New Dacia Duster

Less than a minute (54 sec) is the time it takes to see a Dacia come off the assembly line in Pitesti-Romania. This cadence is possible thanks to the technological advancement of Global Access, a program that the Renault Group started in 2004, at the time with Logan. After that we’ve already gone through the ‘dark’ years of the much-vaunted crisis, we’ve seen the arrival of the SUV for the budget-conscious and now, the opportunity to meet the Duster renovation, which continues to decline in different levels of equipment and choices of traction.

In equipment, we find the Essential, Comfort and Prestige, while in motor skills there are still 4×2 and 4×4 choices, with the first framed in class 1 and the 4×4 in class 2, the latter with or without green lane . In the Euro NCAP safety classification there are no changes, in a car where the optional prices are in the hundreds of euros.

From the outside, the Duster has barely noticeable new features, such as the smaller side glazed area or windshield inclination, which contrast with the new front bumper and front and rear light groups. Although there is a 02 mm difference in the distance between lanes, the length of the Dusters is equal with 4,341 mm, with the highest 4×4 being 11 mm. The entry angles are equal, while the exit angle of the 4×4 has 1º less than the 4×2. With good accessibility, this SUV grants good levels of habitability, with the luggage compartment providing 445 liters of capacity, adjustable up to 1,623 liters by folding the rear seats (411/376 and 1,614/1,559 liters in the 4X4 with or without spare wheel costing 90 ,0 € for the whole range). Regarding the towable weight with brakes, it reaches 1,500 kg, a value that we consider good for this model, whose tares are around these values. They are 1,366 kg for the 4×2 and 1,427 kg for the 4×4.

Upon entering Duster’s cabin, we noticed some aesthetic changes. Although the quality of composite materials (aka plastics) has not changed in an obvious way, there is a noticeable improvement in finishing, ergonomics of the controls and the arrangement of information, both on the instrument panel and on the central display from which the visualization is accessed. of reversing manoeuvres, audio controls, vehicle settings and navigation. On the 4×4 it also allows you to view an inclinometer and its gradient, geographic orientation and lateral inclination. New climate controls allow for more intuitive handling.

At the controls, the first impression has to do with the refinement behind the wheel. When driving, the sensations show smoothness and precision, in a car that provides a satisfactory level of rolling comfort, and a good dynamic performance achieved through suspensions and brakes. Without the standards of other models of the Group, in front of which it is presented at a lower price, the Duster deserved better soundproofing, especially when using Diesel above 3,000 rpm. It is true that above 1,800~2,000 rpm you can already get a pleasant use of 110 hp, well scaled in the six manual transmission ratios. As for consumption, these are quite moderate, especially if we think about the weight of Duster. In a brief contact behind the wheel and in the 4×2 version, we obtained 4.6 liters/100 km at an average of 51.9 km/h on the usual mixed route (AE+EN+Urbano). In the 4×4 and because we used another type of use, consumption was at 4.9 at an average of 27.0 km/h, which translates into more urban and off-road driving, where we were able to assess the potential of the version 4 ×4, whose accelerations and reruns are slightly different from those of the 4×2. To get all-wheel drive, just turn a knob placed between the seats, where we also found the auto throttle selector and speed limiter.

Technical characteristics