Skip advert
Advertisement

Dacia Duster

Bargain newcomer takes SUV buyers off the beaten track

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
Avg. savings
£963 off RRP*
Find your Dacia Duster
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Never has so little cash bought you such a roomy, adventurous vehicle. Costing from a mere £10,800, the Duster rides well, handles confidently and makes up for its simplicity with a low kerbweight and frugal performance from its Renault-sourced engines. Choose the 4x4 version, and it will even make decent progress over rough terrain without too much complaint. What a shame, then, that we will have to wait until 2012 before seeing it on UK roads.

Advertisement - Article continues below

This is one off-road dust-up we can easily guess the outcome of: the Dacia Duster knocks opponents flat with a starting price of only £10,800.

For a five-seat family car roughly the size of a Nissan Qashqai, that’s simply astonishing. So, just who or what is Dacia? The Romanian firm recycles old-model technology from owner Renault to create a budget range welcomed not only by emerging countries, but also by newly cash-conscious European buyers.

With news that the cut-price crossover will spearhead Dacia’s UK launch in 2012, we headed to Morocco to try it out. The first surprise is how well the Duster rides. Away from the smooth boulevards of Marrakech, it was right at home on the flash flood-scored desert roads. The potholes were softened by the suspension, which also resists roll in bends.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Duster

2021 Dacia

Duster

33,501 milesManualPetrol1.3L

Cash £10,790
View Duster
Duster

2023 Dacia

Duster

17,208 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £14,789
View Duster
Duster

2022 Dacia

Duster

34,555 milesManualPetrol-lpg1.0L

Cash £11,798
View Duster
Duster

2022 Dacia

Duster

24,577 milesManualPetrol1.3L

Cash £14,602
View Duster

Despite the high driving position and soft ride, the car corners like a hatch. This is partly because our front-driven version and the 4x4 model share 50 per cent of their suspension with current Dacias. Only the independent rear set-up of the 4x4 is new.

The whole hand-me-down approach extends to the engines: either a 105bhp 1.6-litre petrol, or a 1.5 dCi diesel with 85bhp or 110bhp. If these figures sound underpowered, then here’s the second surprise: the Duster is very light. The 2WD petrol car tips the scales at 1,160kg, while even the 4x4 diesel is a flyweight 1,294kg. By comparison, a base two-wheel-drive Skoda Yeti 1.2 is 1,345kg.

Advertisement - Article continues below

This means power is more than adequate, with the 1.6 petrol needing more work than either oil-burner but feeling lighter on its feet in corners. Economy is strong, too: our dCi 85 returns 55mpg and emits 135g/km of CO2. As engineers have worked hard to cut the diesels’ vibration, the petrol is actually noisier.

But this is all a long way from the original Duster – a Romanian-built farmers’ hack from the Eighties, given its name by its British importer. The car hasn’t lost its workaday feel: the new model’s cabin is functional, with a mish-mash of old Renault bits. Don’t expect clever storage bins or much luxury, but it’s all solidly built. One up from base spec (£11,890 for the diesel), our variant gets a height-adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel, plus a 60/40 split rear chair that folds down to boost the 475-litre boot space to 1,760 litres. Back seat space is good as well.

The third big surprise is that the off-road ability impresses – if you pay the extra £1,700 for the 4x4. A lofty ride height and short overhangs give better rough ground clearance than even Land Rover’s Freelander.

A low first gear negates the need for a low-ratio set, and although the diesel needs to be worked hard to avoid stalling, it’s impressively versatile.The Dacia is already on sale across Europe, and should be a big hit among families and farmers alike. Provided, of course, an anticipated onslaught from Chinese manufacturers doesn’t fill its niche first!

Rival: Citroen Berlingo
No family 4x4 can match the Dacia on value for money – an entry-level Nissan Qashqai costs the same as a flagship version of the Duster, at £15,950. However, if you’re looking for similar space and cut-price simplicity, the Berlingo Multispace people carrier is difficult to beat.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Dacia Duster

Dacia Duster

RRP £19,380Avg. savings £963 off RRP*Used from £7,494
Dacia Jogger

Dacia Jogger

RRP £18,255Avg. savings £675 off RRP*Used from £11,899
Dacia Sandero Stepway

Dacia Sandero Stepway

RRP £14,045Avg. savings £904 off RRP*Used from £9,149
Jaecoo 7

Jaecoo 7

RRP £30,115Avg. savings £2,504 off RRP*
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Car Deal of the Day: MG ZS gives a big SUV feel for a miniscule £194 a month
MG ZS - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: MG ZS gives a big SUV feel for a miniscule £194 a month

The MG ZS is an easy car to like and live with. It’s our Deal of the Day for 3 July
News
3 Jul 2025
New Volvo XC60 2025 facelift review: big-selling SUV gets a new lease of life
Volvo XC60 facelift - front tracking

New Volvo XC60 2025 facelift review: big-selling SUV gets a new lease of life

This refreshed Swedish SUV focuses on familiar areas of strength to take on BMW and Audi
Road tests
4 Jul 2025
Tesla UK sales rebound with one in four new cars now an EV
Tesla Model Y - front cornering

Tesla UK sales rebound with one in four new cars now an EV

EV sales have leapt up in the first half of 2025, although numbers remain behind Government targets
News
4 Jul 2025