‘I drove the cheapest new SUV, featuring rugged looks and a very cool feature’

What a difference 20 years makes. In 2004, Dacia was almost entirely unheard of in the UK, and the Romanian car manufacturer’s most popular model, the 1310, was a licensed version of a 1960s .

Fast-forward to 2024, and the company is , with motorists turning to them for cars that might not be as trendy as rivals but .

With all that success, the firm has boosted its range with the , the , and a third generation of the ever-popular Duster SUV.

Based on the same platform as the latest Renault Captur and , the latest Duster has a much more modern design than the outgoing version, yet it still starts at just £18,745.

As a result, the Duster’s closest rivals in terms of price are all much smaller superminis like the and . Is it too good to be true?

Styling:

Whilst the Dacia Duster has always been a unique design for the Romanian company, previous examples have always looked a touch cheap compared to rivals. With this third-generation example, I would argue Dacia has finally shaken that stigma off and given us a very classy SUV.

Of course, we have all the usual SUV tropes, such as the flat bonnet and muscular bulges on the front and rear wings, but Dacia has given the car some more unique touches. Much like its bigger brother, the Bigster, the new Duster forgoes black plastic around the wheel arches and bumpers in favour of Starkle—a 20% recycled material that is dark grey with small white flecks.

Despite being generally keen on the new model’s styling, I am not a fan of the trim on the front doors, which climbs from the sills to the level of the door handle. It is another rugged touch, but it looks a little out of place compared to the rest of the body panels.

Interior:

Having sat in the Dacia Bigster at its official launch in Berlin, I felt right at home behind the wheel of the new Duster. The dashboard is largely identical between the two models, featuring some pretty distinctive sculpting that matches the exterior’s bold appearance.

Nevertheless, being the fairly high-spec Journey model, this version of the Duster had some subtle styling cues, including a dark blue panel that matches the denim-style seat covers. This is swapped for a dark green alternative alongside the upholstery on the flagship Extreme model.

While the interior’s design is modern and undoubtedly practical, I was slightly let down by the lack of soft-touch materials. Beyond the steering wheel, almost all panels and parts inside the car were made from hard plastic, which certainly felt sturdy, if a little cheap.

Practicality:

One of the biggest reasons why so many Dusters have been sold in the UK is their versatility, and this third-generation model is no exception. I was particularly impressed at how much room I had sitting in the back, even when the driver’s seat was slid considerably back.

The Duster’s boot has also increased compared to the outgoing model, now offering 594 litres with all five seats in place and 1,696 as a two-seater. That is a fair amount more than the Nissan Qashqai and about the same as a Citroen C5 Aircross, although individually folding rear seats would have helped to make the Dacia even more practical.

One touch that certainly does help to make the new Duster slightly more practical as a rugged family car is the rubber floor mats found on most models, which are more like substantial trays. In addition to being very durable, the fairly tall sides mean that any messes are contained nicely and not spilt on the carpeting underneath.

Features:

In typical Dacia fashion, the entry-level Duster Essential is a very basic car indeed. Top features on this trim level include rear parking sensors, a DAB radio with Bluetooth, and manual air conditioning. What drivers miss is a touchscreen, automatic headlights and wipers, and even wheel trims.

In comparison, the Duster Journey I tested offered almost all of the items expected on a new family SUV. These included a 10-inch touchscreen with iPhone and Android mirroring and navigation, a multi-view parking camera that worked surprisingly well in the dark, and a wireless smartphone charger.

One item present throughout the range, however, is the five YouClip accessory mountings. Found alongside the majority of Dacia models, these tiny fixtures let motorists add accessories like a handy torch, clothes peg, cupholder, and phone holder wherever they’d like. It’s obviously a gimmick, but one that could come in quite handy.

Performance:

Another quirk in the Dacia range is that the entry-level versions use a tiny 1.0-litre bi-fuel engine that can run on petrol or LPG. Most models also get the option of a conventional 1.2 three-cylinder petrol engine, but the version I tested featured the Hybrid 140 powertrain.

A self-charging hybrid system featuring a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 1.2kWh lithium-ion battery, this powertrain allows the new Duster to accelerate from 0-62mph in a brisk 10.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 120mph.

Whilst I was not quite able to manage the WLTP’s claimed fuel economy figures of 55.4mpg, travelling on a mix of roads allowed me to achieve a very fair 50mpg during the 100 miles I used, which certainly isn’t bad for a sizeable SUV.

Driving:

I’ll confess that I didn’t attempt to take the Duster off-roading during my time behind the wheel, but on the asphalt, the Romanian SUV was notably more pleasant to use than previous generations.

Despite being quite a bulky car, the Duster was pleasant to manoeuvre thanks to its light and responsive steering at low speed and very little roll when pushed around corners at speed.

The new Duster’s driving experience still has room for improvement. Although far from the worst I have experienced, I found the general ride quality to be a touch too firm for a family SUV. The automatic transmission used for the Hybrid 140 tends to leave the engine revving high. On a number of occasions during my time with the car, it sounded as if it was screaming away in seconds while cruising at 40mph.

Nevertheless, the Dacia is generally a very smooth mover. Without looking at the instrument panel, it is quite challenging to tell whether the car was running on petrol or electric, particularly if the driver is gentle with their feet. Under most driving conditions, noise from the powertrain is minimal; however, owners will likely notice the wind hitting the front end at speeds above 65mph.

Conclusion:

Overall, the new Dacia Duster feels much sturdier than the outgoing model, even if it still does not quite manage to shake off all of its budget-related quirks. Drivers who can look beyond the plastic-laden interior and a very slight reduction in standard equipment will find a very pleasant SUV.

As much as I love the look of it, I would generally avoid the basic Essential model unless you’re a farmer or simply need a vehicle for pure utility. In most cases involving private buyers, I imagine the biggest question to answer would be whether to choose a high-end Duster or a low-to-mid-range rival from a more mainstream brand.

The cars that best rival the top-spec Duster Extreme Hybrid 140’s price of £26,745 are the Citroen C5 Aircross Plus at £27,780, the Suzuki Vitara Motion Hybrid at £28,699, and the new petrol-powered version of the MG HS from about £25,000.