Duster or Bigster, auto or manual.
Discussion
Took a Bigster out today for a short half hour unaccompanied test drive.
The demo car was the 1.8 hybrid auto so keycard in my pocket, like I did with my sadly gone Alpine, I climbed in and went to press the start button.
Nothing. A message saying keycard has to be placed in a cubby saying key here, or some such.
Might as well be a good old fashioned key then
Start button again pressed but I then waited for the engine to explode into life but just some graphics changed on the screen where the speedo and rev dials used to be.
This is so different from my mk2 1.0 petrol Duster
Ah, so being hybrid it starts and runs on electricity. Sorry folks, I've only ever driven mild hybrid rental cars before this experience with a full hybrid.
Off we go, this is lightyears ahead of my old Dacia, wafting off in silence and quite eager too. Straight on to the A4 and brisk smooth acceleration to just under 40, too many cameras to risk going quicker.
Well I have only 25 minutes left of my half hour. Apparently I'm insured until 11am, pretty restrictive, it was all done digitally via my phone. Brave New World.
Best thing will be to take the side road and see what the biggest Dacia is like in the urban landscape. I turn left, and now it's a 20mph zone, and the car is slowing down. Nothing to do with me, I have my foot almost flat to the floor pressing the pedal.
FFS! the bloody car obeys the speed limit, how Big Brother! If I mash the loud pedal it feels like when you engage kickdown in an old school automatic. There's resistance but then the car speeds up.
But ease off and it goes back to obeying the limit. So my progress now looks as if I'm a learner who hasn't mastered clutch control.
I found somewhere to pull over and start going through the menus on the large and well placed screen. I turn off all the nannies but can't find one related to obeying the limits.
This is so annoying. The car looks great, it feels solid, seat and positioning is comfortable, I like the cockpit and interior and the whole package looks well put together and has a chunky, almost military bearing.
Running out of time, I tried to hightail back to the dealer (I couldn't) and parked back on their lot.
I immediately said that I wasn't happy about how the car drove to the sales guy.
Now I find out that there's a button that you press twice to switch all the aids off.
So anyone with a new Duster/Bigster, can you tell me that this is correct, thanks.
I do fancy an automatic but I don't think I need the extra size of the Bigster. It's only around 20cms longer yet the same width, although it does look a lot bulkier, in a nice way.
I sat in a new Duster and from the driver's seat I couldn't really tell whether I was in either car.
The auto hybrid Duster Expression is about £3000 more than the 1.2 petrol but going 'down' to a Duster is a £3000 saving over the equivalent Bigster.
So fellow Dacia owners, which should I go for
Just as long as I can turn that damn speed limit thing off.
The demo car was the 1.8 hybrid auto so keycard in my pocket, like I did with my sadly gone Alpine, I climbed in and went to press the start button.
Nothing. A message saying keycard has to be placed in a cubby saying key here, or some such.
Might as well be a good old fashioned key then
Start button again pressed but I then waited for the engine to explode into life
but just some graphics changed on the screen where the speedo and rev dials used to be.This is so different from my mk2 1.0 petrol Duster
Ah, so being hybrid it starts and runs on electricity. Sorry folks, I've only ever driven mild hybrid rental cars before this experience with a full hybrid.
Off we go, this is lightyears ahead of my old Dacia, wafting off in silence and quite eager too. Straight on to the A4 and brisk smooth acceleration to just under 40, too many cameras to risk going quicker.
Well I have only 25 minutes left of my half hour. Apparently I'm insured until 11am, pretty restrictive, it was all done digitally via my phone. Brave New World.
Best thing will be to take the side road and see what the biggest Dacia is like in the urban landscape. I turn left, and now it's a 20mph zone, and the car is slowing down. Nothing to do with me, I have my foot almost flat to the floor pressing the pedal.
FFS! the bloody car obeys the speed limit, how Big Brother! If I mash the loud pedal it feels like when you engage kickdown in an old school automatic. There's resistance but then the car speeds up.
But ease off and it goes back to obeying the limit. So my progress now looks as if I'm a learner who hasn't mastered clutch control.
I found somewhere to pull over and start going through the menus on the large and well placed screen. I turn off all the nannies but can't find one related to obeying the limits.
This is so annoying. The car looks great, it feels solid, seat and positioning is comfortable, I like the cockpit and interior and the whole package looks well put together and has a chunky, almost military bearing.
Running out of time, I tried to hightail back to the dealer (I couldn't) and parked back on their lot.
I immediately said that I wasn't happy about how the car drove to the sales guy.
Now I find out that there's a button that you press twice to switch all the aids off.
So anyone with a new Duster/Bigster, can you tell me that this is correct, thanks.
I do fancy an automatic but I don't think I need the extra size of the Bigster. It's only around 20cms longer yet the same width, although it does look a lot bulkier, in a nice way.
I sat in a new Duster and from the driver's seat I couldn't really tell whether I was in either car.
The auto hybrid Duster Expression is about £3000 more than the 1.2 petrol but going 'down' to a Duster is a £3000 saving over the equivalent Bigster.
So fellow Dacia owners, which should I go for
Just as long as I can turn that damn speed limit thing off.
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