Automotive in French style: The DS 7 Crossback launches in Singapore

It is night in Paris’s chic Marais district. Stepping out of the cozy French bistro, your phone buzzes. Your friends are on their way to Place Vendôme, to a private club for the well-heeled, a glitzy but discerned circle, and invite-only. They ask what time you will be there. You check your watch. It is 8:30pm. 15 minutes top you promise.

You step into your car, the new DS 7 Crossback. It smells good. Leather, Nappa leather, a scent ambrette and woody, it is intoxicating. The leather extends from the console to the grab bars and it is soft to the touch as you run your fingers across the sides of your seat.

You ignite the engine and it comes to life. The headlights swivel outwards to light up the cobblestone in front of you. It glimmers and shines like diamonds. Paris at night is beautiful.

On the 12-inch central HD touchscreen you pull out your favourite playlist.

Daft Punk plays.

♪ We’re up all night to get lucky

For acoustics, DS has partnered FOCAL® for the Focal Electra® System comprising of 14 speakers meticulously positioned around the cabin to offer an immersive sound experience to deliver music in its purest form. The sound is robust with each beat pulsing in rhythm, slick, syncopated and lush.

You drive. You take a left onto Pont Notre Dame to head onto Quai Saint-Michel to drive just along the Seine. You cruise. There is a little traffic, not unusual for Paris, some cars, a few cyclists, and two scooters.

With the Stop & Go Adaptive Cruise control of the DS Connected Pilot, your vehicle adjusts its speed according to the car in front. You look out of your side window. The weather is good and there are couples taking a stroll together under the moonlight.

You turn your attention back to the road. The light turns red. You stop. You lean back into your seat, your shoulders relax.

There are five modes of massage functions for the front seats and the rear seats are electrically reclining. You wonder if you should activate one of them. You decide that it is comfortable enough as it is.

Taking a right to go around Jardin des Tuileries, the road is clear and you accelerate forward. Powered by 222 horsepower mated to an 8-speed efficient automatic transmission, the vehicle is powerful and the acceleration is smooth.

You pull up just beside the neoclassical centrepiece of Place Vendôme. It stands imposingly like the commander of the 1er arrondissement. You have arrived. On the B.R.M R180 Timepiece it marks 8:45pm.

You step out. In the distance you see the Eiffel Tower, its beacon of light shining over Paris. It is glowing. Byzantine Gold. The colour of your car. The DS team worked for a whole year to get the right mix of colour you were told. It is gorgeous.

Paris by night, it is always impressive.

Designed and crafted in Paris, the DS 7 Crossback is refined and high-tech, and embodies French know-how by bringing together premium materials, craftsmanship and technological innovations. Experience the most luxurious drive by signing up for a test drive today.