It feels like yesterday that cars from Romanian Dacia looked cheap, felt even cheaper and had the technology of the day before yesterday on board. The new Dacia Duster sweeps those prejudices away. But it is not perfect.
Prejudices are persistent, as we often notice. Certainly among people who are not so familiar with cars. Entire tribes associate Skoda still with the Eastern Bloc models from before the fall of the Wall. And just as happily, these same people have been swearing by Volkswagens for years… The platform strategy of the VW Group has apparently completely passed them by.
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Good first impression
The memory of the first Dacia Logan is much fresher in many people’s minds than that of the Skoda 120. We are therefore afraid that the Romanian brand will have an extra hard time pulling prejudiced potential buyers out from under their rock. But the new Dacia Duster seems to be made for it.
First of all, it operates in the popular SUV segment, it looks contemporary and is available with the same modern technology as contemporary Renaults. Whether the third generation Duster lives up to the good first impression, we try out during an extensive test drive in southern Spain.
Dacia Duster for the first time as a hybrid
The most important technical news about the Duster is that it is available as a hybrid for the first time. The technology itself is not new, because the 140 hp drivetrain is also known from various Renaults and the Dacia Duster. For Dutch Dacia fans from the very beginning, the starting price of the Hybrid may take some getting used to: 31,340 euros. The test car in the luxurious Extreme version should even yield at least 32,840 euros. On the other hand, the price tag of a Toyota Corolla Cross is at least 38,195 euros and a Kia Niro Hybrid leaves the dealership for no less than 34,495 euros.
What is immediately noticeable in the new Duster is the improved seating position behind the wheel. This is mainly due to the more extensive height adjustment of the seat, which will be particularly appreciated by taller drivers. On the other hand, the short seat, the angle of which is not adjustable, still leaves room for improvement.
Digital dashboard and fast touchscreen
What pleases me more is the tidy dashboard. A digital instrument cluster and a fast-reacting touchscreen play the leading role, but there is also room for a number of physical buttons. In the Extreme version, copper-coloured accents enhance the robust-looking interior. Unfortunately, they cannot conceal the fact that most of the materials come directly from the Romanian plastic mines.
On the other hand, you can adjust the now mandatory assistance systems to your own preferences. You can then activate your personal configuration at every start – that saves admonishing beeps and bleeps and the associated grumbling.
Slimmigheidje at the Skoda
Skoda likes to claim the patent on clever simple gadgets, but Dacia’s YouClip attachment points are also worth mentioning. They are standard from the Expression and you can attach your phone, a bag or a waste bin to them in no time, even in the back.
A rear seat is fortunately standard in every Duster, so you will also find a spacious and comfortable seat in the back of the Essential version. Compared to the 708-litre load space of the Jogger, the capacity of the boot is a bit disappointing. With the rear seat in use, you can fit 430 litres of luggage in it, in the moving van position that is 1545 litres. Small downside: when you fold down the rear seat backrests, you do not create a completely flat loading floor.
Only Duster Hybrid with automatic transmission
Among the car buying public there are more and more lovers of automatics, and they can also go for the Dacia Duster. Only then they have to go for the relatively expensive Hybrid, while with the previous model you could also choose a ‘simple’ 1.5 TCe. Whether the three-cylinder mild hybrid (from 28,890 euros) will also be available with automatic, Dacia is still uncertain.
Dacia Duster private lease
The Dacia Duster is available in combination with private lease from € 444.00 per month with a term of 72 months and 5,000 km per year. View all Dacia Duster private lease Prices.
Not a typical caravan tractor
That’s bad news for those who not only have a fetish for automatic transmissions, but also love caravans. The Duster Hybrid 140 is already at its towing tax with a braked trailer of 750 kilos. So driving to France with a full-grown family caravan on the hook is out of the question. The Duster TCe 130 can tow twice that and the 100 TCe Eco G that runs on petrol and LPG is in between with 1200 kg. In the Netherlands, the Duster has not been offered with a diesel engine for some time, in Belgium the Duster 1.5 dCi (115 hp) is still available. That too can tow 1200 kg on the hook.
Dacia Duster Hybrid real-world consumption
Anyone who doesn’t care about the Dacia Duster Hybrid’s mediocre pulling skills can enjoy a relaxed drivetrain that clearly values efficiency over dynamics. If you take it easy, the engines work together very harmoniously. By sailing a lot and driving electrically in between, the Hybrid reduces consumption to below 5.0 liters of petrol per 100 kilometers (1 in 20). That is neatly in accordance with the factory specifications.
The Duster feels pleasantly lively. Unfortunately, the drivetrain gives a completely different impression when you ask a bit more of it. Then the 1.6-liter petrol engine struggles noisily, but it hardly manages to really come out on top. For example, it takes more than 10 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h – that will certainly not attract full houses in 2024.
Improved sound comfort
That the Duster is not meant for the Max Verstappens of this world, is also shown by the tuning of its steering and its chassis. The steering is quite indirect and light, which fits perfectly with the calm character.
The suspension and damping are also emphatically focused on comfort and it is amazing how controlled this affordable SUV also defies the worst southern Spanish roads. It is also noticeable that Dacia has paid the necessary attention to sound insulation. Only at speeds above 120 km/h does it become a bit noisier on board, mainly due to wind noise around the A-pillars.
Duster on dirt road
The test car survived a trip on unpaved road surfaces without any problems, although it occasionally creaked from the depths of the bodywork. He is forgiven and, in our opinion, it does not detract from the positive impression that this honestly priced and robust workhorse leaves us with.
The third-generation Dacia Duster does a lot right and very little wrong. The memory of the Dacias of the past has been almost completely erased. It is spacious and comfortable, certainly as a Hybrid. But if you are looking for dynamic transport, the Duster is not for you. Furthermore, Dacia hopes that the old brand fans do not find 31,340 euros too expensive and that the non-Dacia fans will want to step over their own prejudiced shadow.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
