Dacia Duster Comfort SCe 115 4x2 2018 review

While Dacia has gone to some lengths to update and modernise the Duster’s interior, opening the door still reveals the sea of hard plastics you’d expect from a car in this price bracket. New seats provide improved support, while the driver’s seat now offers 60mm of height adjustment, as opposed to 40mm in the old model. The steering wheel adjusts for rake and reach, too.

Speaking of the steering, its new, electrically assisted set-up is one of the most easily noticeable changes between this car and its predecessor. Where the old model’s steering rack was heavy and devoid of feeling, it’s now far lighter, making the Duster that much easy to manoeuvre in tight spots. Unfortunately, though, it’s still not talkative in any way.

Not that this really matters, though, because the Duster isn’t a car for hustling down a challenging stretch of B-road. For starters, its naturally aspirated engine doesn’t offer much in the way of performance. Peak torque of 115lb ft is available at 4000rpm, so you need to wring the engine’s neck to get it to pick up the pace.

On the one hand, this isn’t too much of a problem, because the five-speed manual gearbox is light to shift and precise enough to navigate through the gears with ease. But on the other, the engine is particularly vocal at the upper climbs of its rev band.

That said, at least the Duster is decently comfortable. It by no means rides with the sophistication of pricier C-SUVs, with some shuddering over rough surfaces at low speeds, but in general, vertical and lateral body movements are tidily contained. Road noise is prevalent at a cruise, despite the car's dinky 16in wheels, and there's some wind buffeting around the wing mirrors, but you certainly won’t emerge from the Duster at the end of a long drive broken and defeated by fatigue.

Interior space, meanwhile, is plenty usable. Useful storage cubbies are dotted throughout the cabin, while head and leg room in the second row is abundant enough for two adults to ride in comfort. Boot space, meanwhile, comes in at 445 litres (in front-wheel-drive cars), which is more than the 430 litres you get in the Nissan Qashqai.

There’s a lot to like about the new Duster, then. It drives well enough, is comfortable enough, looks good and has sufficient space to suit the needs of the average family.

It’s not as complete or refined as the more traditional offerings in the segment (think the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan), but it costs a fraction of their respective asking prices, so some compromise is to be expected.

If you can overlook these things, chances are you won’t be disappointed with the Duster. Its three-star Euro NCAP safety rating isn't great, but it's expected to retain 55% of its value after three years and 36,000 miles, which isn’t bad.

As an incredibly low-cost way of transporting a family and their associated clobber from A to B, then, the Duster is basically in a class of one. Well, if you rule out the option of buying a used car, that is.

Dacia Duster Comfort SCe 115 4x2 specification

Where Suffolk, UK Price £13,195 On sale Autumn Engine 1598cc, 4cyl petrol Power 113bhp at 5500rpm Torque 115lb ft at 4000rpm Gearbox 5spd manual Kerb weight 1179kg Top speed 107mph 0-62mph 11.9 sec Fuel economy 43.5mpg CO2 149g/km, 30% Rivals Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan