, describes the way the Romanian firm goes about its business. He identifies a class of buyers who want a brand new car but are uninterested in “software-defined vehicles” and who value physical buttons and dials over touchscreen functions.
So, for this third generation of the Duster SUV, the Renault Nissan Alliance CMF-B platform (which also underpins the Clio, Juke and the Dacia Sandero and Jogger) was stripped of most of its extraneous electronics. It’s not the easiest of tasks since new cars are now legally bound to include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Yet this process, however tricky, saves cost – and it also saves about 100kg in weight.
Told you so
I hate to say we told them so, but the assembled motoring press did so almost 20 years ago when then Renault chief Louis Schweitzer was outlining his plans for the rebirth of the Romanian national car maker. He thought the 2004 Logan would be a car for developing countries; we thought (and told him) that its diamond-in-the-rough qualities would appeal to European buyers as well. We had to wait, but the Duster, when it appeared as a Logan spin-off in 2010, did exactly that.
It’s been the bomb, selling more than 2.2 million in increasing amounts and Dacia currently builds over 1,000 a day at its Pitesti factory in Romania (Dacia no longer uses its Avtoframos plant in Moscow). It is particularly popular with private buyers, with owners keeping their Dusters for much longer than those in fashion-obsessed fleet markets. The result is that more than 80 per cent of Dusters are conquest sales from other marques, many of these car makers perceived as, if not premium, then certainly from a cut above Dacia.
in Europe.
Of course this deal wouldn’t work without low costs of production and access to a mainstream series of models that can be cannibalised – a bit like Skoda used to do so skilfully with cars such as the Yeti.
Dust off the range
The Duster is effectively a new car you didn’t think you could afford, which is the reason why most buyers end up supersizing themselves and specifying the top model. That’s the car tested here; a 1.6-litre full hybrid 140 (137bhp), with front-wheel drive and in top Extreme trim, which sells at £26,745.
The range starts at £18,745 for the Essential trim 100 TCe (70bhp) six-speed manual petrol and LPG (it’s big in Europe), but most sales are up from there.
There’s a 1.2-litre three-cylinder, six-speed manual model with 127bhp, which is available with front- and four-wheel drive at between £21,245 and £25,945. Residual values are pretty good, but the price gap between rivals such as Peugeot’s 2008, Skoda’s Kamiq and Hyundai’s Kona isn’t so wide these days.
It might look huge, but at 4,343mm long, 1,921mm wide with the mirrors folded and 1,657mm tall with the optional roof bars, it’s not much bigger than the outgoing Mk2.
Performance for the starter model is a top speed of 101mph, 0-62mph in 14.1sec and a combined fuel consumption of 43.5mpg, with CO2 emissions of 147g/km. The front-drive mild hybrid triple improves this to 111mph, 9.9sec, 51.3mpg and 124g/km, and the full hybrid tested here delivers 105mph, 10.1sec, 55.4mpg and 114g/km.
Inside job
Practical rubber mats (optional), textured plastic panels and durable seat upholstery are the first impressions, along with a half decent driving position and plenty of head room.
This is all on trend for Dacia, perhaps not so much the irritating keyless locking and the thick, credit card-sized electronic key that old Renaults used to come with. Did I mention the touchscreen, albeit rudimentary and a tad laggy? And did the steering wheel need to be squared off, as is the fashion?
There’s still a lot to like though, including the sponge-out feel to the cabin, along with myriad clips and hooks to which you can secure bags. The mobile phone bracket is fiddly, but it replaces a touchscreen in the cheaper models. After all, if oft-used functions including internet radio, sat nav and music are on your phone, why pay for them twice?
Also good are the heater controls, piano keys under the screen, plastic, of course, but easy to select on the move.
Although there’s a bit more space than before, this third generation still feels a bit cramped in the back seats. The boot displaces 496 litres in the hybrid, though the front-drive 1.2-litre models have 594 litres; the Hyundai Kona has 466 litres and the Skoda Kamiq 400 litres.
Comfort isn’t the last word, with flat seats and largely unsupportive bolsters, but it’s good for a couple of hours at the wheel even if you creak when you climb out.
On the road
Under the bonnet is the intriguing transmission used in the current generation of Renault E-Tech hybrids with two electric motors, one to drive and the other to principally charge and synchronise the gears. The engine is a four-cylinder 1.6-litre unit from Brazil.
as the engine isn’t the smoothest and you occasionally hear the dog gears engaging. And while dog gears are tough, my main concern is the longevity of the sensors that make it all happen. At one point during my test, the Duster refused to move off, claiming the handbrake was applied when it wasn’t. Switching it off then on again cured the issue, but this didn’t bode well for a brand-new car.
In a week of very mixed motoring and very cold temperatures, I saw a fuel consumption between 52 and 56mpg. A full 50-litre tank, carefully eked out, would provide more than 550 miles of range – eat your heart out EVs.
There’s a feeling of lightness when you first pull away, even though this version of the Duster weighs almost 1.4 tonnes. The steering is amply assisted, almost too light, and the response is a bit darty as you turn into a corner. Using the Renault-derived Perso button to switch off the corrupting lane centring system adds a bit more veracity to the steering and a tiny bit more weight.
The ride is soft but unsophisticated, so while the Duster will traverse a road hump with aplomb, a pothole is felt and heard. There’s also a fair bit of side-to-side twitchiness.
In some senses, however, the engine/transmission/chassis are perfectly matched. If you don’t try too hard you can make effective, economical progress. Overdrive it and it feels a bit of a handful, rolling and lurching and lacking the precise body control of rivals.
The brakes are good, though, with a sensitive pedal and decent grab at the top of the travel. Unlike other Dacia models, the Duster’s three stars out of five NCAP crash test rating, published in July 2024, isn’t at all bad.
The Telegraph verdict
The Duster lives in a world of contradictions, living off Renault technology but offering super value new-car motoring. Sold as an “essential” vehicle, it is often specified with every available extra. It engenders fierce loyalty among owners, yet the majority of new buyers come from other marques.
Contradictory it might be, but in this third-generation guise the Duster has crossed the Rubicon of cheap and cheerful to the side of good value, desirable and quite addictive.
Four stars out of five
The facts
Dacia Duster Extreme Hybrid 140
five-door B-segment SUV
now
£26,745 on the road (range from £18,745)
105mph, 0-62mph in 10.1sec
55.4mpg (WLTP Combined), 53mpg on test
1,598cc four-cylinder engine with twin motor automatic hybrid system, front-wheel drive
137bhp/151lb ft
114g/km (WLTP Combined)
£210 first year, then £180
3 years / 60,000 miles up to 7 years and 75,000 miles if annually serviced with a Dacia dealer
The rivals
MG ZS Hybrid + from £24,495
This supermini-based SUV sells against the class leaders such as Renault’s Captur, Peugeot’s 2008 and Mazda’s CX-3, but is a bit larger than the average. A 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine is mated to a hybrid system to offer 195bhp and 343lb ft with a top speed of 104mph, 0-62mph in 8.7sec and 55.4mpg and 115g/km. The drivetrain is a bit noisy, yet quick and responsive, but the ride is unsettled and uncomfortable.
Hyundai Kona Advance from £26,040
Priced from £26,040 to £36,735, the latest generation of the Kona is available in hybrid petrol and full EV models (at extra cost). It’s built to a price and the 1.6-litre Hyundai/Kia hybrid set-up isn’t the smoothest, but it does a solid 100mph, 0-62mph in 11.3sec, delivers 60.1mpg and 107g/km. The ride is unsettled, but its five-year warranty counts for a lot in the retail sector.
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