Dacia Duster
GOODBYE
£ 14,400/£15,050 as tested/£260pcm
WHY IT’ S HERE
Is the daily grind in a basic Duster more cheap than cheerful?
DRIVER
Tom Ford
WE’VE RUN SOME MILES UNDER THE LITTLE DACIA’S WHEELS OVER THE
past few months, and life has been generally brilliant. We were never under any illusions that the Duster in 1.3 TCe 130 – with front-wheel drive and Comfort spec – was a luxury car, but the original idea was to ascertain whether or not cheap (for a new car of this size) actually felt it. The truth is that the Dacia doesn’t feel more expensive than it is, but what it does feel like is value for money. That, by the way, is not some snide dig, but a compliment. In a world where we’re sold optional tinsel on the basis that our lives won’t be quite achieving what they should be without automatic turny-lights on our triple-diffed yet urban-locked SUV, it feels like… a relief.
It’s been a family wagon, a van (the simple flip-down seats and hard plastic toughness helps), a commuter car and a small adventure truck. The controls are light and easy, if not the most communicative, and nothing has fallen off or broken, apart from a saggy seat bolster on the driver’s side seat.
Truth is, you can’t get away from the cost saving, but none of it is sleight of hand. There are no wheelarch liners, and the simple suspension – largely the same as a grandfatherly iteration of the Renault Clio – is left for all to view. The rear axle is a simple beam hung with drum brakes, and it scores averagely on all the usual metrics for ride and handling – nothing disastrous, nothing stand-out good. It’s kinda fun, in a rental car way. But the simple interior has pretty much stood up to the abuse (including dog), and the sheer usefulness of the thing is pretty hard to argue with. It comes down to feeling like the Dacia’s main thrust is honesty: you know what you’re getting, and why. Yes, you could buy something sexier secondhand for the money, but you won’t get the new car advantages and warranties. Add in a couple of decent PCP deals out there at the moment, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a Duster – you know what you’re getting, and it delivers.