Price breaker without a cheap version: After almost 2.4 million units sold, Dacia is launching the third edition of the successful Duster SUV. For the first time with electricity in the drive, full of assistance systems and consistently designed to be “fundamentally cheap”, it doesn’t look cheap at all. At least on the outside.
The new, off-road brand look comes into its own here, the logo on the radiator grille, which continues into the headlights in dashed lines, suggests value, and the rear fenders in particular are thick and muscular. Because of the modeled rear doors, there is no need for a classic door handle in terms of design, so it goes as a folding part next to the side window. The stylized plastic “snorkel” on the front doors is intended to be reminiscent of Land Rover vehicles (and its predecessor). It has no function, except that an embossing indicates the proportion of recycled plastic in the vehicle: 20 percent. In the predecessor there were twelve. Unusual: The front of the all-wheel drive version is independent and allows for a better approach angle than the standard version. Not quite as eye-catching as the first VW Tiguan, but still functional. Interior hard, but warm Schmalhan’s chef is there, but the cold plate is attractively prepared. Hard plastic as far as the eye can see, but, hey, it’s not a bug, it’s a feature! The Duster is one for rough stuff. Not a professional off-roader (although you can get quite far in a four-wheel drive), but one that you can get into without feeling guilty when you come out of the forest with your dog after a cloudburst. Wipe and remove. Only in some places will dirt get caught more permanently, for example in the corrugated pattern at the top of the door panel. It is positive that a softer, foam rubber-like material is used in the really important places – i.e. where the elbow rests. The towering dashboard is partly made of colored plastic, and a bold Duster lettering leaves no doubt about where you are located. You can practically see the Dacia in the face at the ventilation vents – they quote the LED signature of the headlights. A little luxury is always on board. The 10-inch touchscreen, which is standard in Austria, is not cheap at all. The actual basic version called Essential – you would have to use your smartphone as a display – is not offered by us at all. Unlike the Dacia Jogger, which virtually celebrates “driving like before” – with rotary controls for the air conditioning etc. – the operation is in the Duster more modern but impractical. There is a bar with some haptic buttons, but it is not illuminated and is difficult to find at night. And the menu navigation isn’t the clearest. Unusual: If you don’t want to control the volume on the steering wheel satellite, you have to do it with two push buttons that are attached to the top of the frame of the display. The button next to it does not switch to mute, but rather switches off the entire system. There is a button that many drivers will love: You can use it to call up the configuration of the assistance systems that you have previously saved. A function that we would like to see from many other manufacturers, because speed warning and lane departure warning are generally required, but generally do not work well enough. eCall, fatigue warning and tire pressure monitoring system are also standard. You can save yourself the search for adaptive cruise control or lane guidance assistant. It’s always loud anyway. What you can’t turn off using the volume control is the wind noise. They come to the fore at speeds of 80 km/h. The only thing that’s even more exciting is the four-cylinder engine, which is part of the full hybrid system. And of course the three-cylinder is not a quiet driver either, although the noise level here is completely acceptable given the vehicle class. Which brings us to the drive section. Electricity in the Duster drive for the first time, but not without fuel. Two engines are available in Austria. On the one hand there is the 1.2 liter three-cylinder mild hybrid petrol engine, which is coupled to a manual six-speed gearbox and produces 131 hp and from 1750 rpm. Delivers 230 Nm. It is supported by a belt-driven 48-volt starter generator, which is fed by an 800 Wh battery. As a front-wheel drive car, it is the liveliest Duster and transports the car, which weighs just 1271 kg without a driver, to 100 km / h and further in 9.9 seconds to 174 km/h. With all-wheel drive (plus 90 kg), the sprint takes 1.1 seconds longer. The only thing that is a bit annoying is that the turbocharger responds with a slight delay, so the connection is not as smooth when upshifting. Alternatively, and as the only automatic version, there is the already mentioned full hybrid with a 1.2 kWh battery. A 94 hp gasoline engine and a 47 hp electric motor result in a system output of 141 hp. The transmission is called a multi-mode transmission and consists of four speed stages for the combustion engine and two for the electric motor. The gear changes are carried out by another small electric motor. We already know the system from various Renaults, where it works better. In the Duster it is annoying not only because of its sluggishness, but above all because the combustion engine repeatedly howls extremely – often even when the accelerator pedal is constantly kept at a more than moderate level . Sovereignty through pulling power or electrical support is not available. Only at speeds below 70 km/h does a pleasant driving experience arise, sometimes even a lively one, when the electric motor starts silently for a short time. According to the data sheet, the full hybrid achieves a standard sprint value of 10.1 seconds, and it stops at 160 km/h. But until then you need patience and good nerves anyway. The standard consumption of full hybrids and all-wheel drive vehicles is 5 and 6 liters, and that of the front-wheel drive combustion engine is exactly in the middle. All-wheel drive vehicles with special abilities The all-wheel drive version definitely has off-road qualities. Thanks to the specially designed front, it has an improved approach angle from 24 to 31 degrees, and it is also higher: at 21.7 centimeters, it has almost one centimeter more ground clearance than the front-wheel drive models. It also comes with a number of driving programs that are intended to make driving on loose surfaces easier. The new All Road Info System not only shows the terrain around the car with four cameras, but also side inclination, incline/descent and the power distribution on the front and rear axles. Extremely different driving behavior What’s interesting is that the Duster drives differently depending on the drive – an effect that we also noticed (slightly reduced) with the Dacia Jogger. The combustion engine versions are not sports cars, but they can be cornered more precisely and the chassis is less wobbly. The full hybrid, on the other hand, is almost spongy and instead left the passenger with a queasy stomach during test drives in the winding hinterland of Malaga. Good space The Duster is quite spacious. The front seats are a bit narrow, but that’s okay, even tall people can get by in the back seat. The trunk holds 517, 456 or 430 liters (front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive/hybrid), when folded down 1696/1635/1609 liters.The pricesThe base price of the Dacia Duster is 20,990 euros. But you get what is actually the second equipment level, Expression, including a 7-inch speedometer display, 10-inch central touchscreen, four speakers, wireless smartphone connection, 17-inch aluminum, cruise control, parking beeper/reversing camera, front windows, air conditioning , height-adjustable driver’s seat, etc. The equipment list splits: Journey and Extreme cost the same 23,790 euros, but differ in their orientation. The seat heating is only standard on the Extreme, but the cell phone charging cradle is only standard on the Journey. But this can be compensated for using the surcharge list. They both have automatic air conditioning. While the 3500 or 2500 euros extra for the all-wheel drive version definitely pays off, you should think carefully about whether you want to invest the 5700 or 4700 euros for the full hybrid. A test drive is strongly recommended before you order.Drive from 24,490 euros and you can get an all-wheel drive vehicle that is reasonably equipped, and from 20,990 euros you can get a similar front-wheel drive vehicle. You won’t expect high-quality materials or breathable seats, but the sound system is higher quality than expected. But it also has a lot to do given the wind noise. If you don’t depend on the off-road qualities, you should perhaps also take a look at the Dacia Jogger. Why? Cheap SUV in a reasonable size Good equipment Easy to switch off the assistance systems Why not? Full hybrid with an annoying combustion engine and spongy driving behavior Or maybe …… a Dacia Jogger ?
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