Dacia Duster. My streets full of them...
Discussion
Arguably they are more fit for more many people's purposes than some premium brands costing double. I test drove one and it was surprisingly good- quiet , terrific ride and felt solid. Certainly the customer care at the local Dacia dealer put the efforts of VW, Mazda and Skoda to shame . And as for the Ford dealers I have dealt with ...there simply are not the words .
But a Duster is not the car to choose if you are one of those tragic souls who believe they are defined by what they drive.
But a Duster is not the car to choose if you are one of those tragic souls who believe they are defined by what they drive.
Edited by coppice on Sunday 17th September 08:06
Cupramax said:
Revealed, not released and given usual Renault/Dacia form, I reckon it'll likely be late Q2 early Q3 2018 before we see it here.The Spruce goose said:
I just don't see the point of a cheap car with not much options when you could buy a better used car if you are trying to save money.
If you don't care about cars, and need a suv type thing, why would you buy a used car when you can buy a new one. I'm guessing a new Duster will be a damn sight better built and more reliable than any Range Rover over 3 years old.
My GF has a Duster DCi 4x4 and it's great.
The dog goes in the boot, kids go in the back and it's not put a wheel wrong in 15k miles we've done in it since November.
The only downside is the mpg isn't great on the 4x4. My girlfriend averages about 38mpg, driving like an angel I do about 42mpg.
A 2.0 diesel would suit it better I reckon.
Oh, and 1st gear is comically short?!
The dog goes in the boot, kids go in the back and it's not put a wheel wrong in 15k miles we've done in it since November.
The only downside is the mpg isn't great on the 4x4. My girlfriend averages about 38mpg, driving like an angel I do about 42mpg.
A 2.0 diesel would suit it better I reckon.
Oh, and 1st gear is comically short?!
A few years ago, I was worked on a project for a few months in Romania during winter. On our time off we hired a few cars and went off exploring, one of which was the Duster. Took it from Bucharest to Transylvania, through rural muddy, iced, snow roads, up hills and everywhere else, and it handled it all really really well.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I'm guessing a new Duster will be a damn sight better built and more reliable than any Range Rover over 3 years old.
You guess correctly.In the course of my work I'm often chatting in the workshops of both Land Rover and Renault/Dacia.
The Land Rover workshops are full of terrible, terrible sights that strike fear into anyone with a wallet. 3-4 year old cars stripped back to almost a shell trying to find rectify problems, resulting in a bill of thousands for the unlucky sod if the car is out of warranty.
Whereas the Dacias are much more basic and easy to work on, don't go wrong very much as it is all old tried and tested Renault bits, and if they do fail are relatively cheap and simple to repair.
Naturally the land rovers are massively nicer cars to be in, but with all that technology and electronics crammed into them everywhere, faults can be more frequent and more serious as you would expect.
The basic model is just a bit more basic than my 1997 BMW 323i. What's wrong with that.
I have a 2016 Mustang with all the modern toys and after the first week I stopped using them and just drive it.
Dreading when they start going wrong.
Very tempted by the Base Duster and fitting my own stereo.
I have a 2016 Mustang with all the modern toys and after the first week I stopped using them and just drive it.
Dreading when they start going wrong.
Very tempted by the Base Duster and fitting my own stereo.
Buff Mchugelarge said:
My GF has a Duster DCi 4x4 and it's great.
The dog goes in the boot, kids go in the back and it's not put a wheel wrong in 15k miles we've done in it since November.
The only downside is the mpg isn't great on the 4x4. My girlfriend averages about 38mpg, driving like an angel I do about 42mpg.
A 2.0 diesel would suit it better I reckon.
Oh, and 1st gear is comically short?!
Correct on 1st gear but remember, it has no hi/lo ratio so you need a short 1st gear when using 4 WD. I only ever use 2nd when pulling away on anything less than Mont Blanc. 1st gets used when pulling 1.3 tons of boat out of the water when trailering.The dog goes in the boot, kids go in the back and it's not put a wheel wrong in 15k miles we've done in it since November.
The only downside is the mpg isn't great on the 4x4. My girlfriend averages about 38mpg, driving like an angel I do about 42mpg.
A 2.0 diesel would suit it better I reckon.
Oh, and 1st gear is comically short?!
Mine is a 2012, done 19k kms and never missed a beat apart from a shagged battery after 2 years. Replaced under warranty. Not surprisingly shagged as it does lots of short journies, on a small Greek island. It now gets a shot of C-Tek every couple of months to keep the battery in good order.
My normal modes of transport, in the UK, have been Merc's, BMW's and Range Rovers and the Duster is not a disappointing drive. It does everything you want, competently.
The Spruce goose said:
the cars is developed for countries not as developed as the UK but some how re-marketed it as this utilitarian transport, and fair enough a lot of people buy them. I just don't see the point of a cheap car with not much options when you could buy a better used car if you are trying to save money. Do farmers buy them no, i guess it would be middle class people, who tell anyone who listens how cheap it is.
Pity the state of our roads don't reflect out "developed" status, I can see the appeal of cheap, utilitarian transport when it can cope with the multitude of pot holes, botched repairs, sunken man holes, speed bumps, crumbling verges and many other wonderful features of our futuristic 21st century transport infrastructure.
thiscocks said:
They look s
t though. Get a Volvo 850 or something, save cash and be different to everyone in your street.
Why would someone looking at a Dacia want to buy a clapped out old Volvo?t though. Get a Volvo 850 or something, save cash and be different to everyone in your street.OP - look great cars. Cheap reliable transport and they are not that common compared to other popular brands.
Lord Marylebone said:
Naturally the land rovers are massively nicer cars to be in
As they should be on the hard shoulder waiting for the AA.My next door neighbour but one has a 2015 Dacia something or other and apart from a few rattles from trim it's very good. Air con and a warranty for £8500. They had a Freeloader 2 before that, and that as expected was about as much use as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest. 2 years on the 'Datcha' and no issues/warranty claims.
steviegunn said:
Pity the state of our roads don't reflect out "developed" status, I can see the appeal of cheap, utilitarian transport when it can cope with the multitude of pot holes, botched repairs, sunken man holes, speed bumps, crumbling verges and many other wonderful features of our futuristic 21st century transport infrastructure.
They are based on a Nissan Qashqai but take away stuff add unpainted bumpers then suddenly they are ultimate 4x4s and the quintessential utilitarian transport. People make out they are anti brands, when i just find that statement ironic. Yes they are a 4x4 suvs on the cheap but that is it. they are nothing new there have always been cheap cars that can go anywhere just people never bought them.
NickCQ said:
I'd prefer to live in a street of Dusters than a street of 'aggressively styled' white German metal. Something makes me think they'd just be nicer people.
. I suspect you are very much correct. If you're surrounded by lots of Dusters you're probably in quite a nice part of the UK with sane people and a deficit of 60" TVs from AO.
David87 said:
Is the 2018 Duster a new model or just a heavy facelift? I think it looks great.
It does look great, but I think they risk adding that much stuff to it to make it attractive and well appointed, that the price will rise to the point where it will cost the same as a 'known brand' but still be a Dacia.That would be a shame.
I think there is a proportion of the population that are beginning to see cars as a colossal waste of money. Spending hundreds of pounds a month of their hard earned cash just to rent a VW Golf or a Nissan Qashqai.
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