Alternative Dacia Duster review

[flatso]

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.

I believe they offer an auto box coupled with a petrol engine in Russia and Ukraine, but not for other countries.
Had they offered an auto box I would've allready baught two of these. Honestly these things have no competition with regards to price and what you're getting for it.
I travel a couple of times a year to Romania and the Logans and Dusters are über-reliable and tough. Its not uncommon to see Logan as Taxis with well over 500tkm running almost flawlessly....24H/day on Romanian roads, in congested cities, and on the weekend taking the family to the country side where quite often there are no "roads"... taking quite a beating. The cab drivers there love these things, some say they are even tougher than the old W123's which were legendary.

[DonkeyApple]

Thanks for the review.

I really like these cars. I think there is a real shortage of stripped out vehicles in the market and a car like this just highlights how much profit you are paying for other cars and also how much money for gadgets you really don't need.

I would seriously consider one of these as a London car or either to sit out at the house as a local runabout.

[KTF]

I am also hopeful that they will offer an auto when they refresh the engine line up after the Frankfurt reveal of the facelift model.

The engine line up they offer at the moment can be had with an automatic in current Renaults (and other markers as noted) so there is nothing stopping them from offering it here.

Then they need to fit climate and I will be all set

[Fullmeister]

Tempted out of my E61 535d for one of these .......

[Fullmeister]

[quote=kapiteinlangzaam]

Pass around that crack you are smoking, it must be great!

I need a four wheel drive where I live plus something I don't care about leaving anywhere and the optional 5 yr warranty .
Love the BMW but bog standard transport required with no future worries about DPF/£500 quid discs and pads/etc etc

(not that I need to justify myself or anything you understand ......)

Edited by Fullmeister on Sunday 1st September 21:01

Edited by Fullmeister on Sunday 1st September 21:02

[velocitas]

I'd one of these (Renault Duster) as a rental car on a business trip to Brazil.

Agree with the OP on the bluetooth (music streaming) radio - something which my 2012 BMW can't do and generally the quality is up to par with lots of early 2000s Renault Megane interior bits to recognize.

Only downside was the 1.6 Petrol engine which was massively underpowered and lacked the torque to deal with elevation changes - had to keep working it hard to keep up smaller cars on B roads

[SV8Predator]

velocitas said:

lacked the torque to deal with elevation changes -

Do you mean, like, when you go up a hill?

[velocitas]

SV8Predator said:

Do you mean, like, when you go up a hill?

Basically I spent a lot of time out on steep country roads with lots of sharp bends and speed limits of 30mph & 50mph, not dissimilar to parts of the Alps. I'd have to slow down for the bend, change down to 2nd rev it 5000rpm to get back up to 50mph and then select 3rd where it would bog down again but just mange to hold it's speed in the climbing lane while normal traffic whizzed by.

I haven't driven the Diesel but hopefully the extra torque goes someway resolving this

[Denis O]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

^^^ My post was made distinctly with tongue in cheek - having said that I could never, ever make a jump from something as accomplished as an E61 to a Duster, unless of course I had absolutely no choice.

Fine cars for what they do (the Dacias), alas Luxury, comfortable, accomplished etc are words which I will not be associating with the marque any time soon.

I suspect a 4x4 Duster is significantly more "accomplished", across a snowy field or up a rutted track, than an E61. I would also question your comfort comment although I would comletely agree with the luxury difference.

However, to compare cars that are respectively £15k and £45k new, is fallacious at best.

[Bill Carr]

velocitas said:

I'd have to slow down for the bend, change down to 2nd rev it 5000rpm to get back up to 50mph and then select 3rd

Isn't that called "driving"?

[velocitas]

Bill Carr said:

Isn't that called "driving"?

I thought I might get a bit of stick for that post!

I was trying to convey what a bloody awful chore it was to keep dragging this thing along. Don't get me wrong in something like an S2000 those roads would have been brilliant but the 1.6 Duster was one of those cars you drove with your foot through the firewall, ears bleeding while still being overtaken by everyone else as you crept up the climbing lane.

Pic of the car in question:

[Noesph]

HertsBiker said:

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.

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.

Glad you like your car.

Saying that, as a twingo owner, I've noticed the gear stick, ashtray, lighter, door handles, stalks, speakers, radio, steering wheel, headrests and front seats, pedals, a/c controls etc all looked very familiar when I had a look at one......

[HertsBiker]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

^^^ My post was made distinctly with tongue in cheek - having said that I could never, ever make a jump from something as accomplished as an E61 to a Duster, unless of course I had absolutely no choice.

Fine cars for what they do (the Dacias), alas Luxury, comfortable, accomplished etc are words which I will not be associating with the marque any time soon.

Do you really think a softly sprung armchair is going to be less comfortable than a leather filled car with no suspension travel? I agree it isn't all that luxurious but disagree about comfort.

[Vladimir]

There were TONNES of them in Spain and France (we did 5 weeks there in our camper)!

Our Jimny used to go almost anywhere - it had naff all torque.

[DennisTheMenace]

They sell these in South Africa baged as Renault's, same goes for the Sandero. not a bad car if all you want is to go A-B without all the added crap that goes wrong.

Nissan are about to launch the Terrano which is a face and arse tarted version of the Duster.

I reckon the cheap basic cars are going to do well in the future,

[DonkeyApple]

Dennis said:

I reckon the cheap basic cars are going to do well in the future,

You'd think so. But in the UK most people seem to prefer to live on Iceland arse scrapings and debt they can never pay in order to have a brand on their driveway, unlike in Europe where people have a better tendency to treat cars as just a tool to move from A to B.

I suspect that as per usual something like the Duster is being bought in the UK by smarter people who have more money but don't see the purpose in throwing it around.

[LuS1fer]

I had a look at the Dacias and am no fan of technology but i found them a little lacking inside. Depends what you want I suppose but it looked very dull.

[radiodanno]

DonkeyApple said:

You'd think so. But in the UK most people seem to prefer to live on Iceland arse scrapings and debt they can never pay in order to have a brand on their driveway, unlike in Europe where people have a better tendency to treat cars as just a tool to move from A to B.

I suspect that as per usual something like the Duster is being bought in the UK by smarter people who have more money but don't see the purpose in throwing it around.

This is pretty typical.

The nouveau riche couple next door to me have a a Evoque and an A5. Both in white (obviously) and both in debt up to their eyes (not so obviously)

Meanwhile my 'old money' friend Ben rocks about in an early Subary Forester and holes in his shoes.

It's trying to hard I think (but each to their own).

I'm going to look at a Duster next week. More out of curiosity than anything else.

[Fullmeister]

radiodanno said:

This is pretty typical.

The nouveau riche couple next door to me have a a Evoque and an A5. Both in white (obviously) and both in debt up to their eyes (not so obviously)

Meanwhile my 'old money' friend Ben rocks about in an early Subary Forester and holes in his shoes.

It's trying to hard I think (but each to their own).

I'm going to look at a Duster next week. More out of curiosity than anything else.

Well ?

[KTF]

The Nissan Terrano version looks even better as they had a bit more cash to throw at it:

http://overdrive.in/news/2013-nissan-terrano-unvei...