For a change of pace, Magneto magazine decided to get behind the wheel of the new and wonderfully simple 2024 Dacia Duster SUV – and I was the first in the office to grab the keys.
Gone is the air of a discount supermarket and in its place that of a sporting goods shop. More Decathlon than Orvis, admittedly – but while that might sound like I’m damning the Duster, really I’m not. Ever since I saw hordes of the 2010 model, shod with steelies, wearing black bumpers and running around Alpine ski resorts on snow chains, I’ve been a fan of the Dacia’s unpretentious nature and obvious value for money. Now there’s a little more sophistication, but it’s presented without any hint of sophistry.
There is road driving on the UK launch, but we’ll get to that. First comes an off-road stint round a quarry, set deep in the uplands of the Derbyshire Dales. There’s rock, mud and water to clamber over and glug through, trees to dodge, inclines to scale and slopes to cling to (we end up at 23º laterally). And the 4×4 version of the Duster is just brilliant, tackling everything, feeling enormously robust and capable, and doing its bit to help the driver according to the setting you choose on the rotary control in the centre console.
There’s a little more sophistication, but it’s presented without any hint of sophistry
There’s even a hill-descent function, not unlike that of a rather well known family of off-road vehicles, many of which are trimmed with leather and open-pore veneers rather than the wipe-clean technical fabrics, tough plastics and dished, hose-out rubber mats we have here. No turbodiesel low-rev lugging, though, and you have to juggle clutch and six-speed manual trans yourself, but that makes it all so much more involving, and leaves you thankful for both the on-boost urge of the 128bhp 1.2-litre 48V mild-hybrid turbo triple and its docility when you need to tread with caution.
This model is yours for £26,000; you can spec an optional ‘sleep pack’ (basically a folding bed platform) and make the most of standard modular roof rails that can be repositioned transversely. Also standard are a modified front bumper and raised ride height, for a 31º approach angle, 36º in departure and 217mm ground clearance.
There are mud and snow tyres and a parallel-link rear axle in place of the front-driver’s twist beam, while the all-new platform takes care of increased stiffness and better suspension location, improved acoustics and new active safety electronics (that are also easy to switch off). Despite all that, the Duster is no heavier than before, and features 20% recycled plastics. The aim is to make the Duster “the best 4×4 among non-specialists”. That’s quite an accolade to add to its “best-selling SUV in Europe” status.
We then take to the road in the new full-hybrid version, similar in price but with a 1598cc four-cylinder/electric combo that adds up to 138bhp and drives the front wheels through a four-speed auto ’box. It’s easy-going and plods along softly, although perhaps it’s better suited to an urban environment than the steep and winding lanes in these parts.
In fact, my favourite variant away from the mud is the mid-ranking TCe 130 Expression, which costs supermini money at £21k, comes with the same engine and gearbox as the 4×4, and includes a no-nonsense equipment level that runs to air-con and full-screen phone connectivity (there’s some proper switchgear, too). The engine revs enthusiastically and feels more than gutsy enough in the hills, although it has a tendency to hang on to revs. The gearlever is positioned a little too far forwards, too, and is tricky to reach if you lazily rest your elbow on the centre console box; avoid laziness and you’ll forever be smacking that same elbow into that same box.
You might wish for more feel and precision through the steering, but that’s really the only dynamic letdown in a car that rides comfortably and handles neatly if without great verve. More importantly for most, it is spacious, ultra-practical (full of nooks, crannies, hooks and anchors), and – that rare thing these days – characterful. It might be a little more complicated than it used to be, but the pleasures the Duster offers are still simple ones. Which is exactly how it should be.
