DS7 plug-in hybrid: who makes DS cars and should you buy one?

But, hang on: what’s a DS? Who makes those? Well, if you’re anything like me, you will have spotted a DS or two on your motoring travels and thought to yourself: I like that, I wonder what it was. When the DS7 arrived, I sent a photo of it to my friends Whatsapp group. One reply was: ‘that looks like a seriously good motor.

Not a clue what it is, mind!’ Genuinely. Let me give you the shortened version: DSs are a standalone brand that is just 10 years old, spun out of Citroen but now, determined to make a name for itself, it has grown up, left the family home and is looking to make its own mark on the motoring world. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Yorkshire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.

Now, bear with me, here, because, as Michael Caine once said in a roundabout fashion: not a lot of people know this. In my previous life I drove and reviewed cars as part of my brief as a journalist. I’ve driven Bentleys, Range Rovers and BMWs, Volvos, Volkswagens and Vauxhalls - from Hondas to Hyundais, I’ve driven a lot of cars but back then it was for the driving experience.

The performance. The je ne sais quoi. Now, my wife and I have been together for 20 years and we have two primary school-aged boys.

So, now, when I test a car, it’s for the mums and dads. Not those who think they’re Jeremy Clarkson - less t.