Dacia Duster the new Lada?

Fordcspri23

Is it the modern equivalent to those Russian Ladas of the past?

bazz26

Tell us what you think OP.

Dacia ruster or Dacia dustbin

MarkR

I do like their adverts.

I heard the latest iteration is quite well specced out.

Could be the next Skoda. 😀

Peatys

If you want in out of the rain, and don't care about residuals, go for it.

Dacia1300

I have started to notice them a lot more & they seem to be almost always driven by people who can’t drive, 35 in a 50 zone, crawling along in both lanes because the driver can’t figure out what lane they should be in & so on.

Good advertising slogan - “Hate driving but have to? No problem, buy a Duster on PCP”. Although sometimes I can’t help but think that the driver is the one on PCP.

The irony, yes I know

Turbohymac

Wouldn't agree that there a modern lada..there a very reasonably priced basic RENAULT. Absolutely no frills but still decent engine ..gearbox and suspension..however very low specs and lots of plastic around dash..
Similar to a small van like a Peugeot partner etc.. but reliable

VonZan

It's a very basic and cheap car, what's not to like?
It's not to my taste each to their own.

Dacia1300

Yes, Dacia were always based on Renault designs. My namesake was the old Renault 12 built under license in Romania under various guises until the mid-2000s.

The new breed of Dacias are pitched as competitively priced, user friendly cars, like I said, marketed to bad drivers.

The Lada on the other hand was based on an old Fiat 124, beefed up to withstand harsh environments. It was cheap enough and sold very well but was anything but user friendly to drive

GMSA

Fordcspri23 wrote: »

Is it the modern equivalent to those Russian Ladas of the past?

Were there other nationalities producing Ladas too?

MarkR

GMSA wrote: »

Were there other nationalities producing Ladas too?

Were they coming out of Yugoslavia?

Dacia1300

GMSA wrote: »

Were there other nationalities producing Ladas too?

Egypt

Dacia1300

MarkR wrote: »

Were they coming out of Yugoslavia?

No, Zastava in Yugoslavia made the FWD Fiat 127 & 128. Nothing to do with Lada or the USSR

KevRossi

GMSA wrote: »

Were there other nationalities producing Ladas too?

Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Egypt all produced it at some time.

The original 124 was built in Italy, Malaysia and Morocco and possibly other countries as well.

_Brian

I test drove the Mk1.

While there was much that was fine about it there were many issues I couldn’t live with.
Vague wholly steering, poor seats, desperate wind noise at doors, poorly positioned equipment.

Many of these issues have aparantly been sorted in the Mk2, I mostly like the new styling but the rear lights are a bit naff looking. I will test drive it though and consider it for second car at the house.

My friend is on his second and loves it. No problems at all and he does good mileage. They have a Logan as their second car, ugly but practical.

As for comments about rust they were with white ones produced in one batch which have been sorted.

antodeco

I have a Duster and the missus a Stepway. Cheap to buy, cheap to run, nothing exciting, but reliable as anything. It's what I want from a daily driver. Have other cars for the fun part

JohnBoy26

Fordcspri23 wrote: »

Is it the modern equivalent to those Russian Ladas of the past?

No because the dacia duster isn't terrible.

Those old ladas were really dreadful and horrible and were still being made up until 3 or 4 years ago.

The modern lada would be the lada vesta which doesn't look terrible from the pics tbh. They are only sold in lhd markets and actually also use some Renault and nissan components(not as much as dacia though) as the company that makes lada is Renault owned now.

JohnBoy26

_Brian wrote: »

As for comments about rust they were with white ones produced in one batch which have been sorted.

Wouldn't be convinced it only affected one batch and just one colour tbh. All go through the same anti rust treatment process it's just on a white car it will be easier to see any rust forming.

road_high

I personally wouldn't want a Dacia but think they’re brilliant motoring for the money. Sat in a Duster at a ploughing last year and couldn’t get over the size of vehicle you’re getting for your money. A small family SUV for the price of a mid spec Polo or Fiesta.
They’re fresh, modern and adequate kit on offer. Not cheap and nasty like an 80s eastern bloc car. They remind of when Skoda went under VW wing in the 90s except they seem to be staying with the budget theme rather than going upmarket.

GMSA

Come to think of it in a previous incarnation the OP was an avid supporter of the humble Dacia. He even owned one without a tow bar.

Henry Ford III

The early ones were horrible, but they are better now. Cheap above everything else.

EPAndlee

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Wouldn't be convinced it only affected one batch and just one colour tbh. All go through the same anti rust treatment process it's just on a white car it will be easier to see any rust forming.

