Dacia Duster - Too Good To Be True?
The Peoples Choice
Dacia has got it bang on when it comes to knowing the market. It knows that its buyers (who are mainly private) are folk who want value for money and are prepared to skip the sort of stuff which, to be honest, we could all happily manage without. Some of them might fancy a 4x4 option just in case they need to tow a trailer or like a bit of help with traction on muddy lanes.
If what you’re after is a 4x4 option for towing a trailer or helping on muddy lanes, then the latest third-generation Dacia Duster ticks all of those boxes. In fact, it’s so good that it will easily steal buyers from other brands who are looking for those same values. It also looks good and is more than just okay to drive, so now might be the time to start taking Dacia seriously.
New Engine Options
Dacia is something of a rarity in that it offers a Bi-Fuel Duster with an LPG tank. LPG is cheap-ish on the continent but not so in the UK.
The TCe130 is a 1.2 litre 130bp 3-cylinder petrol mild hybrid unit which drives the front wheels and while it’s no powerhouse, the 0-60mph time of 9.9 seconds is more than adequate. The 4x4 Duster also gets this engine. There’s a 140hp 1.6-litre full hybrid if you want additional economy and an auto gearbox, but it costs three grand more and only improves your predicted economy from 51mpg to 56mpg. So I’d go for the cheaper 1.2-litre model with front-wheel drive unless you intend to do a high mileage.
Spending £18,745 gets you into the entry-level Bi-Fuel Dacia Duster, but the most popular version will be the 1.2-litre model, which kicks off at £21,245 in Expression trim. Add £2.2k if you want to go AWD. The 6-speed manual gearbox is really good to use and suits the engine nicely.
Driving Experience
Out on the road, the Duster is good to drive and even gets close to being fun. It’s weird because I feel odd saying that this no nonsense, budget car is more enjoyable to drive than loads of other cars I’ve had from so-called premium manufacturers. But the truth is, it is. It’s designed to cope with town and country traffic. There’s no high-performance engine, so there’s no need for a hi-tech suspension setup. Keep it simple and, what do you know, it works. This is a car that is not trying to be something which it isn’t and I really like that. The ride is nicely sprung, never bouncy and never harsh.
Exterior
The exterior is brand new and the Duster now has a look that brings it into the 21st Century. It is also sustainable with Dacia saying that a decent chunk of the car’s exterior plastic is made from recycled materials. The dark grey plastic on the bodywork even gets a few designer touches, but it also serves a purpose on the wheel arches, warding off any brambles on country lanes.
Interior
Inside, the good news continues. There’s room for five adults on seats that are comfy and supportive. Granted, there’s a lot of hard plastic around the cabin where other manufacturers go down the soft touch route, but it still looks okay. Dacia hasn’t forgotten that the Duster is likely to be a family workhorse so there’s nothing wrong with a robust interior
Trim Levels
There are four trim levels; Essential, which is only available on the Bi-Fuel model, followed by Expression, Journey and Extreme which tops the price list at a still reasonable £23,745. Dacia knows that most of its buyers tend to ignore entry-level trims so something like the Journey model (£22,945) will probably be the most popular and gives you all of the kit you really need. This includes a central touchscreen, sat nav, air con, cruise control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, 7-inch digital driver display and 18-inch rims. There’s also a full raft of safety gubbins.
Competition
Is the latest Dacia Duster as good as something like the Ford Puma, Renault Captur or SKODA Kamiq? If you look at perceived interior quality and equipment, probably not. But in terms of exterior appearance, driver enjoyment, refinement and mechanical ability, it certainly is. There’s also a surprising amount of room and it can even hold its own when tackling some off-road stuff. And then you look at the price and the value for money.
Oh, and well done to Dacia (Toyota has done the same), who offer a neat servicing scheme. All Dacia cars get an industry average 3-year / 60,000-mile warranty, but if you take the car to a Dacia dealer for its annual service, you get a further 12-month warranty. You can keep doing this until the car is 7 years old. Neat.
If something is seen as being cheap in comparison to similar products from other manufacturers, it’s easy to assume that it’s rubbish, a bit along the lines of ’buy cheap, buy twice.’ Well you can ditch those thoughts with the Dacia Duster. It blows the competition out of the water and as bargains go, it’s unbelievable.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Dacia
