering wheel.In addition, the front seats are embroidered with a ‘DS Performance Line’ emblem.

The quality of the leather, and the other materials used, enhances the refinement of each interior. A choice of either grained or Nappa leather is available across the entire range. 

There is metallic detailing within the cabin, including chrome inserts on the steering wheel and door sill protectors to further enhance the meticulous style of the interior. Finally, New DS 3, New DS 4 and DS 5 offer LED lighting to illuminate the cabin.

On the outside, the DS grille is accentuated by the DS LED Vision light signature – a technology that takes distinction to a new level.

FROM ENGINES TO CONNECTIVITY: THE MOST EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES

The DS Performance Line features a broad range of efficient engines with outstanding torque, ultra-low CO₂emissions and fuel consumption. All these engines feature Stop & Start technology.

The Performance Line also features the DS brand’s latest technological developments including a 7-inch touchscreen, Satellite Navigation, Mirror Screen (MirrorLink® and Apple CarPlay™), and DS connected services via the DS Connect Box.

With its dynamic look, the DS Performance Line is dedicated to drivers seeking GT-inspired styling, combined with a choice of refined and efficient engines.

The DS Performance Line will go ‘on sale’ in the UK on 1 October, 2016.

DS PERFORMANCE LINE	BODY COLOURS	ENGINES & TRANSMISSIONS
New DS 3 & DS 3 Cabrio	Shark Grey, Polar White, Arctic Steel, Perla Nera Black, Pearl White, Sport Yellow, Ruby Red	PureTech 110 S&S manual or EAT6, PureTech 130 S&S 6-speed manual, BlueHDi 100 S&S manual, BlueHDi 120 S&S 6-speed manual (not available on DS 3 Cabrio)
New DS 4	Platinum Grey, Cumulus Grey, Perla Nera Black, Polar White, Pearl White, Ultimate Red	PureTech 130 S&S 6-speed manual, THP 165 S&S EAT6, THP 210 S&S 6-speed manual, BlueHDi 120 S&S 6-speed manual or EAT6, BlueHDi 150 S&S 6-speed manual, BlueHDi 180 S&S EAT6
DS 5	Platinum Grey, Cumulus Grey, Perla Nera Black, Pearl White, Hurricane Grey	THP 165 S&S EAT6, THP 210 S&S 6-speed manual, BlueHDi 150 S&S 6-speed manual, BlueHDi 180 S&S EAT6