DS’s latest bet has been the Nº8, an electric SUV that combines in itself all the technology and technical and comfort capabilities that the French brand has. In its presentation, the company announced a approved autonomy of up to 750 kilometersaccording to WLTP. However, after a real test carried out on conventional roads it has resulted that the brand fell short in its figures.

This driving test has been carried out by the DS Automobiles brand itself, which has been developed with two units of the DS Nº8 doing a 750 kilometer route between Vélizy (in Paris) and Biscarrosse (in the southwest of France). The route was carried out on secondary roads and highways, thus demonstrating the ability of the electric SUV to overcome all types of situations.

The DS Nº8 passes the brand’s test and, even so, has plenty of autonomy

As we say, this route had a total distance of 750 kilometers. Upon reaching the destination, both had an approximate range of about 50 kilometers left, so The real range was estimated at about 800 kilometersalthough perhaps it would become even greater. DS did not continue the path, so it remains in doubt whether, in reality, there would have been even more kilometers.

DS assures that the conditions of this test presented an outside temperature of between 12 and 19 degrees Celsius and that, finally, the total average speed was 54 km/h. However, everything went perfectly for the French brand, as they managed to present an average consumption of 11.7 kWh/100 km. Well below the 12.9 kWh/100 km officially approved by the DS Nº8.

“It is no longer the battery that forces you to charge,” he said. Xavier PeugeotCEO of DS Automobiles, during the presentation of this autonomy test. In fact, the manager baptized the Nº8 as a true “revolution” for long-distance electric driving.

But this was not the only real autonomy test that DS carried out with the new Nº8. In parallel, they did the same with two other units, traveling exclusively on fast highways in the neighboring country. With this, the range obtained was up to 506 real kilometers, which confirms the data given by the brand in its presentation: “More than 500 kilometers of autonomy at highway speed.”

Currently, the DS Nº8 is equipped with a 97.2 kWh capacity battery, which is supplied by the battery company Automotive Cells Company (ACC), which is associated with companies such as Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz or Saft (a subsidiary of TotalEnergies). This component is one of the most powerful on the market today, as it has an energy density of 264 Wh/kg.

This electric SUV is available to buy in Spain for a starting price of 54,189 euroswithout taking into account possible aid or discounts. The version with more autonomy, with which these tests have been carried out, raises the starting price to 59,414 euros.