That rust problem was across all the 2013 - 2014 ones, was even a recall for them to be undersealed. Not really a problem from 2015- onwards

_Brian

Anyone who got up close and inspected new Lada cars back in the day knows full well the Dacia are well above the build quality.

I remember looking at a new Niva, the Lada 4*4 with my dad, they were awfully crudely put together.

Where the Dacia have the advantage is they are using previous model Renault technology which has had the wrinkles ironed out. The 1.5 diesel while it won’t over excite the driver if it’s serviced it will do serious mileage. It’s been around for maybe 15 years in various vehicles and is really reliable. The sister I drove was nippy enough with that engine because it’s not a heavy body it’s carrying. Bit noisy on startup but warmed up quickly to be an ok drive.

antodeco

The rust affected the Indian built versions (uptown mid 2015) you know by the older grill on it.

They are noisy on startup but once warmed up are fine. One of my mates who has the 1.7 Tucson was impressed by the pull of the engine. They are quite light which helps the torque from the 1.5. I have a version that has the rear parking sensors and tow bar. I added a full Dashcam front and rear myself. Pretty much all the tech I want. Seats are ok, not back breakers, but not falling asleep comfy either!

Anybody who I have ever given a lift from are amazed by the size of it. The boot is a thing of beauty for a large shop!

Sure, they are badged as Renault in other countries, but they seem to take the Nissan electronics thankfully!

ba_barabus

Peatys wrote: »

If you want in out of the rain, and don't care about residuals, go for it.

The residuals are excellent as they're very popular second hand.

road_high

ba_barabus wrote: »

The residuals are excellent as they're very popular second hand.

Any car that’s lowly priced to start with and reasonably modern is going to have good residuals as they’re starting from a lower base with less distance to fall in value

JoeA3

Not a fan of the Dacia's but it is unfair to compare them to the Lada. I should know - my Dad had 2 of them (Lada's I mean!).

When Lada was briefly in vogue here - the late 1980's - you were buying a "new" car but it was based on a 25+ year old design and it looked and felt it.

Stallingrad

Hope the cars are better than their website, it never works properly, connection is not secure, etc really rubbish.

_Brian

Well, I know two families with Dacias.

One guy is on his second Duster, his wife drives a Logan and is on her second of those. The Duster is doing about 30k km a year and the Logan about 20k per year. They have never had a breakdown ever and nothing has needed repair under warranty, just straight services. Both return decent mpg, I don’t like the Logan but it’s really practical.

Second family have a ‘13 that they bought on PCP and then bought outright. Has 85k km on it, has had a wheelbearing and some sensor replaced in that time. They plan to buy a 2019 Duster to replace it.

Neither have seen rust problems mentioned earlier.


I’m running my current Tiguan out as it’s trade is so low at this stage but definitely the Duster is on my list when I change.

Turbohymac

OH.. I forgot to mention earlier that IF there are any fans of ladas out there ..ye will be delighted to know that you can still buy a brand new lada jeep for 12k in Germany..I stopped off for a look last year when I seen the logo and sure enough a garage with their compound full of nice new LADAS.

_Brian

Turbohymac wrote: »

OH.. I forgot to mention earlier that IF there are any fans of ladas out there ..ye will be delighted to know that you can still buy a brand new lada jeep for 12k in Germany..I stopped off for a look last year when I seen the logo and sure enough a garage with their compound full of nice new LADAS.

Other than the reliability issues which were plenty, the jeep was a decent enough little thing.

Not unlike a jimny

Mad_maxx

GMSA wrote: »

Were there other nationalities producing Ladas too?

All of the Eastern bloc nations had their own version of the Russian lada

Mad_maxx

road_high wrote: »

Any car that’s lowly priced to start with and reasonably modern is going to have good residuals as they’re starting from a lower base with less distance to fall in value

How come fiat residuals are horrible then?

McCrack

I was behind one today and I noted just how ghastly they look

Horrible yolks

wing52

I thought there's a bit of a jeep renegade look about the back of the new duster, especially the lights.

Dacia1300

Mad_maxx wrote: »

All of the Eastern bloc nations had their own version of the Russian lada

Really? I thought that it was just Poland? They had the FSO 1300/1500. Czechoslovakia had Skoda which was an in-house design (also a massively successful rally car), not built under license from elsewhere. As mentioned, Romania produced the Renault 12, Yugoslavia made a different Fiat model altogether, and weren’t in the Warsaw Pact. Unless I’ve missed something...

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

How come fiat residuals are horrible then?

