Only a couple of weeks ago, we checked out a comparison between the old Duster, a Jeep Renegade, and Suzuki Vitara. The Dacia won that, so there's reason to be excited about the all-new model coming to the UK.
While it wasn't originally intended for the British market, Romania's affordable crossover was a smash hit. Priced from £9,995, this new generation is still the most affordable crossover you can buy (prices have gone up by about 500), but with noticeable improvements in almost every department.
Styling-wise, the Duster is more rugged than before. Introduced during last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, the model features body cladding that extends over the front fenders, as well as a more modern front end. At the rear, we have taillights that are dead-ringers for what the Jeep Renegade offers. Some people don't like that. Crazy, right?
Dacia UK only released 12 high-res photos of the car. Fortunately, several videos accompany the launch. Most of them show the model doing some serious off-roading, the kind that expensive SUVs stay away from. Not only is the Duster cheap, but it's also competent. It doesn't have the locking diffs of a Range Rover, but you'd be surprised with what it can do.
The steering wheel is on the right side of the car - that's the only major difference between the UK model and what sells in Europe. Speaking of which, the cabin has some nice touches, like those displays in the middle of the temperature control dials. But it's still pretty spartan in there.
Two engines are available, the SCe 115 with 115 PS and 156 Nm, which is a 1.6-liter, and the dCi 115, a 1.5-liter with just as much power and 260 Nm of torque. Both are fitted with a manual, and only the SCe is available with 4x4. Still, we'd go for the one that gets better mpg, which is going to be a diesel.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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