Duster has so much polish
1999 after former chairman Louis Schweitzer spotted a chance to make affordable new cars for the lower and middle classes in emerging markets, particularly Central Europe.
And Dacia’s “break the rules” philosophy has bred impressive brand loyalty – owners even join forces for picnics across Europe.
Everything about the brand centres on eliminating the unnecessary and giving customers the option to pay for what they value.
Typically, Dacia offers a car for the price of one from the class below. For the Duster, it means a family-sized SUV for less than a decent-spec supermini. There is virtually no competition, other than from used cars.
And this thinking works so well in the UK. There seem to be Dusters everywhere and they have boosted parent company Renault’s fortunes tremendously.
We saw Dacias in Britain some decades ago, but they were those Renaults built under licence with Romanian quality control which then was not of the highest order.
The difference with the Dacias of today is that they are under the supervision of Renault with a lot of evidence of the Renault parts and trim bins which is no bad thing.
On the road the Duster TCe defies another common belief – that a 1.2 petrol-engined 4x4 will be a gutless wonder, having a top speed of 110mph, 0-62mph acceleration in 11 seconds and a combined economy figure of 44.1mpg.
There are four trim levels for the Duster – Access, Ambiance, Laureate and Laureate Prime – all offering twoand four-wheel drive.
And for all Laureate versions there is the MediaNav seven-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation and UK and Northern Ireland mapping, USB and AUX ports, Bluetooth connectivity and steering wheel-mounted fingertip controls.
The Duster is built on a platform which has proven strength, reliability and built-to-last quality. The front MacPherson strut-type suspension has been strengthened to cope with off-road driving.
The 4x4s have a multi-arm arrangement at the rear that was specially developed for the Duster.
A capable and satisfying drive on the road, the Duster has ample room for the family, giving you SUV driving at a bargain price and, for what it costs, it is amazing. MODEL SHOWN JEEP RENEGADE 1.6 E-TORQ SPORT 2WD AT £18,795 OTR INCLUDING SPECIAL PAINT AT £600. OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR JEEP RENEGADE RANGE MPG (L/100KM): EXTRA URBAN 47.9 (5.9) – 70.6 (4.0), URBAN 32.5 (8.7) – 55.4 (5.1), COMBINED 40.9 (6.9) – 64.2 (4.4), CO2 EMISSIONS: 160 – 115 G/KM.
Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained for comparative purposes in accordance with EC directives/regulations and may not be representative of real-life driving conditions. *Customer Deposit £2,865. Optional Final Payment £6,266. 37 month term. Offer available on new Renegade versions registered between 1st February and 31st March 2017. Jeep Deposit Contribution only available in conjunction with Jeep Horizon PCP. With Jeep Horizon PCP you may return the vehicle instead of making the final payment. It must be in good condition and if you exceed the agreed annual mileage, you will be charged 6p per mile for exceeding 10,000 miles p.a in this example. Subject to status. Guarantees may be required. Ts&Cs apply. At participating Dealers only. Jeep Financial Services, SL1 0RW. ^As awarded by 4x4 magazine. We work with a number of creditors including Jeep Financial Services. Jeep® is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.