There is no doubt that in the current luxury brand camp, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are the most recognized, from sales to word of mouth, they have already had a seemingly insurmountable position. Because like Cadillac, Volvo and Lexus, with their own highlights, they barely achieved their expected results, and could only mix in the second echelon. However, looking back at some new power brands, with the help of the heat of the new energy market, BBA has felt a headache, so the market is not static, as long as you are willing to work hard, everything is possible. I think the DS brand a few years ago thought the same thing, which is why it brought a model like the DS 9.
The first contact with this luxury car was in the summer of 2020, when it was half a year after the official release of the car, but with the stunning visual effects presented by the official picture, many consumers are looking forward to it. As the flagship sedan of the DS brand, from the perspective of positioning, it is not high-end, just a medium-sized car from a luxury brand, and the competitors are undoubtedly Audi A4L, BMW 3 Series or Cadillac CT5 models. From the point of view of origin, the new car is based on the EMP2 modular platform, and it is difficult to carry too advanced technology, so when it sees the guidance price of 249,900-344,900 yuan, and understands the specific configuration, DS 9 was announced in advance to "delist".
Let's take a look at the design first, because that's the only thing I can praise. Although the car is produced domestically and sold worldwide, the design of the DS 9 comes from Paris, a city full of artistic atmosphere, so the details of the whole car can make you look at it for a day without bothering. For example, in the front part of the car, the hexagonal grille size is quite impressive, and the internal structure is quite complex, this grid-like treatment is indeed easy to create a sense of refinement, and the new car is also decorated with chrome trim. The two sides of the star diamond LED headlight group is more than the finishing touch, three matrix LED lamp beads can be rotated 180 °, LED daily running lights are also extended to the lower encirclement, after lighting the recognition needless to say.
As a medium-sized car, the size performance of the DS 9 can only be regarded as the mainstream, with 4933*1855*1468mm of length, width and height and 2895mm wheelbase, compared to competitors. For example, the length of the car is not bad, but the wheelbase is less than 2.9 meters on the general, compared to the A4L, 3 series can only rely on the appearance to create a sense of luxury. From the perspective of body shape, the proportions are coordinated and the lines are smooth, the sliding front of the car with the looming waist line outlines the atmospheric visual effect, and there are 19-inch multi-spoke wheels, the style is also good, at least it looks more handsome and luxurious than the A4L.
At the end, it is full of highlights, and every detail is unforgettable. For example, the tail light group, the internal structure with complex description can only appear to have no culture, this diamond-shaped check processing is very 3D sense, the official said that the design inspiration comes from the Louvre glass pyramid, in the application of the full LED light source, lighting or not can present an excellent visual experience. In addition, with the upturned tail wing in the trunk, with chrome trim trim, and a dual-outlet exhaust layout at the rear, the DS 9 is designed to be truly slot-free.
Then get in the car and when you think the new C-Class is too expensive, the 3 Series is boring and the A4L is fairly average, the DS 9 can meet the requirements of 300,000 of the best interiors. First of all, from the layout of the center console, the traditional large screen with symmetrical design, it seems to have nothing to do with the sky, not as attractive as the Peugeot 508, but the workmanship and materials, is the key to reflect its luxury. For example, in the car covered with NAPPA leather material, we really shoot every detail of this top version is perfect, the application of stitching is just right, and there are B.R.M clock embellishments. Unfortunately, the whole series can only be enjoyed by the top version, and its price has reached 350,000, so do you want to be fragrant?
Looking at the configuration, if you want to experience the current mainstream functions, you must consider the middle and above, that is, starting from the Rivoli technology version, such as parallel assist, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, active braking, full speed adaptive cruise and other functions are equipped, reaching the L2 level of automatic driving capabilities, compared to BMW 3 Series, Audi A4L models of the same price are obviously better. And other practical functions are also relatively complete, electric induction trunk, the whole car keyless entry, the front mobile phone wireless charging, the front seat multi-directional electric adjustment and heating, 8-color atmosphere lights and the whole car soundproof glass, etc., is worthy of its price of about 300,000, but the surprise can not be talked about.
When introducing the dimensions, it was mentioned that the wheelbase of the DS 9 is not dominant, so what about the space inside the car? In terms of this real car experience, the experiencer is 180cm tall, weighs about 85kg, sits in the front row and has a good space, after adjusting the position, there is about a punch head space, and the softness of the seat is good, after all, this top model is NAPPA leather material coating. At this time, sitting in the back row, the leg space is about two fists or so, which is the expected level, but the head only has three fingers, and the filling of the rear seat is comparable to the front row, and the length of the seat cushion is also in line with the needs of adults, and the general household is definitely enough.
Finally, talking about power, the current DS 9 models are available in all series of 1.6T engines, of course, this is the fuel version, because the car also has a plug-in hybrid version. Taking the fuel version as an example, the maximum power of this 1.6T engine is 158kW, the maximum torque is 300N·m, the adjustment is good, but it is only for the same displacement, the competitor is 2.0T power, it is no face, and the actual driving experience is also different. The official 100 km/h acceleration is 8.5 seconds, the actual measurement results are basically the same, but unfortunately, the acceleration in the middle and back section feels a bit difficult, the only highlight is that the 8AT gearbox brings good smoothness. The suspension part, which can also be regarded as a compromise between the French car and the Chinese, adopts the independent suspension before and after, and the top version also has the suspension soft and hard adjustment.
Summary: So why isn't the DS 9 on fire? In fact, the reason is very simple, in the end or it is stubborn, first of all, the price is not sincere, 350,000 budget to buy the top match is not as good as buying a high with A4L or 3 series, the configuration may not be able to surpass it, but the performance is absolutely crushed, and the brand awareness is not the same. After all, a 300,000-class luxury car is also equipped with 1.6T displacement power, really take yourself as a Mercedes-Benz? And if you want to enrich the configuration, DS 9 also has more than 300,000, and the cost performance is really no highlight.