DS 9 e-Tense 225 Rivoli+

If the name doesn’t mean much, DS is a luxury brand, once part of Citroen.

And no prizes for guessing that the high number on the badge of the DS 9 means it’s the biggest car the French marque makes, even though it’s assembled in China.

The DS 9 is a large saloon, then – and a handsome one. The car boasts sporting mean looks at the front and a rear that seems to take inspiration from the armadillo-shaped Merc CLS.

While the Rivoli Plus grade, on test here, sounds like a pasta dish, it comes with 19-inch wheels, a reversing camera, massage ventilated front seats and 3D SatNav.

There is also Active Scan suspension, which peruses the road ahead and adjusts the suspension accordingly if it detects bumps or potholes.

Powering this DS is a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid, producing 225PS, although a more powerful 360PS variant is available with four-wheel drive.

225PS may sound exciting, but it’s not particularly quick, taking 8.3-seconds to get up to 62mph. And while the Active Scan suspension is clever, it does nothing for the handling, which produces quite a lot of body roll in the bends.

It is not all that agile either, falling short of the handling prowess of Mercs and Bimmers. As a comfortable cruiser, though, it does the job brilliantly.

Inside, the cabin looks luxurious, but like the handling, it’s second best versus the German premium brands. But at least there’s lots of space inside. However, I still expected there to be more rear legroom, given the size of the car.

Excellent fuel economy figures will help recoup some of the DS 9’s not immodest asking price. At the same time, just 33g/km of CO2 emissions make the model a desirable option for company car users.

The DS 9 is a decent choice if you want something different to stand out from the vehicular crowd, guys, but there are compromises you’ll need to be willing to make.