The brand enjoyed a record year in the UK in 2024, registering almost 32,000 new cars, and along the way found a home for the country’s 100,000th Duster since the original model first reached these shores in 2013.
Much has changed since then, but the third-generation Duster that I collected from Dacia’s flagship dealer in Brentford, west London, has much in common with its predecessor – not least its rugged charm and no-nonsense character.
I already know I’ll find this new model fascinating to run, because I didn’t really like the original Duster. I thought it was crude and uncomfortable, while the fixtures and fittings – not to mention the tech – were clearly past-their-prime hand-me-downs from parent company Renault.
But as soon as I stepped into the dazzling new Dacia showroom, it was obvious that things are very different now. Dacia London West shares its site with a Renault franchise, and I walked past several gleaming new Renault 5s to get to the Duster. Yet the two brands’ cars sit very happily alongside each other. Is Dacia the poor relation? Absolutely not.
Likewise, as soon as I sat in my car in the handover bay, I could see that everything inside it was Renault’s latest technology. The 10.1-inch touchscreen and digital dashboard give the Duster a fairly modern look, and I know that the SUV sits on the same platform as the Jogger, and Renault’s Clio and Captur – all of which have won Auto Express awards in the past few years.
The Duster has followed in their wheeltracks, too, picking up the Small SUV of the Year award in 2024 – so signing up for six months in one was hardly a gamble for me and my family.
Zuloko - good cars enthusiast.