Alternative Dacia Duster review
Discussion
Hb's short Dacia Duster review.
I know there is quite some interest in this car, having done a lot of reading about it, and bought it over a month ago, now have 1300 miles on it.
Had to wait 2 weeks for delivery as I opted for grey rather than white. White looks good but would have taken a lot longer to arrive & I'm never one to wait around. Shame that to bypass the delay cost around £500.. but it's entirely up to you.
Took two test drives before committing, and drove a Sandero Stepway in between for comparision.
The Duster won handsdown in my opinion, Stepway is nice, Duster was just that much more car.
Now I've had fast(ish) cars in the past, also a 1963 Landy, a Smart, a big 6.5litre Yank truck, and of course quite a lot of bikes. So I wasn't expecting the Duster to be quite as good as it was, came as quite a surprise actually.
Ok let's begin.
The exterior. I love it, apart from the shape of the tail gate. The lines where the rear lights go look a bit unusual but it grows on you. Actually in white these look better than the grey I ended up with. Black / dark blue also look better! The car is very muscular looking, without being too threatening. Kind of like a jacked up estate car - which is probably what it is. The front looks great in my opinion, and the rear quarter lights allow more visibility than the Qashqui. Wheels are nice and big and simple, very easy to clean. Tyres are a top level Continental, and on road they are excellent. Am thinking of a more aggressive tread pattern for some mild offroading, seeing as I saved £2000 and quite a few KG's by going 2WD.
Interior, this is the big surprise. Way way better than people made me expect. Went there expecting spit and sawdust, found nice big seats, and fairly good trim. Also quite good equipment levels on the mid to top range models. Nice blue tooth stereo too, with remote on steering column. Ample room in this car - took me a while to find the right seat position, but yesterday did 325 miles and got out with hardly an ache anywhere. Boot space is enormous, could not fault it, well - maybe I'd move the passenger seats further back, because when the drivers seat is full back, it is a bit of a squeeze for the person behind. This is mainly because I have freakishly long upper legs, and makes any car I drive into a bit of an ordeal (works on bikes though!).
Engine. Tiny little thing, at first glance would seem too small for the job but this is not the case. That little 1.5DCI lump is capable of (on private test track of course) 105 leptons, and never dropped below 47mpg with the aircon running. Did see 56mpg when trundling, but I didn't buy this for the mpg, got it for the torque. By the way I did baby the engine for the first 1000 miles as they suggest, which is still good for 70 while running in. By the time I got home it was flying. Acceleration is typical diesel madness - nothing much, then a quite a lot, then nothing. Repeat until 4th gear, then from this point it all makes more sense. 5th is smart, 6th is amazing on the motorway. Really don't understand how it is quite so rapid and economical in such a big vehicle.
Gearbox. Super slick 6 speeder. 1st is great for crawling in slow traffic, no revs required. Changes smooth, and runs approx 2500rpm at 75mph, so ample for UK speed limits. Reverse is pull up collar and dogleg forward. Nice and safe, predictable stuff. While talking reverse, it's an easy to park beast, with good visibility out the back (put headrests in low position though).
Steering. Not bad feel, no racer, but weighty enough not to feel floaty. Turning circle is tiny, and makes life simple in parking situations.
Suspension. My favourite bit. Glides over speed bumps as it they don't exist. Those annoying little speed cushions? 100% clearance, no need to slow at all. A full width ramp? at 30 these are just a nod of the head. The vicious little rubber blocks though, still rough, but atleast it isn't going to rip the car apart.
Handling and grip. A mixed bag. Grip is high, but as you may expect from a high than usual car, the handling is a compromise. One I am happy with though, because mid corner pot holes and bumps don't faze it at all. Leans a bit, but not excessively. Tyres just hang on and hang on, and the brakes are simply superb. Even on rough roads the brakes are awesomely powerful. So if you can tolerate a bit of body roll, this could suit you.
Build quality. The oily bits seem superb, only time will tell about rust & stuff, but it has a 5 year warranty on it so even if it goes bang after that it will have paid for itself.
Over all, a big fan. There are some omissions such as one touch leccy windows, and arm rest, but for the money who can possibly complain?
Finally, a good word to my Dealership if I may? Ware Garages, nice people who kept me informed of the import process and who made it easy. Hope it continues like this!
I know there is quite some interest in this car, having done a lot of reading about it, and bought it over a month ago, now have 1300 miles on it.
Had to wait 2 weeks for delivery as I opted for grey rather than white. White looks good but would have taken a lot longer to arrive & I'm never one to wait around. Shame that to bypass the delay cost around £500.. but it's entirely up to you.
Took two test drives before committing, and drove a Sandero Stepway in between for comparision.
The Duster won handsdown in my opinion, Stepway is nice, Duster was just that much more car.
Now I've had fast(ish) cars in the past, also a 1963 Landy, a Smart, a big 6.5litre Yank truck, and of course quite a lot of bikes. So I wasn't expecting the Duster to be quite as good as it was, came as quite a surprise actually.
Ok let's begin.
