Roof-tenting, Duster-style | PH Footnote
We know what the new Duster is like on UK roads; how does it perform as a double bedroom on a very special stag do?
It feels odd popping the ‘Ring into my nav in something that sits so high from the ground. Relatively slow, too. Before today, I’d only ever driven to the world’s most infamous racetrack with a decent amount of power to propel me there.
Yet my arrival at the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours sees the Sandstone-coloured Duster garner thumbs up and hollers of “Ja! Engländer im Dacia!” from eager racegoers. A 140hp hybrid SUV ought not to brighten the eyes of N24 devotees, yet there’s something so honest and genuine about the guts beneath this one that proper car folk seem to adore it.
It helps that Dacia is a modern N24 hero, too, thanks to the plucky little Logan of Münster-based Olli’s Garage. The eruption of whoops and cheers each time it passes the inebriated Nordschleife crowds proves that underdog spirit isn’t the sole reserve of us Brits.
We headed to the N24 in a trio, Matt Bird leading the way in his mighty 325Ti as we celebrated his stag do at an event that’s enraptured us both in a working capacity. This year, our laptops stayed at home, their place dutifully filled with beers and BBQ food, with plenty of room for both in my car: the lovely people at Latitude stuck one of their box tents atop the Duster’s roof rack, an especially welcome addition when our arrival at the ‘Ring late on Friday evening relegated us to camping spots on hard ground or a severe incline. The self-levelling anchor of Latitude’s stepladder ensures you can still sleep flat and in relative peace. Once the pumping ‘Schlager’ music has ceased…
With prices starting at £1,195, Latitude setups don’t look cheap, but I think the impetus to leap in the car and explore will be much greater when you’re faced with a five-minute mechanism rather than a canvas tent that needs unpacking, unfurling, and is missing half of its pegs. It helps that Latitude founder Charlie Evans has a fine taste in retro German cars, too. We should have stuck one on Bird’s Compact…
N24 ’25 coincided with an almighty, Europe-wide heatwave. Neither Matt nor I have ever known conditions like it, making camping a stifling affair. But a relaxed evening seated under my slick mezzanine level – Bitburgers in hand as the grill simmered – was a delightful way to ease into a weekend of racing.
Saturday race day began with the beguiling Classic race, the Mk2 Astras and 309 GTis just as arresting as fully decked-out 911s, before a baking hot build-up to race start. The Olli’s Garage Logan sadly didn’t get going from the grid – but fate lent an unexpected hand to bump it back into the race. After just nine laps of the race, red flags descended. Typically tumultuous Eifel weather ensures the N24 is no stranger to race stoppages – the 2024 race was the shortest ever, running under eight hours in total – yet this year’s pause was down to a power cut knackering the telemetry.
The two-hour recess gave the Olli’s Garage folk a chance to ease their mechanical maladies and by the time us stags had commandeered a lift into the forest (props to former staffer Dafydd and his Mk7 Golf R) the daring little Dacia was back on track – to the delight of the doe-eyed (and drunk) crowds from Pflanzgarten, through Brünnchen and past Wipperman where the spectacular makeshift pubs of the most dedicated campers begin to envelop you.
The Logan didn’t finish (sob) but completed 90 laps and almost 17 hours of racing; Rowe Racing took the overall win in their BMW M4 GT3 after local heroes Manthey were hit with a 100-second penalty. “We work with the simplest of means to bring dreams to the track,” declared the OIli’s Garage Insta post. “Together we're creating something that's bigger than any of us individually.” Shmaltzy, yes. But they represent a delightfully relatable dream to a bunch of mates hiking through the forest who might – with a relatively modest budget and the requisite race smarts – consider joining this grid in a way Le Mans or Bathurst would simply never allow.
And as for my less racy Dacia? Impressions from a hectic few days largely mirror those from its UK launch event last autumn, albeit with a big wallop to its fuel economy thanks to the new dormer bedroom. A mite under 40mpg isn’t bad, though, when Dacia claims 55mpg with nothing on the roof. More frequent and raucous interruptions from its engine were the biggest telltale we’d messed so dramatically with its aero. Its nat-asp 1.6 didn’t seem quite so refined this time around, but I was hauling a lot more stuff and pushing the Duster hard in the Eifel hills to keep up with the Compact. Something it did deftly; its steering is fairly free of feel, but its chassis is more than decent enough to hang onto the coattails of the mighty little Bee Em, however vigorous its body roll feels.
A couple of years ago, a Hyundai i20N slotted nearly into my budget and was the only car on my shortlist. If I was seeking a new car on a similar budget now, the near non-existent ICE hot hatch market means there’s a decent chance I’d gravitate towards one of these. Being a petrolhead doesn’t always mean chasing the outer limits of grip; it can involve the much simpler appreciation of a car with laser-focused purpose and ability (in whatever form those take). The Duster sits in a fairly select pantheon of cars that nail their brief without distraction.
Being able to manually muscle in on its curious transmission would help soothe its manners on motorways and in the hills, but this is otherwise a car that represents phenomenally good value and is, crucially, a total charmer. A verdict that a straw poll of N24 diehards ought to attest.
Specification | 2024 Dacia Duster Hybrid 140 Expression
Engine: 1,598cc four-cylinder plus 1.2kWh traction battery
Transmission: Multi-mode clutchless automatic, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 139 @ 5,600rpm (total)
Torque (lb ft): 109 @ 3,600rpm (petrol), 151 @ 1,630rpm (electric)
0-62mph: 10.1 secs
Top speed: 105mph
Weight: 1,380kg
MPG: 55.4 (WLTP)
CO2: 114g/km (WLTP)
Price: £24,245
On the positives it is a big car for the cash and feels well screwed together with cheap plastics that don’t rattle. Oh and it’s cheap to buy.
I was open minded but no.
The tent alone weighs 45kg.....
Only downside so far is it’s heavy and needs a couple of people to lift on and off
They re not on TV anymore giving it the you do the maths
Playing with the big boys now, lack of toys looks mean not frugal.
Roof boxes worst of all worlds. Only useful when camping in areas full of snakes and scorpions, otherwise get a decent tent/caravan/camper
The tent alone weighs 45kg.....
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