Next-gen Dacia Jogger to go even bigger on space and affordability

Dacia is preparing a new generation of its Jogger seven-seater to join the next Sandero supermini due in 2028, repeating a successful recipe that in future will soon include an electric powertrain option for the first time.

Speaking with us at this year’s Paris Motor Show, Dacia’s head of design, David Durand, confirmed that a new Jogger is very much part of the company’s future product offensive as the brand approaches a new phase of model launches.

“This is a big part of our job in this strategic moment of redefining the future line-up of Dacia. How Dacia should evolve and question what fields we are and are not involved in,” said Durand.

“The Jogger is very Dacia, in the sense that we have no competitors. There are no European or Chinese brands in front of us; there is no real seven-seater on the market at that price or weight. There is perhaps a 10,000 Euros difference for a seven-seater, and 300kg in terms of weight, which is especially important today.”

Dacia is typically able to offer its cars at a low price due to a prudent approach to building the business case for each model by leveraging existing assets and technology from the Renault Group combined with strict cost control. Dacia is able to price the Jogger at a point lower than the competition at all costs, and it’s a position that will continue for this next-generation model.

However, given that the current model is so distinctive in the marketplace, we queried whether its success would give Dacia a mandate to include more fundamental variation in design and general packaging as it developed the new model. 

Durand responded: “If I were to start with a clean sheet of paper, I would definitely try to move forward the windscreen because it works well to emphasise the roominess of the car. But think of the advantage of sharing the front end with the Sandero. We are saving a lot of money; we can manufacture it on the same line, and there’s a heavy cost advantage to sharing so much with the Sandero.”

From the B-pillar backwards, the Jogger’s expanded bodywork will then be able to fit two further rows of seats and a reasonably sized boot in a rear end that’s styled to sit somewhere between an MPV and an estate.

However, the Jogger’s technical package will be quite different next time around, as Dacia prepares a more flexible architecture for various powertrains in its next Sandero, and by extension the Jogger, too.

Key to this is Renault’s CMF-B platform, which is flexible enough to support both ICE and all-electric powertrains. In the case of the next Jogger, expect to see the option of hybrid and fully electric powertrains in the UK, with CNG or compressed natural gas offered in other markets, too. 

The hybrid powertrain will be familiar from the current model, with a 155bhp power figure derived from a 1.2-litre turbocharged engine matched to a small electric motor and battery pack. In the current generation, Dacia quotes a combined MPG rating of around 60mpg, and there’s no reason to think the next-gen car won’t do even better, even if there’s a small weight penalty to contend with.

As for the all-electric model, its battery size is almost certain to be governed by the packaging constraints of the CMF-B platform. Currently, the largest battery pack available in a car running on this technical basis is found in the Renault 4 and 5, which have 52kWh capacities good for around 250 miles.

However, Renault is constantly updating its electric powertrain technology, so a more powerful, space and cost-efficient battery pack could be on the cards – if for no other reason than keeping the R5 competitive against its own crop of tough new rivals.

The Jogger, however, will have no such rivals. But it will continue to offer customers a versatile, flexible and practical family car at a very low cost. Dacia’s CEO Katrin Adt put it clearly: “We are always looking at it from the perspective of customer needs, and we can see that we have a very specific offer, with a loyal customer base. So it has a very specific position, and we’re in constant discussion on how to carry that forward.”

With the addition of a battery-electric powertrain option that should offer closer price parity between ICE and BEV powertrains, Dacia’s future Jogger has never been more relevant.

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