In this day and age, seeing a crossover SUV tucked below the €20k mark (almost $22k) is a big reason to rejoice - and the new Dacia Duster has more going for it than just a relatively affordable MSRP.
Back at the end of November, Romanian automaker Dacia revealed the third-generation 2024 Duster with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's CMF-B platform underneath it, mixed gasoline and GPL plus mild hybrid and full hybrid powertrains. Sadly, it lost the diesel option – but at least that may be the final bad news about the series.
Dacia, an unknown name in the West just two decades ago, has since soared to new heights under the careful guidance of its parent, Renault Group. The French automaker became its adoptive caretaker, and France has since turned into one of Dacia's most important markets across Europe, alongside Germany or the United Kingdom.
Naturally, Dacia and Renault are taking care of the native and adoptive markets first. As such, the company revealed simultaneously the pricing details for the home market and France. In Romania, the 2024 Duster remains quite affordable, with a starting price of €18,800, equivalent to just $20,600 at the current exchange rate.
As a comparison, the Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul, and Chevrolet Trax are all slightly cheaper. Still, when you factor in the destination charges and other taxes, it turns out the 2024 Dacia Duster – arguably the best-looking and most rugged of the bunch – is cheaper. Of course, the price is just for the base Essential model equipped with a 100-horsepower gasoline and natural gas engine.
The more attractive TCe 130 mild hybrid 48V and Hybrid 140 start from €21.600 and €25.150, respectively, equating to $23,660 and almost $28k, respectively. However, the no-frills crossover SUV, which remains a desirable proposition for those who also need true off-road qualities, is subtly more expensive in France.
Over there, the base option starts from €19 690 ($21,569) with the same Eco-G mill with dual input. Meanwhile, the TCe 130 4x2 is €23,400 and its 4x4 variant costs €25,700 – around $25,634 and $28,153, respectively. If you want the Hybrid 140, it's €26,600 in Expression trim and €28,100 for either Extreme or Journey. That's $29,150 and $30,794 if you want to talk greenbacks.
Unfortunately, while it's a great little crossover SUV that's both stylish and remains rugged, the 2024 Dacia Duster is a forbidden fruit in America – the closest to the United States it will ever be is Latin America, where Renault will rebadge it as its own model and sell it like hotcakes. Meanwhile, we really hope that Toyota will come through to fulfill the rumors about a compact yet body-on-frame version of the 2024 Land Cruiser because it feels that Ford's Bronco Sport needs some direct competition in North America.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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