Dacia Duster, 999cc of Throbbing Fun

[TeamBigfoot]

RumbleOfThunder said:

No no no this has to stop! None of the engines are "keen and eager". A functioning AC and radio shouldn't be a plus in 2022. The alleged agility is non-existent and the ride can merely be described as adequate for this class of car. The Duster is a decent choice for the price but deserves non of these superlatives.

Surely its all relative. Within this class (and cost) of car, the duster seems to excel. Sure, when comparing to an SQ8, its not even close, but that costs multiples more.

[politeperson]

Rumbleofthunder, a good tip was given to me years ago.

If you have nothing positive to say, it is better to say nothing.

Come on, what do you drive?

[brough74]

Ive had my duster 3 years now, i bought it to replace a range rover sport that i only did 4000 miles a year in. So i thought what a waste i will get a cheaper 4x4 for dog duties etc. Bought a duster that's got more cameras fitted to it than my range rover had ! the only things i miss are electric heated windscreen and a small big of poke but ive since had my duster mapped. Its a bit like a tin of ronseal as it does exactly what it says on the tin. Cant see me getting rid anytime soon it covers all the base's and the only thing that went wrong was the sensor on the adblue tank which was replaced with no issues what so ever. Some people are just badge snobs

[Mikebentley]

Forgive me throbbers for I have sinned. My RRS has been sold and the mighty Duster has a new stablemate. It has taken 7 months to arrive and after collecting it today I am a little bit in love. The Duster is going nowhere but let me introduce Beastie.

[jamesson]

RumbleOfThunder said:

None of the engines are "keen and eager". A functioning AC and radio shouldn't be a plus in 2022. The alleged agility is non-existent and the ride can merely be described as adequate for this class of car. The Duster is a decent choice for the price but deserves non of these superlatives.

I disagree on the first part. I find the 1.0 triple very zingy and absolutely keen and eager to rev. I agree about the ride though. It's fine and totally acceptable, but nothing outstanding.

What magic carpet ride and spectacular engine does your car have?

[nismo48]

Bought a Dacia Duster Black Shadow edition 4x2 1.5dci in February this year..My wife and I needed a good solid car with good ground clearance and good torque for the steep hills and rugged terrain for our new home up in the Sierra Nevada region of Spain..
It's a 2017 model with 40k kilometres and full Renault/Dacia history..
Absolutely love it to bits and hope to keep it for a few years !!

[wong]

Love the high profile tyres. Cheap to replace as well.
Should be nice and comfy.

[Shinyfings]

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

[bungz]

aircon is okish in my 22 plate, on recirculate its bit better.

[blueST]

Shinyfings said:

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

For the very small cost, it would be worth having it re-gassed. That's what I'm going to do as it isn't as cold as I'd expect, just adequate. I once bought a brand new Focus ST that had weak aircon, they were well-known on the forums to come with insufficient "stuff" in the ac system that just needed a re-gas to sort.

Has anyone noticed how you can really feel the AC compressor kicking in and out, especially on over-run. There is marked changed in engine braking as it comes in and out.

[Shinyfings]

Thx for the ac replies. A bit of thread hijacking but linked and there isn’t a Pistonheads Dacia section of course! I’ll try the dealer as a re gas is £100 due to the later gas Vs older cars. Mind you it worked miracles on my mx5 but there was no way I was going to swing a re gas with a dealer on a 2.5 year old car.

[Mikebentley]

blueST said:

Shinyfings said:

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

For the very small cost, it would be worth having it re-gassed. That's what I'm going to do as it isn't as cold as I'd expect, just adequate. I once bought a brand new Focus ST that had weak aircon, they were well-known on the forums to come with insufficient "stuff" in the ac system that just needed a re-gas to sort.

Has anyone noticed how you can really feel the AC compressor kicking in and out, especially on over-run. There is marked changed in engine braking as it comes in and out.

I think that’s a symptom of having such tiny engine.

[politeperson]

Shinyfings said:

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

My AC is Ice cold, I am sure a trip to the dealer would be worthwhile.

