Dacia Duster
FINAL REPORT We look back on nine months with our SUV and reckon we bagged a bargain
FROM cars to groceries, to fitness, the general level of quality for the average consumer is sky high at the moment. This has been brought to my attention more since I have been running our Dacia Duster; the standard of my most frequently used conveniences, services and goods seems to be really good, and I think the Duster sits at the front of the pack in that regard.
Thanks to the on-the-road price of £15,995, I can’t think of a car that better exemplifies value for money. You see, despite the Duster sitting at the cheaper end of the market, I’ve found the quality in it to be just as high as I would expect of new cars costing far more. That’s especially true if I limit that to SUVs, since no other model in this category offers as much as the Duster for so little money.
Throughout its time at Auto Express, it has been more useful and practical for my needs than I could have hoped for. I use the Duster as daily transport to and from photo shoots, full of my camera gear and car-washing kit, but it’s also often in use as a camera car when we’re on test tracks.
Throughout all of that it has felt as if every part of this car was designed with me in mind. When I sit in the rear seats, or in the boot with all the seats flat, to take carto-car shots, I need a smooth ride to get the perfect picture. The Dacia is brilliant in that regard; it’s one of the best I can remember and I didn’t expect it from a car at this price.
Many much more expensive models are harsher to sit in on bumpy roads. And the high-up stance of the Duster also means it’s perfect when I need to get a higher vantage point for a static photo.
Being in my thirties now, I’m in much less of a hurry to get to my destination. That suits the Duster fine, because it is happiest below 65mph – which pleases my wallet as well, because fuel economy is superb when cruising at that speed. I’m not a fan of adaptive cruise control, so the traditional cruise control makes my journeys much more relaxing if the traffic isn’t horrific.
My age brings a bit of nostalgia for the nineties and early noughties, and the Duster even manages to tick that box for me. I feel today’s cars have too many expensive and unnecessary technological aids, and focus too much on a premium appearance, but when I get in the Duster it feels familiar and honest, rather than stripped back. It’s like a car from my favourite era, but new in 2019.
I love the Duster so much I could choose pretty much anything on the car and find a reason to enthuse about it. I’m a big fan of the simple design of the alloy wheels, for example. I think they really work with the design, and cleaning them is super-easy
– a big plus. They’re not large and they’re not fancy, but their simplicity is what makes them great; they also enable the big sidewalls on the tyres, which improves ride comfort and prevents kerbed rims.
The only thing I didn’t get on with was the infotainment system. When it works, it’s fine; it looks a bit dated but I don’t mind that, and it has all the features I need: Bluetooth, DAB radio and sat-nav. However the radio still isn’t working, so I’ve been stuck with just FM frequencies for weeks.
The gearing is also a bit off for life in London (where I live); first and second are too short, which is good for off-roading but a bit irritating when you’re trying to keep revs down driving around town. I never know which gear to choose when I’m in traffic.
“When I get in the Duster, it feels familiar and honest, rather than stripped back”