Dacia Duster | PH Fleet
Time with the outgoing Duster is up - should you buy one?
And just like that, time with our second mighty Duster on the PH Fleet is up. We maxed out the option list on a first generation model back in 2017 to a grand total of £18,980, getting us a nappy brown 1.2-litre TCe 125 4x4 (manual). Adjusted for inflation, that’s £24,182 in today’s money. Our 2023 Dacia Duster Journey TCe 150 Auto 4x2 EDC this time around was £23,095 as tested with only two driven wheels instead of four, but frankly, it still looked like a great value proposition.
Back in 2017 a base spec Duster would have set you back £9,545 (£12,160 today adjusted for inflation) and this has nearly doubled now to £17,295. But, and there’s a big but, the Duster truly is a car for every man (and woman) and their dog in 2024. The first generation car was applauded for its simplicity and low price, but I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. Yes it was cheap, but it felt cheap and frankly, I can’t say I miss it, nor would I have bought one.
The Duster has come such a long way since, and now I do genuinely miss NG72 MKL. This is no longer a bargain basement special but a genuinely good car that still feels a bargain at today’s price point. Lets not forget the cheapest Nissan Qashqai is nearly £10k dearer. And if the standard three year warranty isn’t quite long enough for you, for £415 you can extend it to six years/60,000 miles or six years/100,000 miles for £715. A no brainer if you’re planning to keep it for a while and want that extra added piece of mind. Which is helpful, when our weekend toys and project cars have the tendency for throwing big bills at us.
Of course, Dacia aren’t contending with the Germans for luxury or cabin quality, but that’s not really what you’re buying a Duster for either. It’s simple and still pretty plasticky, but our Journey-specced model had everything you’d realistically need in a daily with cruise control, an eight-inch screen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, parking sensors, four Multiview cameras, heated seats, keyless entry, and most importantly of all, proper knurled knobs for adjusting the climate control too.
The peppy 150hp 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine was an absolute breeze to live with, as weighing in at 1,263kg, this was no two-tonne truck to haul about and you could really feel that light weight on the move. And naturally that weight was reflected in the fuel economy too, averaging 44mpg during my time with it. The six-speed automatic gearbox isn’t lightning quick but it’s perfectly up to the job and still the ‘box I’d go for for everyday driving. I’ve loved the squishy ride and - dare I say - even had some fun hustling it down a b-road.
It has been a cracking work horse for us, from lugging around Sunday Service equipment to moving house and even being a campervan at Le Mans. The million dollar question though, is has it swayed me to buy one? As my own personal daily, I’m not prepared to give up something fast just yet and it’s a little too small for my growing family to replace my wife’s Kia Sportage. But when the kids are older and there’s less crap to lug about, it’ll definitely be on the cards in either Journey or Extreme TCE 150 4x2 Automatic spec in Dusty Khaki. So if you can all go out and buy a load so there’s a decent amount to pick from on the used market, that would be ace.
Until then, we’re looking forward to the all-new Duster and will remember the outgoing model fondly.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2023 Dacia Duster Journey TCe 150 Auto 4x2 EDC
Price as tested: £23,095 comprising urban grey paint (£650) and spare wheel (£300)
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: March 2023
Mileage: 6,230 (delivered on 633)
Previous reports
- The return of the Dacia Duster!
- The unsung hero of PH25
- Cleaning up at Le Mans
- Removal van, storage unit and camera car, all in one!
Don't waste your money, the dealers are terrible you'd just be paying £715 for an appointment many weeks in the future where they'll fob you off anyway.
They don't get that bit right for people with a 1 year old car, imagine how far down the priority list you'd be in a 6 year old car.
Luckily the cars are generally reliable and Dacia sit near the top of most reliability surveys.
Don't waste your money, the dealers are terrible you'd just be paying £715 for an appointment many weeks in the future where they'll fob you off anyway.
They don't get that bit right for people with a 1 year old car, imagine how far down the priority list you'd be in a 6 year old car.
Luckily the cars are generally reliable and Dacia sit near the top of most reliability surveys.
By rights I should hate this car given it hasn't exactly been a paragon of build quality in the 3 years and 50k miles from new, except I don't because it has something special that can best be described as charm/character that means I can forgive it far more than I ever forgave my Z4 that got sold as soon as it flashed a warning light at me.
In short, yes, buy a Duster as they are great but take the extended warranty.
Don't waste your money, the dealers are terrible you'd just be paying £715 for an appointment many weeks in the future where they'll fob you off anyway.
They don't get that bit right for people with a 1 year old car, imagine how far down the priority list you'd be in a 6 year old car.
Luckily the cars are generally reliable and Dacia sit near the top of most reliability surveys.
By rights I should hate this car given it hasn't exactly been a paragon of build quality in the 3 years and 50k miles from new, except I don't because it has something special that can best be described as charm/character that means I can forgive it far more than I ever forgave my Z4 that got sold as soon as it flashed a warning light at me.
In short, yes, buy a Duster as they are great but take the extended warranty.
. Thankfully my 2019 Dacia has been 100% reliable, only issue it's had is me hitting a roebuck.By rights I should hate this car given it hasn't exactly been a paragon of build quality in the 3 years and 50k miles from new, except I don't because it has something special that can best be described as charm/character that means I can forgive it far more than I ever forgave my Z4 that got sold as soon as it flashed a warning light at me.
In short, yes, buy a Duster as they are great but take the extended warranty.
Personally I wouldn't have taken my car in for any of those faults, quicker and easier just to fix it myself even within the warranty period.
Someone smashed into it when it was <2 yrs old, it was poorly repaired by insurer, I flogged it to WBAC, it was sold through BCA, clocked & sold on, & has seemingly had another large haircut & been sold again.
All in all a pretty dubious history befitting a pretty dubious Duster. Funnily enough I don't miss it.
Just looking at the coverage of the new one & found it didn't appeal to me in anything near the same way, electric handbrake, infotainment based HVAC controls are two of my big pet peeves, the swapping of the diesel for a hybrid petrol is a big downer given it's my ~20-25k/yr work van it's replacing. The old x-trail based t-case was a big perk of the outgoing Duster, it seems they're following in Suzukis steps and going for an electronically controlled viscous coupling in the new one, which will simply not be as robust in sticky stuff or towing.
And little things, it just doesn't look as purposeful, the upswept bumpers of the old one, great for approach & departer angles offroad & that lended themselves to bash plate reinforcement, replaced with 'sporty' angular things waiting to get ripped off with real use. I have however seen speculation that the 4x4 extreme will have different bumpers than the one showcased at the announcement. Photos have also leaked of the new frame with the 1.5 diesel in it, But it's possible (likely for the engine) niether is due for western Europe.
A heated windscreen would be nice but it definitely feels like a step down to the cookie cutter commuter SUV market with the new model. But I guess only time will tell.
"Diesel has been dropped from the Duster’s powertrain line-up. “It’s dying in Europe; clients don’t want this any more,” said engineering executive Julien Ferry."
Ironically, other than the above it has been fine and seems a lot of car for the money. However, it does seem that the price is creeping up and I'm less sure they are the bargain they were. I think I probably bought mine at the right time and will likely try to sell it at the right time. I don't really fancy having one out of warranty.
Sportage was her choice, although it has been a brilliant family car too. Sportage was her choice, although it has been a brilliant family car too.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff