The Dacia Duster is a robust, affordable SUV. It competes with adventurous little ones such as the Kia Stonic, Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross. They operate roughly in the same price range, but with the Duster you have the option to drive a 4×4.
The Dacia Duster is the only one of this four that is supplied as a four-wheel drive in the Netherlands. And even as a 4×4, the Duster is cheaper than the Volkswagen: 33,890 euros. In the most complete Extreme version, the price of the four-wheel drive Duster rises to 35,890 euros.
Dacia Duster strong off-road
Previously, the Duster 4×4 withstood a trip on unpaved roads without any problems. Although it occasionally creaked from the recesses of the bodywork. Be forgiven and in our opinion it does not detract from the positive impression that this fairly priced and robust workhorse left us.
The Dacia Duster is available in combination with private lease from € 449.00 per month with a term of 72 months and 5,000 km per year. View all Dacia Duster private lease prices.
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Dacia Duster on the test track
Our test circuit near Hannover turns out to be less of a Duster 4×4 thing. There too, the Romanian behaves more like a robust off-road vehicle than a modern SUV. The steering is indirect and you feel clear body movements in corners. However, that never leads to exciting situations. Simply because the hyperactive ESP refuses to take its ADHD pills.
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If the wheels exhibit too much slip and the system automatically switches from front-wheel drive to all-wheel drive, the ESP comes into action again shortly afterwards to drastically curb the speed. This avoids any risk, but at the same time the electronics also bring all dynamics and driving pleasure to zero. The result is an average lap time of 2:02.6 minutes, the slowest of the bunch.
Dynamic Seat Arona
The Seat Arona offers a much more lively driving experience. It combines a low weight with a ditto center of gravity, sharp steering and a firmly adjusted chassis. Even with 116 hp, it feels like it is made for fast cornering. Not only does it feel that way, the stopwatch also provides indisputable proof. The Spaniard delivered the fastest lap time with 1:57.1 minutes.
Volkswagen T-Cross especially comfortable
The Volkswagen T-Cross appears slightly less sleek because it leans more. That gives him more comfort, but less dynamics. Yet the Volkswagen turns out to be only half a second slower than the Seat on the track.
In the slalom, the Kia Stonic is just as good as the Arona and the T-Cross. The Korean is slightly slower on the handling circuit (2:01.8 min.), which is mainly due to his lack of power. Yet, despite their character differences, all four test cars score high in terms of driving safety.
The complete comparative test of these four cars (including all measurement data) can be found in Auto Review 11/2024.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
