In the old days, when a vehicle recovery provider turned up to fix a broken down Dacia, his or her heart usually sank; not the easiest of vehicles to deal with. That’s not to say that there were ever that many Dacias kicking about the UK, but those that were soon found themselves as fully paid-up residents of the local scrapyard.
But times have changed. Romania – where the Dacia was born – has long been free of Ceausescu and continues to embrace the free market. And it knows that the free market won’t put up with the kind of unattractive third-rate Renault rip-offs that used to wobble off its production line.
Enter the Duster. Perhaps it sounds like a piece of farm equipment or something that keeps the streets leaf-free, but it’s actually a very useable SUV. When you compare it to the likes of a Range Rover or a Qashqai, it does look a bit dated, and you’ll be wondering why they forgot to put the radio in on the entry-level version. But if the styling and ‘extras’ (there are very few) seem a bit 1980s, so does the price. At £8,995, many are certain that this vehicle will simply fly off the forecourts.
It’s driven by a powerful and tough Renault-sourced engine, together with a Renault gearbox – and the 4x4 version has been fitted with a four wheel drive system from Nissan. So the key elements of a really good, reliable SUV are all here. Okay, you may look like you’ve just escaped across the Iron Curtain, but you’ll be several thousand pounds richer than if you buy one of its decadent Western counterparts!
Breakdown Cover from 
