FASHION CROSSED WITH ADVENTURE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_mid_ds3crossbacketense_2020

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 63

Here's a car that tapped into a couple of the fastest growing trends in the automotive market: those for full-electric vehicles and small SUVs. The DS 3 Crossback E-TENSE might have an awkward name but it promised to bring buyers some of the best things from both of these market genres. And it was another model that really moved the DS brand forward.

Modelsword count: 3

5dr SUV (EV)

Historyword count: 147

From the beginning, DS used 'E-TENSE' branding for its electric variants; the larger DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE was a 'PHEV' or 'Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle', which used a 1.6-litre petrol engine combined with a battery. The DS 3 Crossback E-TENSE though, dispensed with combustion engineering altogether and was a 'BEV' (or 'Battery Electric Vehicle'). At its launch in 2019, this was the first full-battery-powered small SUV on the market. And certainly the first of many. It used the same all-electric engineering we'd subsequently also seen in other PSA Group products, the Vauxhall Corsa-e and Peugeot's e-208 and e-2008 models. It sold in this original 'Crossback' form until early 2023, when it was replaced by an updated version that was badged mere 'DS 3' and got a slightly larger 54kWh battery and a new electric motor. It's the earlier DS 3 Crossback E-TENSE models we look at here.

What You Getword count: 275

At first glance, there is not much to mark this 'zero emission' model out from other variants in the DS 3 Crossback range. It's all very subtle, key visual differentiation points including this derivative's exclusive Pearl Crystal paint finish, extra satin-chrome exterior touches and E-TENSE badging. Otherwise, this variant is exactly like its petrol and diesel showroom stablemates, so it's 4.17-metres long, 1.79-metres wide and 1.53-metres high, measurements which position this car amongst the bigger contenders in the segment for small premium SUVs. Inside, the EV changes include dedicated information displayed in the digital instrument binnacle and an auto gear lever embossed with the 'E-TENSE' emblem. As with any other DS 3 Crossback, the cabin features an over-riding diamond-shaped theme - the digital instrument pack, the dashboard switches, the air vents and many other interior fitments all bear this shape. There's a 7-inch centre-dash screen - which grows to 10-inches in size if you get a variant fitted with navigation. You get a reasonable array of storage compartments including cup holders and a broad, functional sliding armrest. The seats are particularly comfortable thanks to a special bi-density foam the brand has developed. But over-the-shoulder vision is somewhat compromised by the rear 'D'-pillar. In the rear, the window line in the rear is rather high, so if you've got kids, you might want to make sure they're OK with that. Because this EV model's batteries are housed within this design's clever multi-energy CMP architecture, the boot capacity (350-litres) is exactly the same as what you'd get in a petrol or diesel version of this model. Push forward the 60:40-split backrest and 1,050-litres of space is revealed.

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