MOTORS: You'll struggle to find better value-for-money than Dacia's Duster
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It’s said you get what you pay for and in the case of the latest version of Dacia’s small SUV, the Duster, that’s a terrific deal.
If we’re talking value-for-money, you’ll struggle to do any better with a comprehensive package of equipment, not often found in this price range.
The featured car is the mid-range Journey version of four but the basic Essential model costs just over £17,000 and you still get a lot of stuff including roof bars, LED rear lights, underbody protection, tinted windows, hill start, cruise control, rear parking sensor and DAB radio and Bluetooth.
Spend another £2500 for the Journey and the list of features grows considerably adding among much more, rear-view camera, fog lights, auto wipers, comprehensive on-board computer, heated front seats, heated electric door mirrors and LED daytime running lights.
There are no hybrid or electric versions yet but you’ve the choice of petrol or diesel in several outputs and there’s a Bi-Fuel petrol/LPG which with the factory-fitted LPG tank extends the range by more than 155 miles. An automatic gearbox is an option with the larger engine.
In the test car, the small 1-litre 90 hp petrol engine can best be described as OK, taking the car more than 13 seconds to get up to 62mph and even that seemed a bit of an effort.
But this is practical, sensible runabout motoring for which Dacia is renowned and just one of the reasons why the Duster won the small SUV category in the Scottish Car of the Year Awards last year.
As the Romanian arm of Renault, it comes with a good pedigree and while costs have been kept down, it feels more like exceptional value rather than cheap and cheerful.
The Duster projects a rugged and robust image but don’t be misled into thinking you can venture deep into the wild outdoors. For that you need at least the four-wheel-drive, larger-engined version and even then it might struggle with some of our more demanding Scottish countryside.
If you’re going to spend most of your time on the hard black stuff, then it gives you good economy and the classic raised SUV ride-height provides increased visibility.
The Duster has been with us for 10 years and more than two million have been sold around Europe to make it the number one for retail sales in its class.
There have been tweaks to the styling and lighting and aerodynamics have been improved and along with new wheel bearings and tyres, CO2 emissions have been reduced and economy improved.
Inside, the finish is durable if not luxurious but the seats have new fabric and headrests for better ergonomics and improved visibility for rear passengers.
There’s a choice of two new multimedia systems accessed through the centrally-mounted 8-inch touchscreen on the dashboard.
Controls on the steering wheel are used to activate voice recognition that allows the driver to control various functions.
The boot space is impressive and the interior has plenty of legroom for passengers and thanks to the high roof there’s plenty of headroom too, even for a tall adult.
Both front and rear door openings are tall so it’s easy to get in and out but if you put three adults in the back, the one in the middle will be a bit squashed with their legs astride a central rise in the floor.
The ride is smooth, if a bit soft and because of that it rolls and leans round the bends but this is not a car you’d be expected to drive aggressively.
It’s a surprisingly quiet car with not a lot of engine or road noise so overall the experience is very acceptable, even on a longer journey.
The best bit of all is that often-used systems like heating, ventilation and aircon are all controlled by straightforward buttons and knobs and even the touchscreen is simple and clear without a complex menu.
