• Both delightful and infuriating
• Very plush
• Fiddly infotainment

How is the quality and layout?

We’ll start with the quality. It easily matches the Audi A3/BMW 1 Series/Mercedes A-Class. Most places you look or touch will be in some kind of luxury material, while even the bit where you rest your outside elbow is plush.

You can spec a Focal sound system which reverberates a deep noise, and all the dials are easy to read in pleasingly upmarket fonts. The doors close with a reassuring thunk, there were no rattles or squeaks on our test car and it’s broadly a very pleasant place to spend time. Saying that, during our time with the car the centre console storage space repeatedly opened when driving over speed bumps and we did unwittingly make all of the menus display in French.

Which brings us onto the layout. The window switches are positioned at an awkward angle at the top of the doors and the heating vents are separated into ones for up and down and ones for left and right, which aren’t apparent at first.

Infotainment and tech

The heating controls are buried in the touchscreen, which is more annoying to use than conventional dials. Other than that, the infotainment is quick and easy to use.

19

The transmission selector sits next to a lower screen (pictured above) that controls some functions, while the higher, bigger central screen can be personalised to prioritise the functions that are most important to you.

All cars come with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, which is accessed via a 7.0-inch screen on base models and a 10-inch one of fancier cars. A head-up display is an option that’s worth ticking as it clearly projects info onto the windscreen, helping you keep your eyes on the road. Voice recognition is included, and works well. Night vision is also available, as is sound-reducing acoustic glass.

Comfort

• Soft seats
• Good levels of adjustment
• Comfy place to spend long periods

The seating position is relatively low and the lumbar support is a bit weedy. If you like to sit high up on a firm seat, this will require a bit of getting used to. If you prefer a soft pew, the DS 4’s are lovely and let you sink deeply into them.

19

There’s no electric seat adjustment, which seems a bit stingy for a car of this price, but at least there’s enough manual movement built in to keep most people happy. The steering wheel also comes out as well as up and down.