The exterior. I love it, apart from the shape of the tail gate. The lines where the rear lights go look a bit unusual but it grows on you. Actually in white these look better than the grey I ended up with. Black / dark blue also look better! The car is very muscular looking, without being too threatening. Kind of like a jacked up estate car - which is probably what it is. The front looks great in my opinion, and the rear quarter lights allow more visibility than the Qashqui. Wheels are nice and big and simple, very easy to clean. Tyres are a top level Continental, and on road they are excellent. Am thinking of a more aggressive tread pattern for some mild offroading, seeing as I saved £2000 and quite a few KG's by going 2WD.
Interior, this is the big surprise. Way way better than people made me expect. Went there expecting spit and sawdust, found nice big seats, and fairly good trim. Also quite good equipment levels on the mid to top range models. Nice blue tooth stereo too, with remote on steering column. Ample room in this car - took me a while to find the right seat position, but yesterday did 325 miles and got out with hardly an ache anywhere. Boot space is enormous, could not fault it, well - maybe I'd move the passenger seats further back, because when the drivers seat is full back, it is a bit of a squeeze for the person behind. This is mainly because I have freakishly long upper legs, and makes any car I drive into a bit of an ordeal (works on bikes though!).
Engine. Tiny little thing, at first glance would seem too small for the job but this is not the case. That little 1.5DCI lump is capable of (on private test track of course) 105 leptons, and never dropped below 47mpg with the aircon running. Did see 56mpg when trundling, but I didn't buy this for the mpg, got it for the torque. By the way I did baby the engine for the first 1000 miles as they suggest, which is still good for 70 while running in. By the time I got home it was flying. Acceleration is typical diesel madness - nothing much, then a quite a lot, then nothing. Repeat until 4th gear, then from this point it all makes more sense. 5th is smart, 6th is amazing on the motorway. Really don't understand how it is quite so rapid and economical in such a big vehicle.
Gearbox. Super slick 6 speeder. 1st is great for crawling in slow traffic, no revs required. Changes smooth, and runs approx 2500rpm at 75mph, so ample for UK speed limits. Reverse is pull up collar and dogleg forward. Nice and safe, predictable stuff. While talking reverse, it's an easy to park beast, with good visibility out the back (put headrests in low position though).
Steering. Not bad feel, no racer, but weighty enough not to feel floaty. Turning circle is tiny, and makes life simple in parking situations.
Suspension. My favourite bit. Glides over speed bumps as it they don't exist. Those annoying little speed cushions? 100% clearance, no need to slow at all. A full width ramp? at 30 these are just a nod of the head. The vicious little rubber blocks though, still rough, but atleast it isn't going to rip the car apart.
Handling and grip. A mixed bag. Grip is high, but as you may expect from a high than usual car, the handling is a compromise. One I am happy with though, because mid corner pot holes and bumps don't faze it at all. Leans a bit, but not excessively. Tyres just hang on and hang on, and the brakes are simply superb. Even on rough roads the brakes are awesomely powerful. So if you can tolerate a bit of body roll, this could suit you.
Build quality. The oily bits seem superb, only time will tell about rust & stuff, but it has a 5 year warranty on it so even if it goes bang after that it will have paid for itself.
Over all, a big fan. There are some omissions such as one touch leccy windows, and arm rest, but for the money who can possibly complain?
Finally, a good word to my Dealership if I may? Ware Garages, nice people who kept me informed of the import process and who made it easy. Hope it continues like this!
doogz said:
Is this some sort of joke that I'm missing out on?
I do like the look of them though, when/if my Shogun ever snuffs it, I may end up with one.
It's quite high, and carries 2/3's of it's weight on the front axle. In winter I think even the 2wd version would be pretty good, and if I stick £300 of AT or Winter tyres on it, it will go places that other 2wd cars can't. No joke, I didn't have the 2K handy, but a new set of tyres I can afford. Plus the 2wd is more economical if that is an issue. And the other part of this - if I have 4wd, I'd be tempted to use it seriously, and then mess the car up! atleast with 2wd you get stuck before you damage things.I do like the look of them though, when/if my Shogun ever snuffs it, I may end up with one.
kiethton said:
Great to hear a positive review, we are looking at picking one up for my mum in October time. Isn't there a facelift due soon?
I thought we had the face lifted version now? the interior is a lot different to the first lot. I'm not too worried either way, it is a lot of car for the money however you look at it. Seriously it goes like a car 6-10K more expensive. If you have test driven and like it, excellent. My wife loves ours, and she owns a Mini cooper!Out of interest does the steering column adjust both ways?
I know there are a lot of Mk2.5 Clio parts in it so wondered it that was the same? My wife used to have a Clio mk2.5 and I always found the driving position a bit odd.
I have seen a few of these on the road now (and abroad on holiday) and totally see what you mean about the looks. 'Tough' but without being too aggressive and a but more muscular than the QQ.
I know there are a lot of Mk2.5 Clio parts in it so wondered it that was the same? My wife used to have a Clio mk2.5 and I always found the driving position a bit odd.
