Citroën and Peugeot’s parent company PSA Group has built the first French electric SUV: The French carmaker position the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense in the premium segment – also in terms of price.
Visually, the electric SUV hardly differs from its conventional brothers. With a length of 4.12 meters and a width of 1.79 meters, the design features include the lush anthracite gray grille, handles that can be recessed into the doors, and a new rear apron without the unnecessary tailpipe.
The charging time depends on the power grid in which the E-Tense is connected. On a single-phase wall box, it is fully charged after 7.5 hours; on a three-phase wall box, it takes five hours. On the way to a public rapid charging station, a completely discharged battery is 80 percent full after 30 minutes.
PSA Group has knitted a whole range of services related to the car itself, most of which are part of the “Free2Move” service. There the driver can see in the navigation system which charging stations are nearby and then be guided there.
Payment is made there via an app. The best routes for a tour in an electric car can also be searched in advance with a trip planner.
Inside, the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense offers plenty of space in the front and the usual space in the rear. The interior design is daring – at DS Automotive it runs under “haute couture”.
Nappa leather and pearl embroidery in the upscale features, the stitched rhombus all around, aluminum look, Alcantara – but also more inexpensive plastic in less noticeable places.
The combination display in front of the driver is digital and configurable. The driver controls the infotainment system via a touchscreen in the center of the cockpit.
Alternatively, the Elektro-DS also enables USB connection to the smartphone via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Then Google Maps navigates.
The battery packs are located under the front and rear seats and do not take up any space for the passengers. The volume of the cargo area is 350 liters, with the rear seats folded down 1,050 liters.
With an unladen weight of 1,525 kilograms, the E-Tense weighs around 300 kilograms more than the DS 3 crossover versions with combustion engines
The batteries have a capacity of 50 kWh. The capacity is officially sufficient for a range of 320 kilometers and also depends on the set driving mode (Sport, Normal and Eco) and whether the driver uses the braking energy for energy recovery.
The prices for the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense start just under 40,000 euros. Depending on the country, different levels of state funding can still be deducted. The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense is scheduled for delivery in Europe in March 2020 but the date was delayed due to coronavirus outbreak.
