How to bag an SUV bargain

It has done so by making compromises, and whether you’d consider bagging one of these bargains or not will depend on whether you think the compromises made have been the right ones.

Obviously, if the badge matters to you, you can look away now (although, conversely some would argue that driving a Dacia is in itself and badge of honour in some way, that you have made a rational decision and not paid a premium for a more ‘impressive’ brand).

And likewise, if you’re after a luxury car, this might not be the vehicle for you. Because the compromises that have been made are in the interior that is dominated by plastic, and the doors that don’t quite have that satisfying clunk when you close them.

The ride, too, is generally soft and spongy, but again, if you’re looking for a sporty ride, you are not looking here.

The Access model you get for less than 10k comes with significantly less kit than the modern car buyer has come to expect - it has no radio, for a start, or wheel trims to cover its steel wheels.

Up a level to the Ambiance trim and you add both those plus a split rear seat, Bluetooth, USB and body-coloured bumpers. All that’ll set you back an extra £1,500, but this is the model most people will go for - who could drive a car without a radio?

The model I tested was the Laurate TCe 125 4x4. Its OTD price is £14,895, and adds luxuries like an ECO mode, child locks on the rear doors, daytime running lights, and air con, but mine had extras, including satnav, parking sensors, and a rear camera.

That took the final price up to £16,240 - which is around about what you might pay for a low specced Nissan Qashqai or Skoda Yeti, which I would imagine is the Duster’s main competition.

Fuel economy is decent at best, except on the diesel models, which all top 60mpg.

The petrol versions all run around the 40mpg mark, which is somewhat less attractive.

Ultimately, you have to offset running costs against the initial layout, which makes the whole package a lot more affordable.

Add in the fact that such low prices for new actually mean a Duster is likely to hold its value (there isn’t an awful distance for the price to fall) and I reckon you have a fairly compelling package.

Dacia is owned by Renault, and a lot of the technology under the skin is Renault’s, which should give UK customers a bit more faith in the brand.

That said, Dacia is not a new brand - just new to us. However, since it launched in the UK in 2013 the company has sold 100,000 vehicles here.

In fact, many of the markets Dacia is established in are the kind that might not have the best roads, and value durability over luxury.

That sounds like common sense to me in a lot of ways, and explains why Dacia is making some significant inroads here.

The new 2017 Duster can only build on the early promise.

To me at least, a lot of the main reasons not to go for a Dacia are by and large the reasons that matter the very least.

In other words, compromises may have been made, but they are the right compromises.