Dacia achieved the unthinkable in making its chunky SUV better in every way yet no more expensive
The new Dacia Duster is the best kind of car made better – yet barely any pricier.
Okay, some people will see this as a foolish choice. When offered the chance to choose a favourite car of 2024, why on earth would you go for something so cheap and modest? You could choose a McLaren etc. Well, I have three reasons.
First, I’m oddly happy with simple cars. Dacia’s much-quoted mantra – everything you want, nothing you don’t – appeals powerfully to me, just as it does to many others. Duster sales are strong and not everyone buys Dacias solely on price.
Second, there’s already a Duster in our family, a just-superseded 4×4 diesel that amasses miles without seeming to (38,000 so far). I’m well familiar with remarks like “let’s just take the Duster”, because my family and I know that the car’s top-level convenience and economy will be underpinned by comfort and ease of parking.
The third reason is the killer. The new 4×4 Duster is usefully better than mine in nearly every way: roomier yet no bigger in road footprint, better-riding, quieter and more refined.
It still looks pleasingly Dusterish but much more modern. I know all this for certain, because I recently took my own car to the UK launch in Derbyshire and was able to make a direct comparison (which you can watch above).
Off-roading was admittedly different: the three-pot 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol unit replacing my 1.5-litre diesel didn’t have the same lugging power. But it was a lot smoother, and off-roading was just as easy if you dipped the clutch here and there to keep the engine revving.
In short, the 2025 Duster is exactly the car to please existing owners when it comes time to change, progressing on all fronts without doing any damage to the marque’s treasured simplicity – or adding much to the sensible pricing. All of which is why I spend foolish amounts of time thinking of reasons to change.
Trouble is, my existing model is still in its prime and has done absolutely nothing wrong, so my desire for the new one is overlaid by feelings of disloyalty to the old. But I guess we all know where this is leading.