RE: Good news! There's an all-new Dacia Duster

[wyson]

Bit misleading saying the passive safety of a Dacia is as good as any other car. One of the reasons it can hit its price point is that they don’t invest in the machinery to form high strength boron steels that provide a rigid safety cage.

Looking at the EuroNcap diagrams, there is a big difference between the Dacia Duster posted, compared to a car like the Volvo XC90 that performs at the limits of whats possible passive safety wise.

So that Duster, for the full width frontal crash, the drivers head is red, indicating a high chance of severe injury. I wouldn’t risk that. Infact I wouldn’t risk any Dacia. Up the speeds somewhat, that lack of high strength steels in the crash structures will become ever more apparent.

The CEO of Dacia went on record saying a Dacia would never be a 5 star Euroncap car and it isn’t just the electronics. They simply can’t for the prices they charge.

I shudder to think how a Dacia would perform if subjected to newer tests introduced by the IIHS such as the small overlap crash test and the more rigorous truck / big SUV simulating side impact test. Bet any money they didn’t fit the structures required to pass the small overlap crash test, because these cost money both to fit and engineer.

Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th November 17:30

[Shinyfings]

Ignoring safety, increased pricing etc think very carefully about buying one. I don’t mind my car for what it is - a recent Duster. The dealers however, are in line with the low price. The worst I have experienced and I’ve owned a Land Rover.

[dxg]

I'm amazed at how much of the interior (excluding the dash itself, but including all the switchgear and the the lower parts of the central console through to the armrest) are straight out the current Clio.

None of this last generation Renault stuff, it now seems...

[Yahonza]

I can see where it is taking cues from the XC40, but the similarity probably ends there, especially around refinement and safety.
This Dacia will be competing with the Yaris Cross and and cars like that - very economical but essentially city cars.
TBH it looks like good value for money, when you look at the price of other small SUVs.

[Ecosseven]

Thankfully it looks like there are physical HVAC controls (although sadly no round knobs to adjust fan speed and temperature) below the central vents.

Car looks nice and will appeal to a lot of people. Will be interesting to see the price.

Edited by Ecosseven on Thursday 30th November 19:50

[Mikebentley]

I think it looks fantastic. As Croyde said like a slightly smaller version of the Bigster. I think the design brings it bang up to date too.
The lack of their rotary fan switches is a result because they seemingly were unable to make them that didn’t break. I did 55k miles in 30 months in my LPG car and Renault/Dacia in the UK haven’t got an idea ……..and they also break ….a lot.

I like this new look and hope the improved car more fairly reflects the price they now cost.

[HTP99]

Mikebentley said:

I think it looks fantastic. As Croyde said like a slightly smaller version of the Bigster. I think the design brings it bang up to date too.
The lack of their rotary fan switches is a result because they seemingly were unable to make them that didn’t break. I did 55k miles in 30 months in my LPG car and Renault/Dacia in the UK haven’t got an idea ……..and they also break ….a lot.

I like this new look and hope the improved car more fairly reflects the price they now cost.

News to me, I sell Renault and Dacia!

Anyhow, this will be a big hit, really looking forward to it.

[heisthegaffer]

wyson said:

Bit misleading saying the passive safety of a Dacia is as good as any other car. One of the reasons it can hit its price point is that they don’t invest in the machinery to form high strength boron steels that provide a rigid safety cage.

Looking at the EuroNcap diagrams, there is a big difference between the Dacia Duster posted, compared to a car like the Volvo XC90 that performs at the limits of whats possible passive safety wise.

So that Duster, for the full width frontal crash, the drivers head is red, indicating a high chance of severe injury. I wouldn’t risk that. Infact I wouldn’t risk any Dacia. Up the speeds somewhat, that lack of high strength steels in the crash structures will become ever more apparent.

The CEO of Dacia went on record saying a Dacia would never be a 5 star Euroncap car and it isn’t just the electronics. They simply can’t for the prices they charge.

I shudder to think how a Dacia would perform if subjected to newer tests introduced by the IIHS such as the small overlap crash test and the more rigorous truck / big SUV simulating side impact test. Bet any money they didn’t fit the structures required to pass the small overlap crash test, because these cost money both to fit and engineer.

Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th November 17:30

Not disagreeing with you but a friend of mine was run off the motorway in her existing model duster by a prick in a stolen BMW. Her car rolled at quite high speed and it stood up well.

Not the same as what you're saying as a different test but thought worthy of Mention.

