Popular Dacia Duster gets facelift
“It may feel as if it’s only just gone on sale, but Dacia has given the Duster a facelift,” reports the Daily Star’s George Fowler.
“Why so soon? Well, Dacias have actually been available in Britain since May 2012, during which time 32,000 of them have been sold, 12,000 of which are Dusters. That’s just the UK figure, and no wonder it’s so good, because it’s an excellent car at a fantastic price,” says Fowler.
“Choose from three trim levels and two engines, a 105hp, 1.6-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel with 110hp. You can also pick two- or four-wheel drive. “On sale now, the facelifted model has new grilles, ‘Duster’ branded roof bars, upholstery, tailgate trim and metallic colour options.
“The cheapest Access models come with remote locking, immobiliser electric front windows, anti-lock brakes with Emergency Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control, a Tyre Pressure Monitor, four airbags, body coloured bumpers and black door handles. The only colour is white.”
Fowler adds: “Ambiance versions add satin chrome door handles, gearlever insert and instrument surrounds, a CD-stereo with aux, USB and Bluetooth, front foglights, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and a 60:40 split rear seat. Top range Laureate models get alloy wheels, air-con, electric mirrors and rear windows, cruise control with a speed limiter, trip
computer, body coloured door handles, roof bars, scuff plates and side sills.
“That’s quite a lot of kit. Meanwhile, production of UK-bound vehicles has moved from Chennai, in India, to Dacia’s home plant of Pitesti in Romania. “So how much is it? Well, the price is just about the only thing that hasn’t changed,” says Fowler. “The range still starts at £9,495, rising to £15,495 for a top-spec diesel with four-wheel drive. Do without four-wheel drive though, and the price drops by two grand to £13,495.” [Daily Star, Sept 26th]
Gold dust
“Dacia has given its Duster a facelift for 2015, but the good news is prices remain the same,” Richard Hammond tells Daily Mirror readers. “There’s a new front grille and all trim levels have Duster-branded roof rails.
The rear tailgate has new trim and there are five new metallic paint colours and fresh alloy wheel designs. Plus there are revised upholstery materials and seats. Just to remind you, Duster prices start at £9,495.” [Mirror, Sept 26th]
Midnight Sandero
“Dacia has launched a new Midnight edition of its Sandero supermini,” reports Auto Express.
“The Midnight edition builds on the existing top-of-the-range Laureate version of the
Sandero supermini, adding some exclusive styling changes and extra kit on top of the
original spec.
“Outside, the Sandero’s modest exterior now features new 15-inch ‘Aquila’ alloy wheels,
an exclusive Slate Grey paint finish and some gloss black exterior trim on the mirrors and B-pillar. “The interior continues the darker theme with gloss black inserts on the steering wheel, door handles and centre console. Speccing the ‘Comfort’ pack now brings you electric rear windows and a leather steering wheel too.
“All this comes on top of the spec featured in the Laureate model, which is already well-equipped for its tiny price. It includes cruise control, air-con, Bluetooth, a speed limiter, electric front windows and traction control.
“Buyers can also spec rear parking sensors, ‘Dark carbon’ leather upholstery and the MediaNav seven-inch touchscreen multimedia and sat-nav system to their Sandero, for that extra luxury touch.” [Auto Express, Sept 30th]
Dacia launches Midnight Sandero
“The Dacia Duster has been given some minor visual tweaks inside and out for 2015,” reports Auto Express.
“What’s new is the chrome front grille, made up of two layers of four intakes, as well as ‘Duster’ branded roof bars for all trim levels – finished in chrome for Laureate spec.
“Round the back there’s a Duster-badged black tailgate bar, while top-spec variants also get 16-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles and dark metal wing mirrors.”
There are five new metallic colours for Ambiance and Laureate as well – Mercury, Khaki, Pearl Black, Slate Grey and Cinnamon.
There remains a choice of two engines and both two- and fourwheel drive layouts. “The entry-level Access model gets a 105hp 1.6-litre petrol unit only, but Ambiance and Laureate versions are powered by a 1.5 litre dCi diesel, rated at 107hp when paired to front-wheel drive Dusters and 109hp for the 4x4s.” [Auto Express, Sept 19th]
Dacia gives Duster a polish
“The 2015 Dacia Duster Laureate 4×4 has new styling cues to elevate it above this year’s version,” reports Motoring.co.uk.
“This top-spec trim has a revised chrome grille that has two rows of intakes around the brand’s logo. At the rear, plastic tailgate trim with ‘Duster’ branding sits above the registration plate. Chrome roof bars incorporating the word ‘Duster’ sit on the roof. These
– as well as elevating it beyond its lesser siblings that have plastic finish bars – enable the motorist to expand cargo from the boot to the roof.
