There is a certain irony in the fact that cars are becoming more and more economical, but also more and more expensive. At the beginning of this century, 1 in 20 was still a value for diesels, city cars and the hyper-streamlined Toyota Prius, but nowadays that value can be approached or even achieved quite easily even with a medium-sized SUV. And that is a good thing, because legislation is increasingly forcing cleaner driving. That is pushing manufacturers more and more towards electrification of the drivetrain, whether or not partially. However, it comes from length or width and that technology does cost money. That is on top of the increased costs for all kinds of useful or not safety systems that are also mandatory by the government. No brand can escape it, not even the so-called budget brands Kia and Dacia. At the beginning of this century, you could drive away a new car for €8,000 with these two, but nowadays you have to take almost €20,000 with you. For the Dacia Duster and the Kia Niro on these pages, you can add another ten grand. Both hybrid, petrol engine capacity recently adjusted in Kia Niro Then you have hybrid technology on board in both cases. In the case of the Niro, that is the most advantageous choice; the plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants are a bit more expensive. That hybrid drivetrain consists of a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 94 hp (that was 105 hp until the summer, system power remained the same) and a 49 hp electric motor, both of which drive the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission with double clutch. In principle, that is still the same hybrid drivetrain as in the previous generation Niro and although there is nothing really wrong with it, the dynamics are far from splashing off. By modern standards, the performance is modest, to say the least. At the bottom, the electric motor immediately gives everything it has and so it is not so noticeable at first, but fully loaded from 80 to 130 km/h takes above average time to accelerate. You are more invited to accelerate, which is of course not entirely the intention. What is very nice is that you can not only manually select a gear with the paddles behind the steering wheel (in sport mode) but also determine the degree of recuperation. This allows you to brake completely on the electric motor and get the most out of the drivetrain. That maximum is then about 1 in 20, which is just a very neat distance on a liter of petrol. Dacia Duster hybrid even more economical Still, the Dacia goes another kilometer before the same liter is empty. You used to need a Prius to get to 1 in 20, but thanks to the ubiquitous hybrid technology that is no longer the case. With playful ease we achieve that magical value in both cars. The Dacia goes one step further, but its sometimes somewhat temperamental drivetrain makes it even less inviting to drive smoothly than the Kia. Dacia has a hybrid from Renault and that is quite different Just like the Kia, the Dacia has an atmospheric 1.6 four-cylinder, but that is where the similarities end. Parent company Renault has come up with a typically complicated construction for the hybrid drivetrain. The 1.6 drives the front wheels via a four-speed gearbox. This four-speed gearbox has no clutch or torque converter, but is a so-called robot gearbox that can shift thanks to a small electric motor that harmonizes the forces when changing gears. Then there is another electric motor with its own two-speed gearbox and both engines drive the front wheels. In theory, the Dacia has eight ‘gears’, in practice it feels even more complicated, because the combustion engine can also serve as a generator. Then it does run, sometimes even quite audibly, but it does not drive the wheels. That gives the impression that you are driving in a much too low gear. Sometimes the 1.6 does drive the wheels and the revs therefore increase with increasing speed, but you still feel that there is a gear change, in that case by the two-speed gearbox of the electric motor. It is all a bit complicated. The good news: if you drive very quietly, you usually notice little of it and then the Dacia really uses fuel sparingly. Duster is very soft Due to its chassis, the Dacia does not exactly invite you to drive fast. The dampers and springs are explicitly focused on comfort and the large tire sidewalls filter out almost everything that happens under the front wheels. Over speed bumps and bad road surfaces that works fine, but you should not have dynamic aspirations. The body starts to sag noticeably during load changes and the Duster then throws in the towel quite quickly. Here you can clearly feel where the savings have been made and that the neat consumption is partly due to the relatively narrow EcoContact tires. But anyway, the Dacia drives very comfortably despite its simple chassis technology. Kia Niro feels better and safer Kia has its act together better in this respect. Just like the drivetrain, it all works rather uninspiringly, but the Niro is a little tighter than the Dacia, without this being at the expense of comfort. Quite pleasant if you have to swerve unexpectedly; the Niro then reacts more confidently and quickly. It also helps that the tires are a fraction wider and made of a rubber that is slightly less focused on low resistance. Again: you will not be drifting off your seat from the driving pleasure, but in an emergency situation a little extra control can be decisive. On the back seat of the Dacia Duster. In the back of the Kia Niro, our logistical help Johan sits even more spaciously. Duster seems much bigger but is slightly smaller than the Niro Despite the sturdy appearance of the Duster, it is actually slightly smaller than the Kia and that means that there is less space on board. Still, the difference is manageable. The measuring tape does indeed show that the Kia offers more space, but the differences are small both in the trunk and on the back seat. At the front, Kia has clearly paid more attention to the design of the dashboard. Although the Koreans do not deliver a premium product, everything looks neat and solid and the digital screens respond quickly and are crystal clear. In addition, Kia has thought carefully about the integration of the digital world into the physical world. You do have to be on the screen for many functions, but you can set everything so that you never have to click more than once or twice and that improves accuracy, which in turn means less distraction. Dacia slower in operation In the Dacia you do not have to take your eyes off the road for long either, but then again there is not much to see. The touchscreen in the middle works slower and there is less in it, so you usually leave it as it is. The same applies to the digital meters, for which there are far fewer options than in the Kia. It is all functional, nothing more. The same applies to the dashboard. It consists of simple materials and has a simple layout. Not a problem, because that is why it is a budget brand. A pity are the short seats of the front seats, which offer very little support for longer legs. As mentioned, the Duster offers slightly less space on the back seat than the Niro, although an adult will not immediately be stuck there. The difference in the luggage space is also small; the Dacia fits 22 liters less than the Niro. A big car, but the Dacia Duster still has less luggage space than the Kia Niro. And what does it all cost? The big question with a Dacia is always how much it costs, or rather: how little. After all, it is a brand that traditionally revolves around a lot of car for little money. If you see that you can get a Dacia Duster for € 25,590, that is indeed relatively cheap in 2024. But that is for the manual variant with the basic engine. If you want an automatic, and that is what the vast majority of consumers want these days, then you have to go straight to the Hybrid and the counter immediately stands at € 31,490. If you go for the most luxurious Journey that we tested, you will pay € 33,340. Another nice colour and a package with safety systems on it and the total comes to € 34,540. That is a considerable amount for a budget brand. The best match for the Duster Hybrid Journey in terms of price is a Kia Niro Hybrid Dynamic Line. Kia adds another scoop of around € 8,000 on top, the test Niro only goes for € 42,595 on the registration plate. This can partly be explained by the extra equipment, such as seat heating and ventilation, a heated rear seat, head-up display and a sunroof. Yes, our Kia is also the most luxurious version and the Koreans have more luxury in the warehouses. Although you never get the equipment exactly the same, it is therefore fairer to take two steps back on the equipment ladder and assume a DynamicLine with metallic paint. Then the Kia should yield € 36,990. Then the difference with the Duster is manageable and they are both budget cars in a sense. As long as you have enough budget. In the downloadable PDF you will find all measurements and see how the scoring was arrived at.
Source: www.autoweek.nl