[Mikebentley]

HTP99 said:

Mikebentley said:

I think it looks fantastic. As Croyde said like a slightly smaller version of the Bigster. I think the design brings it bang up to date too.
The lack of their rotary fan switches is a result because they seemingly were unable to make them that didn’t break. I did 55k miles in 30 months in my LPG car and Renault/Dacia in the UK haven’t got an idea ……..and they also break ….a lot.

I like this new look and hope the improved car more fairly reflects the price they now cost.

News to me, I sell Renault and Dacia!

Anyhow, this will be a big hit, really looking forward to it.

HTP99 I imagine you are excited about it as it will be a big seller. The failure of the fan switches on Renault and subsequently Dacia models is well documented and has been an unresolved issue for at least a decade. I was on number 3 when I finally sold my car and lots on here on the various Duster threads are experiencing the same. My LPG stopped working at least 15 times over the 30 months and with 9 dealer visits it still wasn’t fixed when I gave up. I know of several other owners now who are experiencing the LPG issues I had ( at least one on here) and the dealer pretended I was the only customer with it. I now know 2 people who were having the same trouble at the same dealership at the same time as me so they were just incompetent liars.

As I said I like the look of the new car and hope the quality has improved. I know you were on the other two threads so as far as “News to me . I sell Renault and Dacia!” It really can’t be can it or is it the case of once sold that’s the service teams problem.

[Jader1973]

wyson said:

Bit misleading saying the passive safety of a Dacia is as good as any other car. One of the reasons it can hit its price point is that they don’t invest in the machinery to form high strength boron steels that provide a rigid safety cage.

Looking at the EuroNcap diagrams, there is a big difference between the Dacia Duster posted, compared to a car like the Volvo XC90 that performs at the limits of whats possible passive safety wise.

So that Duster, for the full width frontal crash, the drivers head is red, indicating a high chance of severe injury. I wouldn’t risk that. Infact I wouldn’t risk any Dacia. Up the speeds somewhat, that lack of high strength steels in the crash structures will become ever more apparent.

The CEO of Dacia went on record saying a Dacia would never be a 5 star Euroncap car and it isn’t just the electronics. They simply can’t for the prices they charge.

I shudder to think how a Dacia would perform if subjected to newer tests introduced by the IIHS such as the small overlap crash test and the more rigorous truck / big SUV simulating side impact test. Bet any money they didn’t fit the structures required to pass the small overlap crash test, because these cost money both to fit and engineer.

Edited by wyson on Thursday 30th November 17:30

One of them (can’t remember which) is a 4 star car if you just look at occupant safety, but gets pulled back to 1 star because of the lack of aids.

The reality is that the vast majority of car buyers simply don’t care about NCAP ratings.

[LuS1fer]

Jader1973 said:

One of them (can’t remember which) is a 4 star car if you just look at occupant safety, but gets pulled back to 1 star because of the lack of aids.

The reality is that the vast majority of car buyers simply don’t care about NCAP ratings.

The only real and present danger of serious injury is my lane assist when I forget to turn it straight off. Bloody terrible invention.

[wyson]

Yes, the Dacia CEO said in terms of passive safety they were aiming for 3 or 4 stars.

Dacia’s aren’t unsafe cars, they do a create safety cell using thicker sections of normal steel. Unlike some older Chinese cars where the passenger compartment completely collapsed under testing, in the crash tests Dacia's stand up reasonably well.

But it is inaccurate to say in terms of passive safety they are just like any other car. No they aren’t. They will always be compromised because the safety cage isn't made from high strength steels. This will matter more as crash forces increase, because of higher speeds or a big truck whacks into you etc.

Personally, I think Dacia’s are a great value proposition, I can totally understand why someone would get one, but you should be aware of what you are compromising to achieve that value.

Edited by wyson on Friday 1st December 08:31

[ChevronB19]

Build configuration tool is up on their website - as far as I can see the *only* 4x4 is the diesel in expression trim, which is disappointing. I wanted a petrol in expression trim, maybe one will come later.

https://www.dacia.co.uk/vehicles/duster/configurat...

[BenS94]

ChevronB19 said:

Build configuration tool is up on their website - as far as I can see the *only* 4x4 is the diesel in expression trim, which is disappointing. I wanted a petrol in expression trim, maybe one will come later.

https://www.dacia.co.uk/vehicles/duster/configurat...

That.... is the old/current car.

[ChevronB19]

BenS94 said:

ChevronB19 said:

Build configuration tool is up on their website - as far as I can see the *only* 4x4 is the diesel in expression trim, which is disappointing. I wanted a petrol in expression trim, maybe one will come later.

https://www.dacia.co.uk/vehicles/duster/configurat...

