Say hello to…
…the Dacia Duster, a small family SUV that aims to provide high value motoring at a low price. Like all Dacias, the Duster uses older technology (and less of it) to bring a car to the market that offers all of the basic necessities but none of the gadgets that aren’t essential.
In this Duster’s case, the Expression, powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine producing 129hp, results in a car with a list price of less than £20,000.
The Duster is offered in four trim levels:
- Essential
- Expression
- Journey
- Extreme
Standard equipment on the Essential includes remote central locking, powered front windows, cruise control with speed limiter, DAB radio, USB socket, Bluetooth, manual aircon, front fog lights and rear parking sensors.
Expression adds 16-inch alloy wheels, powered windows all round, reversing camera, powered and heated door mirrors, 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and height adjustable driver’s seat.
Journey adds 17-inch alloys, automatic aircon, auto wipers, satnav, uprated stereo, blind spot warning, keyless entry, heated front seats and two rear USB sockets.
Extreme further adds a rugged bodykit, washable upholstery, rubber floor mats front and rear and printed front door sills.
Is The Dacia Duster Suitable For My Fleet
While there’s no plug-in version of the Duster, the low list price does equal a reasonable monthly benefit-in-kind rating if it’s run as a company car. And there’s always the option of a cash allowance route.
In terms of practicality, the Duster is very practical with a big-for-its-class boot at 445 litres. Rear headroom is good and legroom is fine for kids and smaller adults.
Leasing A Dacia Duster
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the Duster Expression with the 130hp 1.3-litre petrol engine for £375 a month on a 3+36 contract with 20,000 miles a year. Gensen Reports predicts the Duster will cost £54 a month in maintenance and reports the Class 1A NIC will be £60.
Driving A Dacia Duster
Frugal motoring does not mean you have to suffer a poor driving experience. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. Driving the Dacia Duster is wonderfully simple and straightforward. If you get annoyed with the number of intrusive warnings and distractions of technology-packed cars at twice the price, then the lack of lane keeping assistance or alerts for non-existent hazards is a concept to be celebrated.
The controls and buttons are all obvious and very little is controlled through the touchscreen.
For the driver this results in more time looking at the road and fewer in-car distractions; even if it does mean a lower EuroNCAP rating – the car score three stars.
Best of all Dacia has excellent ride comfort without resorting to overly soft suspension. A neat trick which means the car handles well too. It’s no hot-hatch, but it is surprisingly rewarding to steer on a twisty B-road.
The steering is also light enough to make town driving and parking near effortless.
Do the cost savings show through? Yes, in some areas. The dashboard materials do feel cheap and more soundproofing could have been used to reduce engine thrum on the motorway. However, the overall feeling is very positive.
With the 130hp petrol engine, there’s plenty of power for motorway work too. After all, the other benefit of having less equipment means a lower weight. At just over 1,200kg the Duster is light for this class. It also results in good fuel efficiency. During our testing with a good amount of motorway work, we saw 44.8mpg, very nearly the same as the official 45.6mpg figure.
It’s this honesty that makes the Duster so appealing. Dacia has perfectly nailed the brief to make a low cost alternative to the myriad of more expensive small SUVs on the market.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Dacia Duster
The Duster may be no-frills motoring, but that just adds to the appeal.
Dacia Duster
- Model: Duster Expression TCe130 4×2
- Power: 129hp
- Torque: 240Nm
- Max speed: 120mph
- 0-62mph: 10.6s
- Official fuel consumption: 45.6mpg
- Test fuel consumption: 44.8mpg
- CO2 emissions: 141g/km
- BIK tax band 2023/24: 33%
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