[ChocolateFrog]

Mikebentley said:

Forgive me throbbers for I have sinned. My RRS has been sold and the mighty Duster has a new stablemate. It has taken 7 months to arrive and after collecting it today I am a little bit in love. The Duster is going nowhere but let me introduce Beastie.

One for the murdered out thread.

I like the new Defender only problem is they seem even more common on the roads than the Duster. See loads of them about now.

[ChocolateFrog]

Shinyfings said:

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

It's decent on my 22 plate.

Certainly wouldn't describe it as weak. Might be worth getting it checked out.

[nismo48]

If its any help at all..Our Dacia Duster see earlier post above has adequate A/C but is not as cold as other cars I've owned..Main dealer hear in Spain has serviced and re gassed etc and it is what it is adequate!!
So don't go too mad on the spending or worrying for that matter !!
It cools our car and keeps us comfortable in the high 35c-43c summer heat

Shinyfings said:

Thx for the ac replies. A bit of thread hijacking but linked and there isn’t a Pistonheads Dacia section of course! I’ll try the dealer as a re gas is £100 due to the later gas Vs older cars. Mind you it worked miracles on my mx5 but there was no way I was going to swing a re gas with a dealer on a 2.5 year old car.

[PositronicRay]

ChocolateFrog said:

Shinyfings said:

I have a 22 Duster. Great value Vs the inflated second hand market where I had planned to shop. However, very weak aircon or is this just my car and it needs a trip to Dacia. Nothing like the aircon on my Mazda and I’m talking temp at vents and not cabin temp.

It's decent on my 22 plate.

Certainly wouldn't describe it as weak. Might be worth getting it checked out.

Ours takes a while to get down to temp. You have to work it harder than our Hyundai, but not as hard as our 94 SL Merc on a hot day.

[TeamBigfoot]

So my throbber arrived yesterday.




So far i'm impressed, although the first time trying to fill it with LPG was a challenge, I found the adapter quite fiddly and it took me a few attempts but we go there in the end. I did notice that LPG pumps quite a lot slower than petrol/diesel.

As i'm running the engine in, i've been taking it really easy but at no point does it feel underpowered. Setting off in 1st the clutch is quite bitey but I noticed last night flicking it over to eco mode resolves this. LPG switchover is seamless. I did 45 miles yesterday but struggled to find a really comfortable seating position, I'm sure one exists, i just need to find it.

A full set of rear carshades on order now and I cant wait to put the car to good use this weekend.

[Mikebentley]

Welcome TeamBigfoot. I’m an LPG user too! 32000 miles in 18 months. I like to go to the places that are attended and used by taxi firms. They are a dab hand at attaching the pump. What I do find at BP etc is that due to the angle of the adapter on the car you have to really focus on how it lines up with the pump so it locks in a position where you are able to push the locking lever on the pump over without fouling the cars bodywork. Hope that makes sense. Also get myLPGeu app.

[TeamBigfoot]

Thanks Mike

I'm starting to get used to it. I've filled up with LPG twice now in mainstream fuel stations and noticed that the fillers are looking a bit tired compared to the new looking pumps on petrol/diesel.

I've clocked up 227 miles since last Thursday, I often keep the car in Eco mode which seems to dampen off the throttle - loving the light steering though. I've only driven gently as we are still in the running in period. The car drives well and feels well put together so far. The seats however are ok but no match for my wifes Golf GT or my previous Mercedes R Class. The boot is very large which is a great design feature.

At the weekend, I also had a tailored boot liner delivered. This covers the entire boot floor and sidewalls and also goes up the seat rears which appears to completely seal off the original boot. Only time will tell if it will stop dog hair going behind it but it looks good so far.



As i'm a bit larger (6ft and around 18st), I find that my legs sit against the dash and door handle in normal driving. The left leg isnt a problem as its my calf that sits in against the dash but my right knee was rubbing against the hard plastic drivers door handle which is irritating and can be painful. While I find a proper solution, I've adopted a bodge job fix which seems to work :-)



The added benefit is that we always have a spare for the little one now.