“The Laureate 4×4 also has new, 16-inch wheels, body-coloured door handles and dark metal mirror casings. New metallic pains such as Mercury, Khaki, Pearl Black, Slate Grey and Cinnamon feature too. Finally, the seats have a new grey cloth with contrasting stitching.”
The top-spec Duster has “four-wheel drive and high ground clearance for negotiating off-road obstacles”. The website adds: “The former – even for those that never venture off-road – is invaluable in poor weather.
The system can be locked to front-wheel drive in normal conditions to save fuel, to four-wheel drive when the surface is hazardous, or to automatic. The final option ensures that power is only sent to the rear wheels when the front lose traction.”
The Duster also seats five and has a “large” 443-litre cargo capacity, which can be increased to 1,604 litres, “which is more than some estate cars”, by folding the rear seats flat.
“Power comes from a 1.4-litre, 110hp diesel engine that is teamed with six-speed manual transmission. The 0-62mph time is 12.5 seconds and it averages 53.3mpg.” [Motoring.co.uk, Sept 29th]
The economy of big car
Driving Instructor magazine put a Dacia Logan TCE 90 Laureate to the test to discover if it could echo the Sandero’s success.
“When you open the door you look into a cavern,” says the mag. The seats are “very comfortable and accommodating”, while the centre console is filled with a “useful” media centre. The adjustable steering wheel is “comfortable”, and includes controls for the radio.
“There is a lot to like about the car,” says the magazine, including the “unbelievable” 900cc petrol engine which coughs out 116g/km of CO2. But most impressive was the “good visibility between head restraint and driver’s door when checking over the shoulder”. The reviewer says:
“Every vehicle of this size that I have driven prior to this has been a let down on this point.” The magazine concludes: “Yes, it is old technology, but it works and does it well. The price reflects this. You are getting a lot for your money, and furthermore, a vehicle that will be relatively cheap to run.” [Driving Instructor mag, Oct 1st]
Special Sandero
Dacia has added a special edition to the Sandero in the shape of the Sandero Midnight, designed to “add a touch of class to the range”, reports ContractHireandLeasing.com.
“The Midnight is based on the range-topping Sandero Laureate, which already includes alloy wheels, electric mirrors and front windows, cruise control, Bluetooth, USB and aux connectivity and air conditioning.
“However, the special edition has added ‘Aquila’ alloys, Slate Grey metallic paint and gloss black exterior trim.” Inside there’s “more black trim on the door handles, centre console and steering wheel, while the comfort pack adds electric rear windows and leather steering wheel”.
“Two engines are offered on the Sandero Midnight: the 1.5-litre dCi 90 diesel or the 0.9-litre TCe 90 petrol. As their names suggest, both have 90hp but the petrol is faster, taking the Sandero to 60mph in 11.1 seconds and on to 109mph. In contrast, the diesel manages just 12.1 seconds and 107mph, but is more efficient, returning an impressive 74.3mpg and emitting just 99g/km of CO2, compared to the petrol’s 56.5mpg.” [ContractHireandLeasing.com, Sept 30th]
Sandero proves perfect for families
“If you’re on a tight budget, the Dacia Sandero offers a decent new car option,” says Maxine Ashford in the Daily Record.
Testing the Sandero Laureate dCi 90, the “more upmarket” version of the “cheapest car in the UK”, Ashford said the car “certainly looks a smart five-door hatchback, with tinted windows, a chrome front grille, daytime running lights, bodycoloured bumpers, door handles and door mirrors, plus 15-inch wheels.
“The interior is a pretty basic design with room for four adults to travel in comfort. There are a number of techno treats to be explored, including an efficient heating system with air conditioning, cruise control with speed limiter, a seveninch touchscreen multimedia system
and lots more.”
The boot is “generous”, having a capacity of 320 litres, increasing to 1,200 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.
“The car is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine with 90hp so it has ample bite and acceleration when weaving through busy city-centre traffic. In addition, there was
enough power to cope admirably at higher speeds on the motorways.
“The Sandero moved smoothly through the five-speed manual gearbox, and owners will be
laughing all the way to the bank with a pretty impressive fuel economy of 74.3mpg on a combined run.
“An Eco mode and gear-shift prompter help maximise fuel efficiency along the way,” adds
Ashford.
The inside is mainly made up of “hard, plastic” materials, but Ashford sees the positives in this: “In the Sandero’s defence, it is a budget car and many young families may prefer a more durable, tougher finish.”
Ashford concludes: “All in all, for anyone who wants a new car without spending their life savings or going into monumental debt, the Dacia Sandero could be the ideal solution.” [Daily Record, Oct 3rd]
View the Dacia range at Bagot Road…
