DS 7 Crossback vs Audi Q5: premium SUV comparison

In France, the DS 7 Crossback is the best-selling model in its class, but it is also popular in Europe. Last year, 30,000 copies of the avant-garde SUV were registered on the Old Continent. Warehouse Heart disease reviewed how DS Automobiles’ design compares to German competitor Audi Q5.

Instead of copying German manufacturers, the DS Automobiles brand found its way into the premium segment by making cars full of personality. DS 7 Crossback However, compared to the competition, it has one fundamental disadvantage in terms of engine output. To make a comparison, the Caradisiac magazine had to compare the most powerful model with a 2.0 BlueHDi diesel engine with a power of 180 HP and the Audi Q5 model, which starts to produce, powered by a 2.0 TDI engine with a power of 163 HP. A similar situation applies to the quattro drive, which is offered on almost all versions of the Q5. The French competitor has all-wheel drive only in the E-Tense hybrid variant. Malcontents will say that the duel is between the best DS and the weakest Audi, but this is not entirely true, because the French SUV has a lot to offer.

The DS 7 Crossback is 4,573 mm long, so it’s 90 mm shorter than its German rival, but both cars offer the same knee and elbow room in the back. The DS 7 is more modest over the heads of passengers, especially with the optional panel roof, but the lack of a central tunnel and the presence of soft seats means that the French car will allow five people to travel comfortably. Each model has an ace up its sleeve. The DS 7 Crossback has electrically reclining rear seats and the Q5 has sliding seats. The boot of the Audi can take 550 to 610 liters in a five-seat configuration and 1,550 liters with two people on board, but that is not enough to exceed the DS, whose boot has a capacity of 628 to 1,752 liters.

The French car portal sees a clear difference in the interior finish. Audi is small, DS 7 Crossback is full of character. The style of DS Automobiles convinces with an abundance of leather and Alcantara and a little less in the quality of plastics. Here, the competitor from Germany does better. Audi Q5

Driving faster or more comfortable?

To become a DS 7 Crossback owner, we will spend a little more money. The two models compared to the Caradisiac cost €56,870 for the Audi 35 TDI in the Design Luxe version and €50,000 for the DS 7 Crossback with the Blue HDi 180 engine in the Grand Chic variant. If you think that the French style is missing something, you would be wrong. It is quite the opposite. We will have to add expensive options to the equipment of the Audi Q5. The French port lists: 19-inch rims, active lane keeping system, road sign recognition system, adaptive suspension and even rear airbags.

Audi focuses on dynamics and agile cornering, but comfort is the main field of the Frenchman, especially thanks to the suspension, which cooperates with the front camera and adjusts the damping for defects on the road. The system works perfectly, turning the cabin into a “soft cocoon”. The Germans won the battle in the strongest part, thanks to the excellent response to the gas pedal and low fuel consumption of 0.5 l/100 km, but it was not enough to win the war. According to Caradisiac, the last word is of French style.