That.... is the old/current car.

Ah, mea culpa!

[Baldchap]

dxg said:

I'm amazed at how much of the interior (excluding the dash itself, but including all the switchgear and the the lower parts of the central console through to the armrest) are straight out the current Clio.

None of this last generation Renault stuff, it now seems...

Apparently they have been current platforms since the mk2 Sandero, although the interiors were always lower rent. If these have gone 'current' in terms of dashboard etc, I wonder if that signals that the Clio itself is due a new model to maintain its premium?

[PositronicRay]

Mikebentley said:

HTP99 said:

Mikebentley said:

I think it looks fantastic. As Croyde said like a slightly smaller version of the Bigster. I think the design brings it bang up to date too.
The lack of their rotary fan switches is a result because they seemingly were unable to make them that didn’t break. I did 55k miles in 30 months in my LPG car and Renault/Dacia in the UK haven’t got an idea ……..and they also break ….a lot.

I like this new look and hope the improved car more fairly reflects the price they now cost.

News to me, I sell Renault and Dacia!

Anyhow, this will be a big hit, really looking forward to it.

HTP99 I imagine you are excited about it as it will be a big seller. The failure of the fan switches on Renault and subsequently Dacia models is well documented and has been an unresolved issue for at least a decade. I was on number 3 when I finally sold my car and lots on here on the various Duster threads are experiencing the same. My LPG stopped working at least 15 times over the 30 months and with 9 dealer visits it still wasn’t fixed when I gave up. I know of several other owners now who are experiencing the LPG issues I had ( at least one on here) and the dealer pretended I was the only customer with it. I now know 2 people who were having the same trouble at the same dealership at the same time as me so they were just incompetent liars.

As I said I like the look of the new car and hope the quality has improved. I know you were on the other two threads so as far as “News to me . I sell Renault and Dacia!” It really can’t be can it or is it the case of once sold that’s the service teams problem.

The bit that fails is nothing to do with switches, it's the resistor pack that the switches control.

[HTP99]

Mikebentley said:

HTP99 I imagine you are excited about it as it will be a big seller. The failure of the fan switches on Renault and subsequently Dacia models is well documented and has been an unresolved issue for at least a decade. I was on number 3 when I finally sold my car and lots on here on the various Duster threads are experiencing the same. My LPG stopped working at least 15 times over the 30 months and with 9 dealer visits it still wasn’t fixed when I gave up. I know of several other owners now who are experiencing the LPG issues I had ( at least one on here) and the dealer pretended I was the only customer with it. I now know 2 people who were having the same trouble at the same dealership at the same time as me so they were just incompetent liars.

As I said I like the look of the new car and hope the quality has improved. I know you were on the other two threads so as far as “News to me . I sell Renault and Dacia!” It really can’t be can it or is it the case of once sold that’s the service teams problem.

Seriously I have never encountered this "known issue", I have a very close working relationship with the service department we are in the same building, I will notice current customer cars in the workshop, I will ask "oh why is xyz's car in?" not once have I been told "oh an issue with the heater/fan controls", as you can imagine I sell used too, I've never moved a Renault or Dacia , started one on a cold morning putting the heater fan on to defrost it or demo'd one, with a broken fan, or heard my manager moan about having to pay for one, or booked one in for that issue.

When I appraise trade in cars, I always put the fan on to check the A/C, never have I had a fan not work.

[HTP99]

Baldchap said:

dxg said:

I'm amazed at how much of the interior (excluding the dash itself, but including all the switchgear and the the lower parts of the central console through to the armrest) are straight out the current Clio.

None of this last generation Renault stuff, it now seems...

Apparently they have been current platforms since the mk2 Sandero, although the interiors were always lower rent. If these have gone 'current' in terms of dashboard etc, I wonder if that signals that the Clio itself is due a new model to maintain its premium?

As far as I can see, from the first pictures, window switches and steering wheel are shared with the Clio and Captur, likely the indicator and wiper stalks will be too, however centre console and armrest are nothing to do with Clio.

Central screen looks very familiar with the Megane E-Tech, namely the physical heater controls and the touch sensitive buttons just above those which are on the screen.

We think it will be running a version of Android Automotive, good news if so.

[ChevronB19]

Reviewed (in the flesh) on Top Gear site.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/2023-topgearcom-a...

Edited by ChevronB19 on Friday 1st December 09:17