Dacia’s new compact SUV is full of appeal for any cost concious buyer, writes JULIE MARSHALL.
This compact SUV is full of appeal for any cost-conscious buyer, writes Julie Marshall
The great British public has, in recent years, showing a degree of common sense when it comes to spending money.
Snob value has taken something of a back seat. While just a few years ago there were plenty who would boast about how much they’d splashed out on a car, the very same people (or so I’m told) are crowing about how much they’ve saved.
Which is one reason why Dacia ( pronounced ‘dat-cha’) has done so well. The Duster, the subject of our review this week is now in its second generation and can be yours for less than £10,000 - which is quite remarkable.
Our Comfort Tce 130 was a more expensive £14,400 but it came equipped with everything you’d expect from a top-notch family SUV: rear parking sensors and cameras, air conditioning, a full complement of electrically opening windows, DAB radio, on-board computer and a raft of safety and security aids including curtain airbags, remote locking, cruise control and a speed limiter.
It may be cheap but it is certainly not low budget - far from it - and Dacia is popular. It’s sold more than 140,000 since it launched in the UK in January 2013 with the Duster and the Sandero.
The all-new Duster is not really so new, it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017.
What is new though is the car itself. None of the panels have been carried over from the previous model and it looks a great deal smarter with sharp body lines, a high waist and a sharply raked windscreen. The front end is protected by a large skid plate for added security when off-road.
The dashboard and interior have also been completely revised.
There are four trim levels, four engines and either two or four-wheel drive derivatives.
Powered by a quiet 1.3-litre, turbocharged petrol engine delivering 128bhp, our test car was sprightly enough and mated with a six-speed manual gearbox gives a pleasant driving experience. It’s worth noting that there is no automatic transmission option and fourwheel drive is only available on the most powerful TCe 150 petrol engine.
Dacia is owned by Renault and its cars use many components from older Renaults to keep costs down - but that doesn’t detract too much from its overall desirability.
The suspension and the steering may be old school, the handling not particularly crisp and the fit and finish not as luxurious as we are getting used to in new cars, but for the majority of owners the low price will out way any concerns.
The upside of this is that in most models there are no complicated digital controls to master, old-school knobs and buttons are the order of the day. Our Comfort had a touchscreen infotainment system but it proved pretty straightforward to use and is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
The seats are comfortable though not luxurious, the boot is roomy with a practical shape for loading bulky packages and all four doors open wide to accommodate longlegged passengers.
In conclusion, you could do a lot worse than a Duster. For the money, it’s a quite remarkable car.