Dacia Duster: The popular SUV offers so much quality for around 20,000 euros
Created: 05/25/2022, 14:11
By: Rudolf Boegel
Popular like no other SUV.
The Dacia Duster leads the sales hit list in Europe.
© Dacia
The Dacia Duster is the best-selling SUV in Europe and, at around 20,000 euros, is also cheap to buy.
What is the charm of the Duster?
The cult car loses its cheap home image.
Even Pope Francis drives a Dacia Duster.
This distinguishes the facelift from its predecessor.
"The status symbol for everyone who doesn't need a status symbol." With this iconic advertising slogan, the
Dacia Duster
has played its way into the ears of radio listeners and into the hearts of buyers.
The French-Romanian co-production has been on the market since 2010 and has also been the best-selling SUV in Europe since 2018.
Over two million copies of the sporty commercial vehicle have already been sold to buyers.
Even Pope Francis can be chauffeured through Rome in a Duster Popemobile.
The Y can also be found in the rear lights.
It is the consistent design feature of the Dacia Duster.
© Dacia
The Y as a design feature
The new Duster already looks daring and bold.
The second generation facelift
has been available since September 2021
and has become even more visually striking.
The horizontal Y signatures as daytime running lights in the front headlights and as sculptures in the rear lights give the car even more width.
The characteristic design feature can even be found in the radiator grille.
The Renault subsidiary has also upgraded inside.
Perhaps the most important innovation are the narrower headrests, which make it easier to see backwards when manoeuvring.
A new feature is a center console with an armrest that can be adjusted in length.
Underneath there is an additional storage compartment and two USB ports.
You can also find more detailed driving reports here.
The Duster's on-board computer is graphically simple but easy to use.
If you want, you can also order voice control.
© Dacia
The on-board computer: graphically simple, but effective
Speaking of digital life.
The on-
board computer
has a 3.5-inch TFT display, and the infotainment system has an 8-inch.
These aren't record-breaking screen sizes, but they're perfectly adequate in practice.
The menu navigation is also graphically simple, but simple and effective.
For gimmicks you still have AppleCarPlay and AndroidAuto, both can be connected without any problems.
DAB+ radio and even voice control are optionally available on board.
The all-wheel drive variant tested offers specific terrain information on the monitor, such as body roll, altimeter and compass.
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Seems higher quality than it actually is.
The hard plastic on the dashboard isn't necessarily pretty, but it's practical.
© Dacia
It's like being in a real car!
For a long time, the Dacias had to be mocked as a low-quality cheap home.
Times are definitely over in this Duster.
Of course, you don't necessarily win a beauty prize with the interior plastic, but the bulky dashboard paneling is washable and has no design corners and edges that are difficult to clean.
Anyone who has children knows how important this is.
Otherwise, the
Dacia Duster
is a practical car.
There's plenty of space in the front and back.
The
trunk
is as it should be.
Without an annoying high loading sill and packs a lot with 411 liters.
Anyone who puts it on will get it with
the rear seat bench folded down
even up to 1614 liters below.
With a loading width of almost one meter and a maximum loading length of 1.79 meters, the Duster is even suitable as a small van for craftsmen.
Almost eight liters consumption - was it the manual switch?
But the Duster 4WD is also the right choice for passionate recreational athletes and outdoor freaks.
You can go anywhere
with
all-wheel drive .
The turbo petrol engine brings its power via a
six-speed manual switch
to the drive axles.
It's an unusual feeling when you have to shift into gear yourself again.
But it's also fun.
It's a shame manual switches are dying out.
The four-cylinder petrol engine is only a little narrow-chested in terms of displacement, but the available 150 hp gallop off alive.
From 1,700 revolutions per minute, the torque of 250 Newton meters (Nm) really kicks in, so that nothing stands in the way of a dynamic driving style.
But to be honest, driving a Duster is more comfortable and relaxed.
The soft chassis also fits in with this.
In the test consumption, the Duster approved almost eight liters.
But perhaps we have forgotten how to shift gears in good time due to a lack of practice.
The large petrol engine comes with four-wheel drive and a manual switch.
He brings 150 hp.
© Dacia
Dacia Duster: Our conclusion on the status symbol that doesn't want to be one
The price of the Duster
is also hot
: The car with the “Prestige” equipment costs 21,390 euros.
And it is not only quite prestigious, but above all quite lavish.
You have to let that melt in your mouth, what's already there: reversing camera, navigation system, cruise control with speed limiter, blind spot warning, automatic climate control, parking aid and and and ... even the roof rails are already included.
If you still have 1,700 euros left, you can even upgrade the Duster with metallic paint, heated seats and a multi-view camera.
In short: the Duster looks good, is practical, has everything you need - and is also affordable.
You don't need more SUVs - and that's what makes the car so successful.
You can also find out here which cars you can look forward to this year.
Specifications Dacia Duster TCe 150 4WD Prestige
Engine: in-line four-cylinder, turbo petrol engine
Displacement: 1332 cc
max. power: 110 kW (150 hp) at 5,250 rpm
Max. torque: 250 Nm at 1,700 rpm
Drive: six-speed manual switch, all-wheel drive
0-100km/h: 10.4 seconds
Top: 198 km/h
Standard consumption: 6.1 l/100 km
CO2 emissions: 139 g/km
Length / width / height: 4.34 / 1.80 / 1.62 (1.68 with roof rails)
Trunk: 411 - 1614 l
Empty weight / payload: 1399 / 450 kg
Towing capacity (used): 1500 kg
Price from: 21,390 euros
Rudolph Boegel