RE: Dacia Duster

[300bhp/ton]

Chris/PH could you please clarify this comment?

PH said:

Seriously, it's very good off road

None of the pictures seem to show it off roading. What sort of terrain did you use it on? Also what sort of traction systems does it have? Low range ratio? Approach, departure and breakover angles? Ground clearance, wheel travel?


Or is this more a throw away comment in regard to it being very good off road compared to a regular 2wd car and providing you don't actually go off road with it. Or is it indeed a good off roader compared to other off roaders; Defender, G-Wagen, Wrangler, Niva, Jimny, etc?

[Coldfuse]

What do you need heated seats for, just get some velour and some thick jeans on

[IanO]

Chris Harris said:

Nope. Had a Defender from new, air-con and heated seats only options you need in the sticks.

fair enough

[kambites]

W124 said:

I don't want to re-open the old AC debate - but can we have the most basic model with A/C? - Renault have missed a bit of a Eureka moment there marketing wise. They don't seem to see what a Hoxton to Harrogate success this could be. Poverty spec/UN white - black bumpers - steels - 2WD - AC - how hard can that be? Charge more if you like for it...

Isn't it on the options list?

[V8 FOU]

Luke. said:

How would you like your parrot?

Eh?

My parrot is Ok and sitting at home on his perch, thank you. Just like he has done for the last 40 years! Squawk!

BTW. Agree on the a/c. Parrots steam up the windows with all that squawking...

[big_boz]

I think am i correct in saying that the cheapest way to get one with A/C is the £13k Lauriete (or whatever it is called).

Not wanting to repeat the echo but that is very foolish of Dacia nee Renault. If the £8995 version had an A/C option (£500 maybe?) I would not hesitate buy one for the wife come kiddy time (not far off). Parking sensors would be required to protect other peoples cars in car parks (£30 from maplin), otherwise perfect family holdall, possibly not in UN white, but otherwise, no big shiny alloys for her to murder on kerbs, no swanky interior fabrics to get mullered by sweets and dog hair, no painted bumpers to scratch...PERFECT!

[Bill Carr]

Chris, why would you want heated cloth seats? (I presume they're cloth if this is as spartan a model as suggested) I can understand heated leather, but heated cloth seems unnecessary.

I'm sure I read somewhere, probably on here, that electric windows are actually cheaper to fit than manual. I don't know if that's BS or not, but if true it fits the Duster's ethos. I don't think I'd care either way to be honest.

I like the no-nonsense nature of these. They make the Panda 4x4 (to pick a random example) look rather expensive.

[kambites]

300bhp/ton said:

Chris/PH could you please clarify this comment?

PH said:

Seriously, it's very good off road

None of the pictures seem to show it off roading. What sort of terrain did you use it on? Also what sort of traction systems does it have? Low range ratio? Approach, departure and breakover angles? Ground clearance, wheel travel?


Or is this more a throw away comment in regard to it being very good off road compared to a regular 2wd car and providing you don't actually go off road with it. Or is it indeed a good off roader compared to other off roaders; Defender, G-Wagen, Wrangler, Niva, Jimny, etc?

Approach angle: 30 degrees
Departure angle: 36 degrees
Breakover angle: 23 degrees
Minimum ground clearance: 210mm

Can't find wheel travel, but probably not huge; it appears to have two 4wd modes - one which directs torque depending on grip and one which forces drive to all four wheels at all times, although I can't find any more detail than that.

Sounds like it should be reasonably capable to me, although I'm not expert?

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

300bhp/ton said:

Chris/PH could you please clarify this comment?

PH said:

Seriously, it's very good off road

None of the pictures seem to show it off roading. What sort of terrain did you use it on? Also what sort of traction systems does it have? Low range ratio? Approach, departure and breakover angles? Ground clearance, wheel travel?


Or is this more a throw away comment in regard to it being very good off road compared to a regular 2wd car and providing you don't actually go off road with it. Or is it indeed a good off roader compared to other off roaders; Defender, G-Wagen, Wrangler, Niva, Jimny, etc?

Approach angle: 30 degrees
Departure angle: 36 degrees
Breakover angle: 23 degrees
Minimum ground clearance: 210mm

Can't find wheel travel, but probably not huge; it appears to have two 4wd modes - one which directs torque depending on grip and one which forces drive to all four wheels at all times, although I can't find any more detail than that.

Sounds like it should be reasonably capable to me, although I'm not expert?

Cheers for the data. Actually I don't know much about it, it certainly doesn't look rugged or capable to me, not even sure if it has low range. But it'd be nice to know if it is actually a capable off roader or not. Giving priase like the article does would seem to suggest so, but my hunch is it's out of context and it's only Nissan X-Trail capable, which in 4x4 off roader terms is pretty piss poor off road.

I guess the angle of my question is, if this was a review of something like the MINI Cup with the comment "And it is a very good sports car" there would be an expectation that sports car would include and be comparing to the likes of an Elise, MX-5, Boxster, etc. Not comparing to it to an Astra VXR.


With the Duster I'd like to know if the "very good off road" means compared to a Discovery, Hilux, Defender, etc or if they mean compared to a Renault Clio? The end result is quite different.

