Refreshed Dacia set to shake things up

The Logan is the car that might well have first introduced British buyers to the Dacia brand, especially if they've travelled to France where the first generation Logan was a big hit.

We never got that car in the UK and the second generation Logan took a different tack to the original, making the Sandero in effect the hatch version.

That's why the Logan MCV gets much the same engine selection as the Sandero. That means a neat 900cc three-cylinder TC e90 petrol engine as the main attraction. This is an engine that's great in a Clio and powers the smaller Sandero adequately, with great fuel economy and a decent turn of speed.

It's a unit that needs to be worked as it makes peak power a t 5,250rpm, although there's 99lb/ft of torque from just 1,650rpm.

For those on tighter budgets there's a revised powerplant at the foot of the range.

The old 73bhp 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine has at last been pensioned off and has been replaced by a more modern and efficient SCe 75 unit. There's also a 1.5-litre 88bhp dCi diesel.

The Logan MCV rides on a version of the Nissan B0 platform that underpins the Note and the Leaf and is built tough to appeal to world markets. Electronic stability control (ESC) is fitted as standard, compliant with European regulations. It ensures vehicle stability under difficult conditions such as obstacle avoidance, loss of grip when cornering, and slippery road surfaces. ABS (anti-lock brake system) is enhanced by emergency brake assist (EBA), which adjusts the hydraulic system automatically to apply maximum brake pressure from the onset of braking through to the trigger point at which ABS switches in.

The Logan M CV is a fairly handsome thing that doesn't instantly look bargain basement and also has one of the best carrying capacities in its class.

Take something like a Skoda Fabia estate as a competitor. That fronts up with 480 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place and 1,485 litres of total capacity when they're folded.

The Logan MCV is notably bigger, with 573 litres in the luggage bay and up to 1,518 total capacity.

Look at those figures and you might assume that with these broadly similarly sized cars, the Skoda maybe compensates by offering more rear seat space than the Dacia. But get into the back of the Logan MCV and it feels anything but pinched.

We should talk about the changes made to this revised model, which gets a revised front end design showcasing Dacia' s new lighting signature flanking a revised honeycombed grille.

The interior is smarter too, with satin- effect chrome finishing to lift the dashboard, a revised steering wheel and some softertouch surfaces on upper-spec variants.

Dacia has even moved the electric window switches from the centre console to a more conventional place on the doors.

As for practicality, the interior arrangement is clever, offering no less than 16 litres of handy, accessible stowage features, such as front and rear door bins, cubbies and a storage tray on top of the dashboard.

The luggage compartment cover (available on some versions) has a rigid upper section with additional interior stowage capability. The easy-to-use 2/3-1/3 split/folding rear bench, standard on all variants, makes for maximum versatility.

As usual with Dacia products, the Logan MCV has been priced to offer outstanding value for money. Prices start at about £7,000 and range up to about £11,500. There's a choice of three trim levels – Access, Ambiance and Laureate and three engines – the SCe 75 and TCe 90 petrol units and a 1.5-litre dCi 90 diesel. Most variants get a DAB radio and you no longer have to stretch right to the top of the range for air conditioning – it's now standard from the Ambiance level upwards.

One of the more interesting features available on the Logan MCV is Media Nav. Available on upper spec versions, this is a fullyintegrated multimedia system with a large seven-inch touchscreen running a highly intuitive homepage menu for trouble-free navigation across the system's many useful functions, which include Bluetooth technology and sat nav with 2D and 3D (bird view) display. Personal devices can be easily connected to a dashboard USB or jack connector.

Another clever touch on plusher models is Dacia Plug& Radio, also a straightforward and highly efficient multimedia solution, with a dashboardmounted screen showing three lines of information. This comprises radio, MP3compatible CD player, Bluetooth technology and dashboard-mounted USB and jack connectors. Then there's cruise control with speed limiter on some versions, with steering wheel control for both functions, and speed setting. Rear parking sensors are also offered with sensors in the rear bumper to warn the driver when nearing an obstacle. Power steering is standard on all versions.

Dacia is a brand on the up and as more and more new buyers sign up, it's tempting to assume that there will be a big queue of used buyers also looking for a piece of the action, but there's a subtly different reason for choosing a used marque, and I don't think the Logan MCV will be quite as depreciationresistant as some new owners hope. Still, the low asking prices mean that the edge is taken off the overall cost of ownership and it's hard to argue with some of the other running costs.

The TCe 90 900cc petrol engine is respectably quick but it'll still return reasonable fuel economy.

Dacia quotes a figure of 56.5mpg and emissions of 116g/km. Go diesel and you're looking at 74.3mpg and 99g/km.

The Dacia Logan MCV might well be one of the least glamorous cars it's possible to buy, but sometimes you just need a car as a tool and in that instance, this revised Logan makes a strong case for itself.

It's well screwed together, comes with great after sales service, is cheap to both buy and run and isn’t too bad on the eye.

The 0.9- litre TCe 90 petrol engine is undoubtedly the most interesting powerplant, although if you're going to be lugging a bunch of gear with you, it may well pay dividends to plump for the additional torque of the diesel engine.

This is a car, like many others in the Dacia range, that is going to shake up the established order and make many buyers question whether they really need to spend any more on a utility vehicle.