DS3 Crossback E-Tense review: chic French compact SUV gets all-electric propulsion

[Blackfire]

 

Its management might be kicking against the imposition of new CO2 standards in Europe which seemingly make battery-electric cars inevitable, but that hasn't stopped PSA Peugeot/Citroën/DS from preparing its cars to carry plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and full battery electric (BEV) drivelines.

DS, for example, is planning to have an electrified version of every car it makes by the end of this year and by 2025 it says its entire production will consist solely of PHEV and BEV cars.

This, then, the BEV version of the new DS3 Crossback, is the first step on that road. It goes on sale at the end of this year, following the conventional crossover that’s on sale around now.

Based on the firm's new CMP structure, the E-Tense drives its front wheels via a step-down transmission, with a 100kW (136bhp) motor run off a 400-volt, 50kWh lithium-ion battery, which weighs 350kg. The battery is shaped to fit under the seats and in the centre tunnel, a layout which retains the size of the standard car’s footwells and boot space.

 

The driveline offers three power settings: Sport, which can summon the motor's full 100kW; Normal (80kW); and Eco (60kW). Braking is done partly by using the drive motor as a generator and that, too, can be done in two stages of 0.5 metres per second, or a stronger 1.3m/sec. And like a traditional automatic transmission, creep is built into the system and can't be switched off so you need to hold the brakes to avoid the car driving (gently) away.

DS engineers are still working on the car (the engineering sign-off is in July), but are claiming a range of 186 miles under the WLTP test and a recharge time of 40 minutes for an 80 per cent charge on a 100kW charger, though none of these exist in the UK at this time - domestic charging on a wall box should take about eight to nine hours.

 

• The battery is cooled with an innovative heat pump, which allows it to accept such high rates of charge so quickly, though the E-Tense's range is a far cry from that of cars such as Hyundai's Kona Premium, which will travel 300 miles on its 64kWh battery. The E-Tense's top speed is claimed at 93 miles, with 0-62mph in 8.9 sec.

  There are no particular EV styling flourishes on the E-Tense, with DS claiming that the regular DS3 Crossback is distinctive enough on its own.

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  We got a drive on a short road round the French air force's observation facility at the 1,148m summit of Mont Agel, overlooking Monaco.

  The car weighs about 300kg more than its conventionally-powered counterpart and you feel that on pull-away which is brisk, but not startling. In Sport mode the charge continues up to about 50mph, whereupon we needed to slow to avoid plunging off the side of the mountain.

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  The steering feels responsive and the ride is almost better than the standard car's, which isn't a high point. An observation about chassis which are built to accommodate both conventional and BEV drivelines is that they tend to be better for the latter than the former. DS engineers say that the spring and damper rates have been altered to suit the BEV's extra weight.

  One particularly strong aspect of the performance is the highly refined performance of the regeneration and friction brakes which allow the E-Tense to stop smoothly and progressively, unlike so many rivals which clatter to a halt, particularly from low speeds.

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