With a wide range of seating adjustment it’s easy to find a great driving position in the DS 5’s supremely comfortable front seats.

Doing so gives you time to survey the unusually-styled dashboard, so far the only DS model with a unique interior. It’s been improved as part of the makeover, with 12 fewer dashboard buttons and an improved seven-inch touchscreen, but fans of the unusual switches at the back of the centre console and in the roof can rest easy – they’re still there.

Despite the initial haphazard layout of the switchgear things soon fall easily to hand, wherever the buttons and switches are located – audio controls and those for the cruise control are conveniently sited on the steering wheel.

French-built cars don’t tend to have a reputation for robustness or the high level of material quality employed but the DS 5’s different – it feels like an upmarket cabin without following the design trends of the class.

Prestige models have an optional head-up display panel which sits atop the instrument binnacle, displaying details such as speed and sat-nav instructions. It’s adjustable too so it can fall directly in your eyeline whatever your height.

Forward visibility is improved by the DS 5’s MPV-like side windows ahead of the front doors, although rearward views are somewhat restricted by the bisected tailgate window. It will inevitably be worse in dirty, wet conditions as what must be one of the smallest wipers in automotive history only sweeps a tiny part of the lower screen.

Pre-loaded Linear Valve shock absorbers are the key factor behind much-improved DS 5 comfort levels.

In jargon-free terms, PLVs restrict how sudden changes occur in the suspension system, effectively making the ride more compliant and less harsh over poorly-surfaced roads – our primary complaint with the previous iteration of the DS 5. The result is a much more serene driving experience but one which still lags behind Citroens of old with complex hydropneumatic systems.

Those in the front seats are in for a particularly enjoyable journey, with big, comfortable armchairs to waft along in. And yes, in rather than on – you feel supremely enveloped as you settle down.

If you’re in the back, it’s not so good. The seats look almost as comfortable as those in the front but while that elegantly tapering roofline does wonders for the DS 5’s distinct style, it does little for rear seat headroom. Whether taller occupants are least impressed by that or the lack of legroom is up for debate.

Elsewhere, DS has gone to great lengths to ensure the 5’s cabin remains as calm a place to be as possible, regardless of the weather outside, the speed you’re travelling or the road surface underneath. Not only is the sound-deadening material thicker than that used by other manufacturers, the side windows on all barring the least-expensive models are laminated, just like the windscreen. The double layer of glass, with a film between them cancels out ambient noise significantly.