• A choice of two engines
• Diesel likely to be popular choice
• Fuel economy as high as 74.3mpg

There are two engines to choose from: one petrol and one diesel so DS 4 Crossback performance is a little limited.

DS 4 Crossback petrol engine

The sole petrol choice is a three-cylinder 1.2-litre PureTech engine which produces 128bhp and 230Nm of torque, capable of accelerating the Crossback from 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds.

Smooth and with plenty of low-down torque to accelerate quickly away from the lights, this engine is likely to be a popular choice for many retail buyers and is available with a six-speed manual gearbox only.

If you opt for 17-inch wheels then the official fuel economy figure is 55.4mpg combined with CO2 emissions at 119g/km.

DS 4 Crossback diesel engine

There’s just the one 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine available which offers 118bhp and 300Nm of torque.

Unlike the petrol option above, you’ve got a choice of either the six-speed manual or recently revised six-speed automatic gearbox, the latter is now 40 percent quicker to swap cogs than the previous’ box and is a distinct improvement, gearchanges are less jerky than before and feel more in-tune with the engine.

Smooth and refined on the road, it’s slower than the petrol achieving 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds or 11.4 seconds if paired with the automatic, however running costs are significantly better.

On 17-inch wheels the diesel achieves 74.3mpg combined and emits 100g/km of CO2 so will be particularly appealing for company car drivers; if you opt for the auto gearbox, these figures suffer a little as a result at 72.4mpg combined and 102g/km of CO2.

• Higher ride height
• Comfortable over long distances
• Easy to drive

The DS 4 Crossback is not a car for driving enthusiasts, instead the firm decided to concentrate on comfort and refinement.

Composed and easy to drive, the DS 4 Crossback is impressively comfortable and the suspension does a good job of soaking up the potholes and bumps in the road. The increased 30mm ride height improves overall visibility and the car feels stable and secure on the road. There’s a little bodyroll produced in corners but the car has surprising agility at speed and is easy to manoeuvre around city streets. The steering is well-weighted although lacks any real feedback.

Despite the car’s raised profile and chunky styling, the DS 4 is not meant to be driven off-road, that said it will be better equipped to deal with muddy B-roads and wintry weather than its hatchback sibling.