DS launched as a standalone brand in 2014. The original line-up consisted of a roll-call of re-badged Citroen models and that, unsurprisingly, hampered the push into the premium portion of the car market. It felt, at the time, rather half-hearted.

That changed with the arrival of the DS7 Crossback. It was hardly a shock that, when it did arrive, the company’s first car was an SUV. While the decision made perfect sense, the DS7 would face some severe competition from Audi’s Q5, BMW’s X3 and Mercedes’ GLC so the pressure was on to produce a car that was competitive from the off.

It’s clear that the company is banking on the DS7’s styling to lure a few customers into showrooms. History tells us that the DS brand has brought the motoring world some of the most innovative and distinctive vehicles of the last century and there’s a fair amount of avant garde styling in evidence both inside and out as the company tries to channel some of that free-thinking into its new range of cars.

The huge black gloss grille that dominates the front is flanked by slender LED headlamps. The flanks are softly sculpted while at the rear you’ll find distinctive 3D-effect filament-style tail lights.

Given the restrictions that designing a boxy SUV places on designers’ creativity the DS is a decent effort at bringing something different to the table.

Those efforts continue inside, where you’re greeted by an assortment of interesting shapes, textures and highlights. The seats of my review car were covered with quilted leather, as were the door panels and dashboard and, in the main, the material quality of the fixtures and fittings is very good. However, delve a little deeper and you’ll find the lower extremes of the dashboard are covered in harder, scratchier plastics and that what you might have imagined, or expected to be chrome, is actually plastic too.

In the centre of the dash sits a 12in display that should keep the touchscreen generation happy because that’s where you access almost all of the vehicle’s settings. Touchscreens allow manufacturers to remove physical controls from the passenger space and create a cleaner, less cluttered, aesthetic but I’m not sure that it makes life easier for drivers when you have to take your eyes off the road to accomplish simple tasks like adjusting the cabin temperature.

There is a row of shortcut buttons beneath the screen but they are small and touch-sensitive and, consequently, are just as difficult to operate on the move as the display.

You also get a digital instrument display. It is clear and responsive and you can configure it in a number of ways to show various information including driving data and sat nav. There are some nice animations to entertain you while you flick between modes and, whichever mode you’re in, some effort has been made to ensure that it looks as little like a traditional instrument display as possible.

The overarching theme in the passenger space is one of geometric shapes and straight lines, including the two rows of switches that flank the gear selector and operate, among other things, the electric windows. Even after a week with the car I still find myself searching for the window switches on the door.

There’s lots of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so getting comfortable wasn’t an issue. Higher-level trims come with heated and massaging seats. Visibility is excellent all round but if your spatial awareness isn’t quite what it could be, parking sensors are standard across the range to help when space is a little tight.

Speaking of space being a little tight – it isn’t inside the DS7. In fact, there is plenty of room in the front for tall adults while there is decent legroom in the rear, meaning there’s ample space for six-footers to get comfortable. My review car arrived minus the optional panoramic roof – which inevitably reduces the headroom – and there was plenty of room for all but the extravagant of hairstyles.

The floor in the back of the car is raised which, for the longer-legged, can make for a slightly awkward seating position. Fortunately there’s no transmission tunnel to straddle so fitting three people across the rear seat is easy enough.

The door bins are a good size, and lined too, while there’s a useful cubby where you can wirelessly charge your mobile phone – standard on Prestige and Ultra Prestige trim, optional on everything else – and, though the glovebox is tiny, there is plenty of storage hidden beneath the armrest between the front seats.

With the rear seats in place there’s 555 litres of luggage space to play with. You do get a variable height boot floor and with the 60/40 split folding seats stowed away, that increases to 1,752.

There’s a choice of six engines – three petrol, one of which is a hybrid, and two diesels – and it was one of the latter that was beneath the bonnet of my review car. The 1.5-litre 4-cylinder unit produces 128hp – there is also a 2.0-litre diesel with an output of 178bhp – and it’s reasonably quiet until you approach the top of the rev range when it can get a little raucous.

There’s a couple of engine modes to choose between – eco and sport – and while switching to the latter does sharpen up the throttle response, it also highlights the lack of grunt when you’re overtaking. The eight-speed automatic, which comes complete with flappy paddled behind the steering wheel, is slick and smooth but, if you prefer to be in total control, there is a six-speed manual transmission available.

The brake pedal feels a little lethargic. There’s a fair bit of travel before you start to feel any retardation and, when they do finally decide to grab on they can be a bit inconsistent, making it hard to slow down with any real finesse, particularly at lower speeds.

The conventional suspension set-up does a decent job of smoothing out rougher surfaces, even on the 20in alloy wheels fitted to my review car, but potholes can upset the ride. The soft set-up does allow for greater body roll, however, but once you’ve turned into a corner it will hang on determinedly.

The DS7 is competing in a cut-throat segment where image is – almost – everything. The fact that it doesn’t boast a three-pointed star, four interlocking rings or a blue and white propeller certainly won’t help its cause but its stand-out styling will go some way to redress the balance.

The brakes are grabby and the handling no more than reasonable but it is comfortable, practical, refined and offers a good standard list of equipment. It’s going to be tough to make serious inroads against its rivals but the DS7 might just have enough in its locker to do just that.

DS7 Crossback Prestige BlueHDi 130EAT8

Price: £37,825

As tested: £38,420

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Max power: 131hp @ 3,750rpm

Max torque: 300Nm @ 2,000rpm

Max speed: 121mph

0-62mph: 10.7sec

WLTP fuel economy (mpg)

Low: 49.8 – 44.5

Mid: 58.6 – 51.8

High: 63.9 – 56.5

Extra high: 49.9 – 45

Combined: 55.3 – 49.3

Emissions: 100 – 106g/km

For more information visit www.dsautomobiles.co.uk