All-new Dacia Duster revealed: Carwow gets hands-on with budget-friendly SUV

• New Dacia Duster revealed
• Completely overhauled styling
• All-new interior tech
• Hybrid engine offered for the first time
• LPG-powered version also available
• On sale later this year

This is the all-new Dacia Duster, and it gets a completely revamped design with inspiration taken from the Bigster concept we saw a few years ago.

In addition to the rugged new look, this new alternative to the MG HS and Citroen C5 Aircross gets some new hybrid engines, as well as all the latest safety tech.

How much is the new Dacia Duster?

Pricing for the new Dacia Duster hasn’t been finalised for the UK, but expect it to arrive with a very competitive price point of less than £20,000. Value is always a given when buying a Dacia, so expect the Duster to undercut its main competitors by a significant margin. Finance packages don’t always have the most favourable interest rates, but the low list price means monthly costs are often still far cheaper than comparably sized SUVs.

Four trim levels will be offered. Essential includes rear parking sensors, air-conditioning and fixed roof bags, but does without a central touchscreen or alloy wheels. Expression is the next step up and has 17-inch alloys, a 7.0-inch digital dashboard and 10.1-inch centre touchscreen with a reversing camera and smartphone connectivity.

Above this you can go in two different directions. The Extreme model is a bit more rugged, and has washable upholstery, rubber floor mats, climate control, Dacia’s clever modular roof bars and keyless entry. The Journey model also has climate control and keyless entry, but also has foglights, 18-inch alloy wheels and an upgraded sound system.

New Dacia Duster design

The Dacia Duster has always had a slightly utilitarian look which lends it a rugged charm. This all-new version builds on the same philosophy, with plenty of styling cues taken from the Bigster concept.

The new Duster retains the upright front end design of the outgoing car, however the headlights are now much slimmer and are neatly integrated into the grille. That chunky lower bumper design also looks like it’s lifted straight from the Bigster concept.

All that tough-looking cladding down the side is made of a clever material called Starkle, a type of sturdy plastic which is made up of 20% recycled materials. Alloy wheels start at 17-inches, rising to 18s on higher-spec cars.

The rear end has been given a much more modern look than the outgoing Duster, with some funky triangular tail lights smartening things up nicely. It also has a more sloping roofline, helping this SUV look a bit more sporty.

New Dacia Duster interior and infotainment

Basic models of the Dacia Duster really live up to that title – they don’t even get a central screen. Instead, you get a mount for your phone in the middle of the dashboard, from which you can run a bespoke Dacia app or your own choice of sat nav and media. The car does still have a radio if you don’t want to plug in your phone; you can control this via the small screen in the instrument panel and the buttons on the steering wheel.

Most models come with a 10.1-inch touchscreen instead, which is much brighter, slicker and better-looking than in any Dacia that’s come before this. It offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as displaying the reversing camera, while top-spec models also get built-in sat nav.

The overall style is sort of cyberpunk meets lumberjack. It’s clearly designed for hard work outdoors, with rubber floor mats, wipe-clean surfaces and nice touches like off-road specific information available on the infotainment screen. But it’s also quite cool and angular, and uses interesting textures and patterns to hide the fact that the materials are quite a long way from plush.

Though the steering wheel and gear selector feel nice enough in the hand, areas such as the door cards and armrests are made entirely of hard, unyielding plastics. These will no doubt stand up to some real punishment but they don’t conjure up a very premium feel – nor are they that nice to touch. That is to be expected given the car’s price, though.

There are plenty of storage slots for odds and ends, including a shelf perfectly sized for your smartphone, a pair of cupholders and large door bins. There’s also a clever modular system called YouClip that Dacia’s developed, with mounting points across the cabin and boot – you’ll be able to attach clamps, phone or tablet holders or even lights. Expect to see a whole range of Dacia accessories developed to fit this in the future.

New Dacia Duster engines

The new Dacia Duster is available with three engine options, none of which are fuelled by diesel. There’s a new 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.6-litre self-charging hybrid and a 100hp unit which can be powered by either petrol or LPG.

Check out Mat’s in-depth review of the current Dacia Duster…

The basic 1.2-litre petrol engine puts out 130hp, and it’s paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. The hybrid engine is the same one you’ll find in the Dacia Jogger. It has 140hp, and you can shift along in slow-moving traffic without using the engine at all.

Then there’s the Bi-Fuel car. This can either be powered by petrol, or you can fill it up with LPG (liquid petroleum gas). Cars powered by LPG are something of a rarity these days, in fact Dacia is the only brand offering it as a standard option.

The main benefits of using LPG are lower emissions and it’s also much cheaper than petrol or diesel, if you can find a petrol station which sells it. There are currently 368 LPG filling stations in the UK, compared to more than 8,000 petrol stations.

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