All you need at very low prices, decent to drive, practical and handsome
Hybrid not worth its price premium Isuzu Brake Caliper
One number says it all. Or at least, most of it. Twenty. This is a perfectly decent family-sized crossover that starts right around £20,000. Dacia is sticking with admirable rigour to its policy of no-frills value.
This is the third generation of Duster. The first two sold more than 100,000 copies in Britain. Almost all of those are private sales, too: people buying with their own money, driving them because they choose to, not because they were made to. It's a formula that resonates.
That first 2010 Duster was the size of the Nissan Qashqai of its era. But every car grows over the generations. Except – admirably we think – the Duster. Dacia has the Bigster coming soon, which is the size of today's Qashqai.
Most Dusters will live a life as vanilla crossovers, but the others will be the 4x4 version with more off-road use cases. The 4x4 proves a right plucky little customer in the rough.
Pretty well everything. Start with the body, which wears Dacia's new faceted look, with arrowhead creases over the wheels. The same arrow motif populates the lights and interior. The Duster leans into the off-roader look, with a squared-off nose and perimeter plastic belt. That belt is made - like 20 per cent of all the plastic - from recycled material.
The first two Dusters used a platform dating back to certain 2002 Nissans and the 2005 Renault Clio. Using the bones of an old car is a classic cheap-car playbook. Dacia has since learned how to get involved in a platform from inception, to make cheap spinoffs of modern bones. Today's Duster, Jogger and Sandero represent those possibilities.
This new platform means better noise insulation, more space and stronger crash protection. It also builds in the electronic anti-crash kit that laws now dictate: auto emergency braking, speed-limit recognition, lane departure prevention.
The new structure is also set-up for multiple power sources. Base trim is bi-fuel petrol/LPG. Then there's our choice: petrol turbo mild-hybrid manual, with two- or four-wheel drive. Then a new option to the Duster: petrol full-hybrid FWD. Some markets get diesel. PHEV is possible too, though not planned at the mo.
Don't be silly. But in the base car you slip your phone, running a Dacia app, into a hole in the dash and that becomes the infotainment screen. That might be preferable to the crude and slow built-in screen that comes on higher trims. Reverse sensors and roof bars and the aforementioned active safety kit are also standard.
To be fair, that base trim (at well under £20k) is the bi-fuel petrol/LPG job, with just 100bhp. But actually nearly all Duster buyers go for the higher trims. “They upsell themselves,” Dacia's UK boss tells TopGear.com. In other words they see that for a few quid extra on the monthly finance payment they can get the upper trims.
Of course you can soon figure out where the money was saved. Tap your knuckles up and down the dashboard and there's not a trace of soft-feel plastic to be found. But how much time do you spend knuckle-rapping and how much just looking? It looks good. Nicely designed shapes, useful storage, good ergonomics.
And the dynamics are pleasant too. It drives like a fairly nimble hatch, not an overweight SUV.
The hybrid powertrain doesn't give noticeable extra poke or save much fuel over the cheery little three-cylinder turbo. Probably none on motorways, and the rated WLTP CO2 cut is just 113g/km versus 123g/km. But it does give you an auto transmission, so it's expected to take a lot of sales.
The Duster is honest about where the money's saved. There's no high-power option or fancy trim or options you won't need. No annoying powered tailgate, no confusing walkaway door locking, no menus full of hidden features.
The Duster is easy to use, and designed for real life. It's roomy for its size and full of canny storage. Performance is adequate, the ride pliant, the handling intuitive.
If you're worried that it isn't a full five-star car, remember that the alternative is second-hand, from an era where stars were easier to earn.
The only catch is the time you might waste looking for the non-existent catch. The Duster is one of the car world's true bargains.
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox.
Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy.
Chrysly Caliper BBC Studios is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this website. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. BBC is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Logos © 1996.