I have seen a few of these on the road now (and abroad on holiday) and totally see what you mean about the looks. 'Tough' but without being too aggressive and a but more muscular than the QQ.
HertsBiker said:
I thought we had the face lifted version now?
Not yet. Its due to be unveiled in Frankfurt so there may be discounts (not that they do discounts of course) on the older ones to clear them out:http://www.worldcarfans.com/113072260458/dacia-dus...
KTF said:
Out of interest does the steering column adjust both ways?
I know there are a lot of Mk2.5 Clio parts in it so wondered it that was the same? My wife used to have a Clio mk2.5 and I always found the driving position a bit odd.
I have seen a few of these on the road now (and abroad on holiday) and totally see what you mean about the looks. 'Tough' but without being too aggressive and a but more muscular than the QQ.
Steering is height only - seems to fit most people better than me, but over the years I have got used to it as every car I had apart from the Shogun only had height.. ideally I'd like reach as well. Have a test drive and see what you think.I know there are a lot of Mk2.5 Clio parts in it so wondered it that was the same? My wife used to have a Clio mk2.5 and I always found the driving position a bit odd.
I have seen a few of these on the road now (and abroad on holiday) and totally see what you mean about the looks. 'Tough' but without being too aggressive and a but more muscular than the QQ.
Still keep coming back to this though - a new 'big' car for 13K with 5yr warranty is cool. Insurance is cheap too! dunno about tax? can't be much though. I really like the QQ but like new cars, and the only QQ I could buy for the money is 2 or 3 years old.
I saw a blue Duster parked up yesterday and couldn't resist a quick peak around it. Blue looked good but it looked like the owner had chromed up the front a little which didnt suit it at all.
Being a budget car I was really suprised to see decent continental rubber on eacher corner.
I am yet to read a bad review about anything in the current Dacia range. Seem's they have hit the utilitarian nail squarly on the head.
Being a budget car I was really suprised to see decent continental rubber on eacher corner.
I am yet to read a bad review about anything in the current Dacia range. Seem's they have hit the utilitarian nail squarly on the head.
GF's neighbor has one, it does look very cheap in white/black plastic bumpers. Have read nothing but good reviews of them though, good to know that it's still possible to pump out cheap, quality cars.
I don't know if it's more about Renault or Dacia though, I've been in (pre renault) Romanian Dacias and they're tough as nails, and the Clio derived Solenza was equally hardy.
Clearly nobody does pov-spec white cars like Dacia!
I don't know if it's more about Renault or Dacia though, I've been in (pre renault) Romanian Dacias and they're tough as nails, and the Clio derived Solenza was equally hardy.
Clearly nobody does pov-spec white cars like Dacia!
Ozzie Osmond said:
storminnorman said:
I've been in (pre renault) Romanian Dacias and they're tough as nails,
odyssey2200 said:
Seriously the old Duster (which wasn't even a Dacia it was an ARO 10) was a complete POS!
You are BOTH right!- Primitive? Yes
- Indestructible? Yes
I was employed by the importer, Dacia Concessionaires as the Warranty manager and then Area Service Manager.
Routine issues were
Gearboxes falling apart on PDI roadtest
Crankshafts snapping
more head gasket failures than a Rover K series.
Cylinder liners cracking and or dropping
s
t paint, rust under the paint ( the body shells were stacked up outside in the snow at the factory)Electrical components were rubbish
Clutches were knitted and would regularly disintegrate
Precision machining was never a strong point so anything that had to seal, leaked, badly.
Rubber components were also an issue so trivial things like brake master cylinders would fail regularly as would ball joints and cables etc.
quality lubricants were not available to the factory so things this hubs and bearings were pack with what could best be described at tar, which as a lubricant, didn't lubricate.
just for good measure the seats were prone to collapsing at any time and without notice, which always made every journey an event.
Add to that vehicles that would arrive on the boat without components having either never having had them fitted or having had them stolen by the ships crew to sell back home on the black market.
I watched one car collapse as it was being driven off the ship as someone had removed the lower ball joints and bodged a bolt in its place and another car run right up the back of another as someone had nicked the entire servo and master cyl unit.
Not that the master cyl would have worked for long anyway.
To add insult to injury the Romanians were not allowed to admit there was a problem and refused to accept most of the warranty costs.
indestructible
GrahamG said:
has the Auto version appeared yet? - It's an outside runner for the other half's next car but would have to be an auto to be in with a shout.
Doesn't look like it from their website.Interesting website though.
By the time you spec your Duster with a few "nice to haves" it isn't nreally much cheaper than some other makes which come with those items as standard.
Anybody looking for one should have a gander on the UK owners forum. Excellent site with lots of info.
http://www.daciaforum.co.uk/topic/11-dacia-duster-...
http://www.daciaforum.co.uk/topic/11-dacia-duster-...
odyssey2200 said:
By the time you spec your Duster with a few "nice to haves" it isn't really much cheaper than some other makes which come with those items as standard.
Yes, if you're "going basic" it's important not to sucked in by the inevitable shiny extras. Better to but the base model of a car that's more expensive to start with.Gassing Station | Dacia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff