Tasteful luxury – the DS 9 Opéra Première
Anyone who chooses a DS 9 Opéra Première will probably do so less because of the engines. In the upper class, DS offers neither drives with eight nor with six cylinders. But tasteful luxury and sophistication. You can find a lot of it in the DS 9 Opéra Première, the new flagship of the Parisian avant-gardists.
If the DS9 drives up, some long-time Saab drivers might feel surprisingly reminded of the exciting times of 25 years ago. I wonder why?
Tasteful luxury for all passengers
The avant-gardists packed a whole lot of luxury into the DS9 Opéra Première, also for the second row. Because the elegant limousine, measuring almost 5 meters, is definitely suitable for people who do not want to sit at the wheel themselves.
High-quality materials, such as the lavishly used Bavarian nappa leather, the engraved metal elements with Clous-de-Paris guilloche pattern or the pearl embroidery are not to be found in other brands in this constellation. Dashboard and door panels flatter with leather, the seats have the brand-typical bracelet finish, the headliner is covered with Alcantara.
In the rear, the seat package called DS Lounge, enriched with seat heating and massage as well as ventilation, takes care of the well-being of the passengers, also in the front seats.
It is standard on board, like the high-end Focal Electra sound system, the acoustic glazing, night vision camera and the active chassis.
Intelligent reduction to electrified four-cylinder engines
The supercharged four-cylinder engine delivers 200 hp, with two additional electric motors the all-wheel drive DS9 achieves 360 system hp.
It is interesting to know that DS and Stellantis rely on the basic engine that would have been used by Saab from 2012 for all new vehicles up to the second 9-4x generation. The Swedes would also have had electric four-wheel drives if Saab had been given another life.
The DS 9 Opéra Première is the brand's current top model, an elegant sedan that is unfortunately all too rarely seen on the road. As an Opéra Première, it is particularly exclusive, with special signets on the body indicating its status.
Whether the world is a luxurious one DS9 needed is open.
One thing is certain, it can be nice to own one and indulge in tasteful luxury. The DS9 offers an individual alternative to the German premium giants that have been missing for a long time.
Extravagance – timelessly valid
The Parisian designers have a special, exclusive finish in their range for the top model. The new shade is called “Whisper“. A dark, bold aubergine shade that gives the vehicle a distinctive finish.
Older Saab drivers already know him. In Sweden, however, it bore the name “Amethystviolett” and was mixed exclusively for the 1997 in 50 for the 9000th anniversary of the brand.
The paint was very special back then, and it still is today. Some extravagances seem to be timeless.
Featuring media material from DS Automobiles
Oh, if only the DS 9 had hydropneumatics 😉
Yes, it's big. But would I buy if a new business car was due. First of all, because it's not an AUDI, BMW or BENZ.
Tastefully! Discreet on the outside, chic on the inside. I like it!
Regardless of all the beauty or usefulness of such a sedan, the production site of the DS9 would be an exclusion criterion for me. Also in the color "Whisper".
The Lizi
The production site is probably also the main sales market?
From our point of view, Chinese (but also other Asian) car buyers seem a bit conservative (pronounced inclination towards representative limousines) ...
In the cultural and national context, they themselves (and their neighbors) see it completely differently. Owning a car from a European brand - especially a large sedan - stands for personal professional and economic success, for the progressiveness of the buyer, his independence in thinking and acting ...
Actually an image that we are familiar with from the 1970s to 1990s. Anyone who bought a Swede, large French or Italian in Germany instead of a BMW, Mercedes or Audi had very similar motives in terms of their own self-assurance and the reception by those around them...
In the case of the DS 9, of course, China is the market in focus. People still love big limousines there.
It was similar at Saab, the 9-5 NG had the main market in the USA, the pre-series of the sedan for China had already been produced. Together with the 9-4x, they had great ambitions and, not without reason, saw the market of the future there.
Makes sense immediately, is understandable...
And yet is/was it strategically wrong?
The market may obviously be bigger, but that's not automatically the size of your own piece of cake ...
It is quite possible that Saab would have been more successful in the European market in the future and thus found an even growing niche in the global context.
Wanting to be at the forefront of a run on China seems comparatively risky to me, especially for a brand that is not part of a group...
We're talking about 10 years ago. At that time, Europeans could still easily gain market shares in China. Today they are losing it because the Chinese are reclaiming their market. It would have been the easiest way for Saab to get the numbers. (And to be interesting for Asian financiers)
Europe was definitely too small to survive.
That lights up again...
You just have to be careful when you talk about what and how. I feel like the final Saab bankruptcy was just yesterday...
My mistake. Perhaps the thought that brands and corporations today (!) no longer have to align their models with the Chinese market is still of some relevance?
Maybe not? Maybe it's just wishful thinking? All I know is that I wish European brands had more courage to create more typically European models...
I had amethyst violet in my 9000 Anny.
Brilliant colour.
When it was cloudy he was black.
When the sun was shining, you smiled when you approached the shade...
The description is a bit reminiscent of the "espresso black" effect on the 9-3 NG. Would love to see an amethyst violet 9000 in person. Just the name of the shade is a pleasure.
The Lizi
Quote: … a limousine measuring almost 5 meters. However, whether the world needs a luxurious DS9 is an open question.
A new elegant automotive dinosaur.
A no go at this time.
That's right, but ...
I still see a surprising number of limousines, some of which are brand new, on the streets. I always ask myself why?
The need for transport does not seem to be particularly great, otherwise one would have resorted to a station wagon ...
And yet limousines sell. And yet many station wagons are still derivatives of the sedans, if they come at all. That was no different with Saab. All SCs and the 9-4X were designed with C-pillars for the short roof. The 9-4X even without need. Nothing with “form follows function”. And as you know, the 9-5 NG SC didn't come anymore ...
Incomprehensible to me personally, but brands and companies in financial need notoriously rely first or even exclusively on the sedan. See also the last of all Saabs or the Alfa Guila.
I like the drive concept. I would like to have a current Saab that can cover a few kilometers purely electrically and saves its combustion engine from thermal stress in urban areas and on short journeys, that uses its system performance in a hybrid all-wheel drive concept either electrically or thermodynamically and only then fully as required by it depending on the scenario . Add to that E85 for the combustion engine and I would be on the road with a clear conscience...
The 5m aren't the problem, soda is more of a problem. But with the 9-5NG you are in the same league there, I am always happy when things that I thought were lost reappear in the depths of the trunk. Well, as a manager's car, it's ok, nice details, neatly finished, you're definitely on par with other premium vehicles. I think you're definitely on the right track with the DS 9 Opera.
What I don't like is the low electric range of 51-70 km, that will probably only be 25-35 km, double or triple that would cover many distances purely electrically.
The outer design is very arbitrary, if there were four rings on it I would never guess that it is a Citroen.