Cheers

[kambites]

I'm guessing they mean "very good offroad" compared to most soft-roaders. It's not going to trouble a Defender.

[big_boz]

Bill Carr said:

Chris, why would you want heated cloth seats? (I presume they're cloth if this is as spartan a model as suggested) I can understand heated leather, but heated cloth seems unnecessary.

I thought the same until the current car with heated cloth seats. I figured you only needed with leather (having only owned cars with heated leather in teh past), but not true, just as good with cloth seats when its chilly out, more so when you have a diesel that takes ages to heat up

[kambites]

hora said:

"Price: £10,995"

Sorry the price seems to be creeping up doesn't it?

I've sat inside one in a Renault Dealership and my word its cheap inside however for 8999 its a bargain if it proves to reliable. At 11k I'd rather drive something else secondhand.

The 9k one is 2wd only. I think 11k is the cheapest 4wd one.

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

I'm guessing they mean "very good offroad" compared to most soft-roaders. It's not going to trouble a Defender.

That's what my guess is


Wonder if monkey will start claiming how good a Mariva is on track for his next review.... when compared to it's peers that is

[kambites]

300bhp/ton said:

kambites said:

I'm guessing they mean "very good offroad" compared to most soft-roaders. It's not going to trouble a Defender.

That's what my guess is

The thing is, it's designed as a utility vehicle not a fun one and I suspect it'll be perfectly capable of coping with what the average farmer, for example, would throw at it. Anything more would be unnecessarily OTT for this type of vehicle, IMO. Very few people have a reason (beyond fun) to want to clamber over boulders in Europe.

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

The thing is, it's designed as a utility vehicle not a fun one and I suspect it'll be perfectly capable of coping with what the average farmer, for example, would throw at it.

Guess it would depend on the farm in question. It would be nice to have more 4x4 options, but when looking about, claims of non off roaders being good off road only muddies the waters somewhat.

I don't mind it being a soft roader, but if it isn't a proper off roader then it should never be labelled as good off road.

[JulianCharity]

So for the price of upgrading your brakes to err... some other brakes on a new porsche or macca, you could feasibly buy this ENTIRE car! I'm sure i've seen ceramic stoppers as a £10k option on some spec sheets!

[kambites]

300bhp/ton said:

kambites said:

The thing is, it's designed as a utility vehicle not a fun one and I suspect it'll be perfectly capable of coping with what the average farmer, for example, would throw at it.

Guess it would depend on the farm in question. It would be nice to have more 4x4 options, but when looking about, claims of non off roaders being good off road only muddies the waters somewhat.

I don't mind it being a soft roader, but if it isn't a proper off roader then it should never be labelled as good off road.

It's always a continuum, though. I can quite believe that this is "good off road" by my definition of the term - as in quite capable of getting me down an un-paved farm track or across a ploughed field. I know a few people who run 4x4s because they need an off-roader, and to be honest most of them could do what they need in anything with diff locks and a respectable amount of ground clearance. Things like approach and departure angles and axle articulation are largely irrelevant when you're towing a trailer across a muddy field of cows.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 9th January 11:52

[pSyCoSiS]

There's something weirdly appealing about this.

I would definitely go for the DCI model, just for that little extra torque.

And keep the rest as it is....

[pSyCoSiS]

W124 said:

For sure. The W124 spec I like the most is a 230 with steels. In a flat colour... The W210 has been a revelation by the way. No rust, no faults of any kind and it feels very solid. Plus they are seriously cheap if a good one can be found. I got an insanely over specced Avantgarde estate - 2001 - Full MB SH - big petrol - years MOT for £1700 with 6 months ticket on it and new quality tyres. That's proper budget motoring if you ask me. The rides a bit harsh - but other than that, it's top.

You can pick them up way cheaper than that. For that sort of money you can get a fully loaded and mint E320 CDI Estate, which will do 40+ mpg and carry a huge load. Or the big E430 V8 models.

I've had a few, but for me, they just do have the handsome good looks of the W124. If anything, the pre-facelift W210 models in poverty spec (steel rims, etc)actually look prety ugly.

But totally agree, they are a smooth drive and feel very modern inside compared to the W124s. And better on fuel! Not that many estates that are as big as a W210.

Edited by pSyCoSiS on Wednesday 9th January 12:05

[Chris Harris]

300bhp/ton said:

Guess it would depend on the farm in question. It would be nice to have more 4x4 options, but when looking about, claims of non off roaders being good off road only muddies the waters somewhat.

I don't mind it being a soft roader, but if it isn't a proper off roader then it should never be labelled as good off road.

Pedantry.

It's an £11k bargain. It's a unitary body with a 'normal' road car suspension design and selectable 4WD. Of course it isn't going to match something with a separate chassis and locking diffs. On winter tyres I could do everything in it that I could do in my Defender on the rubbish standard road rubber. No one is going to buy this thing to go green-laning, but this not being a specialist 4x4 community the Duster's off-road ability, in terms of what the majority of rural types would require of a mild off-roader, deserves to be applauded.