Dacia Duster: Cheap Is Chic

16 August 2018 Redazione News, Tested

DACIA DUSTER

CHEAP IS CHIC

Words by Marco Rallo

Photography by Ilario Villani

The best surprises are always those you do not expect and this is the ideal way to explain my satisfaction, following the recent test drive with the new Dacia Duster. Surprising, the renewed SUV of the brand owned by Renault is still based on the previous model, but it comes with numerous innovations and improvements that do not only make it interesting due to a really competitive price, but also an excellent solution for those who look for a car that can do everything right.

For example, for the first time we find side curtain airbags, which increase safety on board, while from the design point of view there are new lights at the front and also at the rear, which together with wide wheel arches update the look of the car, making it more in step with the times and giving the Duster a sense of greater refinement. Going on board we are greeted by a rather simple environment, with fairly rigid and economical plastics, but all in all you are not assailed by negative feelings because we can have a good air conditioning, sat-nav and assembly is well done, without crunches or noises that you would erroneously expect from an SUV that has made price as its strong point, the first time it was put on the market. Several years have passed and Dacia has sold a lot of Dusters, that’s why this renewal – albeit partial – is apt and able to move higher up a product suitable for everyone and able to deal with urban centers, motorways and even off-road trails, maybe exploiting precisely the four-wheel drive system as on the sample under test.

Compared to the version with only front-wheel drive, the Duster 4X4 is in fact able to allow us to make the most of its ground clearance and tackle terrains that for a lot of other cars in this price range would be off-limits, but the traction on both axles is also useful when the road surface is wet or even snow-covered. In this case, the great practicality of the Duster shows how it is possible to have a car ready for anything with just over € 16,000. The Comfort version instead starts at € 18,300, while you need to add another thousand Euros (and then we start at € 19,300) for the most equipped Prestige, like the one in my hands. At that point you take home a car fitted with several bits usually prerogative of much more demanding, models and brands but still keeping the cost of under € 20,000.

The 4-cylinder under the bonnet is a 1.5cc turbodiesel with 109 horses, which combined with a 6-speed manual transmission proves to be the ideal choice for the most diverse contexts. The clutch is very precise and the driving feel is relaxed, even when you remain clogged in typical rush-hour traffic. There are then 260Nm of torque that facilitate secondary roads, not suffering the lack of extra horses, thanks to a weight that does not exceed 1425kg. We are certainly not talking about a dragstrip brawler, but the Duster is brilliant, precise and comfortable, both to live as a driver and as a passenger. Even the trunk is roomy and I really appreciated the buttons above the air conditioning controls, while the cruise control commands are inconvenient and inexplicably positioned between the seats. In terms of consumption, it drinks a little: 4.7 l/100km in the mixed cycle, 4.6l/100km in urban areas and 4.8l/100km in extra-urban areas.

At this point and having appreciated the design and the drivability, all that remains is to ask ourselves if the new Duster is able to shake off that “cheap SUV” label that has advertised so much in recent years. To be honest, the price is still one of the strengths of this Dacia, although it may go up depending on the version and the spec you go for, but between what you get and the way in which it’s able to accomplish pretty much everything you ask to it, we are facing a far more than valid alternative to other small SUVs and crossovers in this low price range. You do not give up anything and that’s the good news, this is what finally makes cheap chic.

DACIA DUSTER PRESTIGE 4X4

Layout   –  front-engined, all-wheel-drive

Engine  –  4 cylinder 1.461cc – turbodiesel

Transmission  –  6-speed manual gearbox

Power  –  109 hp @ 4.000 rpm

                      260 Nm @ 1.750 rpm

Weight  –  1.425 kg

Acceleration  –  12,4 sec.

Top Speed  –  169 kph

Price  –  from € 19.300