Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi 4x4 - budget SUV

For several years, a real revolution has been taking place on the automotive market, the place of the classic segments is quickly taken over by niche structures - meeting many different expectations. Among the popular Japanese, Korean and German SUVs on the Polish market, their budget alternative has been boldly making for several years.

Renault is to blame for everything. The French a few years ago decided to make a little-known, communist brand - Dacia - a serious player. After the success of the first few models, production of the affordable SUV began in 2010 . The neat body was drawn in a very thoughtful way, the effect of the designers' work is liked by virtually everyone. By paying a few hundred zlotys, we can diversify the appearance of the Romanian car with solid sills made of steel pipes , as well as a tubular cover for the front bumper (it is an excellent basis for accessory lighting). Active users will also appreciate the large rear-view mirrors and the solid chrome-plated roof rails .

Budget interior with character

The distinguishing feature of each Dacia is an aesthetically drawn interior , unfortunately it was made of cheap materials - well, this is the price of production savings. Nevertheless, the rich equipment on board allows you to forget about the quality of the interior. Behind the one-plane adjustable steering wheel (unfortunately covered with cheap plastic) there is a set of classic clocks with an on- board computer screen. The central console was significantly improved during the facelift, removing the buttons that control the windshields from it. At its top (optional) is installed a color touch screen for navigation and other multimedia known from many models of the Renault concern. Just below it are simple air conditioning control knobs .

Travel conditions

The front seats offer sufficient driving comfort, also on long journeys - unfortunately, they have been poorly profiled , and what is worse, we can only dream of the armrest. Two adults or three youngest will comfortably sit on the back sofa - the whole thing is completed with an (optional) upholstery made of ecological leather . The Duster four-wheel drive trunk takes a sensible 408 liters of vacation packages.

Proven mechanics

Everyone will find an offer for themselves in the Duster drive palette. However, it is the top 1.5 dCI diesel engine that presents the most advantages, also for a caravanner. A well-known unit from other models of the concern, in this case generates 110 HP and 240 Nm - they go to the wheels via a manual six-speed gearbox . The first gear is surprisingly short, thanks to which starting with a heavy trailer (the maximum weight of the trailer with an overrun brake is 1370 kg ) or off-road driving is much easier (they do not burden the engine and drive system). Duster in city traffic is satisfied with 6.5 liters of diesel fuel per 100 km, while on the road, fuel consumption drops to about 5 units (when towing a trailer, you have to take into account the consumption of about 6-7 liters ).

Standard Dacia Duster is equipped with front-wheel drive, more expensive configurations use simple four-wheel drive. Depending on the selected operating mode of the drive ( front-wheel, Auto or Lock ), power and torque go only to the front axle, both axles depending on the available traction, or permanently to four wheels - only up to 40 km / h . An SUV configured in this way costs about PLN 70,000 , a real opportunity compared to the competition.