Fiats aren’t mad cheaper than anything else. Plus they have a terrible reputation, Dacia don’t as for the prices the buying public have given the benefit of the doubt. That seems to have paid off as they’re appear pretty decent reliability wise

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

All of the Eastern bloc nations had their own version of the Russian lada

No they didn’t- various countries of the USSR did as they were called GACs and what not.
But it wasn’t built in the other bloc countries. Dacia in Romania did a Renault 12 cast off. FSO in Poland were Fiat cast offs, as was Zastava/Yugo of Yugoslavia.
Skoda were the best engineered of the lot as they had a very proud tradition going back decades. They had their own designs but were allowed limited updating under the regime.
Not sure about Trabant and Wartburg in east Germany but they weren’t lada related either.

Dacia1300

road_high wrote: »

No they didn’t- various countries of the USSR did as they were called GACs and what not.
But it wasn’t built in the other bloc countries. Dacia in Romania did a Renault 12 cast off. FSO in Poland were Fiat cast offs, as was Zastava/Yugo of Yugoslavia.
Skoda were the best engineered of the lot as they had a very proud tradition going back decades. They had their own designs but were allowed limited updating under the regime.
Not sure about Trabant and Wartburg in east Germany but they weren’t lada related either.

AFAIK Wartburg were based on DKW (who became Audi once again after they dropped 2-stroke engines in Western Germany), they acquired tooling after Germany became divided.

Agreed, Skoda were by far the best cars from that side of the Iron Curtain. There’s this very common misconception that they were only a worthless laugh-off before VW got involved, which is simply not the case. Rallying stats from back then will tell you all you need to know, but I’m sure you already know that...

mattser

McCrack wrote: »

I was behind one today and I noted just how ghastly they look

Horrible yolks

That's probably because your jammer hadn't enough power to overtake it.

ba_barabus

Dacia1300 wrote: »

AFAIK Wartburg were based on DKW (who became Audi once again after they dropped 2-stroke engines in Western Germany), they acquired tooling after Germany became divided.

Agreed, Skoda were by far the best cars from that side of the Iron Curtain. There’s this very common misconception that they were only a worthless laugh-off before VW got involved, which is simply not the case. Rallying stats from back then will tell you all you need to know, but I’m sure you already know that...

You'd appreciate a visit to the Skoda museum and factory. It's great

Philb76

Took time for skoda and Hyundai to get where they are think dacia are heading the same way as for being compared to a lada the op must never have been in one remember the seats in them like sitting on a deck chair

Das Reich

In Brazil until 1992 the market was closed and a lot of Ladas were imported, I saw them around only for a year or two then nevermore while there are a lot of old vw beatle still running.

_Brian

Philb76 wrote: »

Took time for skoda and Hyundai to get where they are think dacia are heading the same way as for being compared to a lada the op must never have been in one remember the seats in them like sitting on a deck chair

I’m not particularly tall but the seats in the MK1 Duster are poor.

No matter what way I adjusted the seat back it was either only touching the top of my shoulder blades or the waist band of my jeans, no useful support for long journies.
The seat base felt very short, like I might slip off into the footwell easily. Aparantly this is sorted in the new Duster. I spend 6-8 hours a day in my jeep and comfort is important, at least my ‘09 Tiguan seats are supportive.

CiniO

Mad_maxx wrote: »

All of the Eastern bloc nations had their own version of the Russian lada

Any examples?
Never heard of any

ba_barabus

Philb76 wrote: »

Took time for skoda and Hyundai to get where they are think dacia are heading the same way as for being compared to a lada the op must never have been in one remember the seats in them like sitting on a deck chair

My friends one smelled of cheese for some very odd reason. Great car in fairness, covered huge mileage and never gave an ounce of trouble. They owned several and never had a bad one.

ba_barabus

_Brian wrote: »

I’m not particularly tall but the seats in the MK1 Duster are poor.

No matter what way I adjusted the seat back it was either only touching the top of my shoulder blades or the waist band of my jeans, no useful support for long journies.
The seat base felt very short, like I might slip off into the footwell easily. Aparantly this is sorted in the new Duster.

I had the same issue. I'm not tall.....I'm certainly wider than I should be however. Couldn't get comfortable. I went looking with the intention of buying one but it wasn't meant to be. I'll seriously consider the new one when I'm looking again if they sort the comfort.

Dacia1300

ba_barabus wrote: »

You'd appreciate a visit to the Skoda museum and factory. It's great

It's on my to-do list...

Mad_maxx

McCrack wrote: »

I was behind one today and I noted just how ghastly they look

Horrible yolks

Unpretentious in some people's eyes, the concept is a genius one you have to admit.

Perfectly functional with zero cool or style factor ( which makes them cool)

ba_barabus

Dacia1300 wrote: »

It's on my to-do list...

Make sure to eat in the restaurant. It's lovely. In the factory they let you get right up to the lime and talk to the guys making the cars. We were there during the start of the emissions debacle. They proudly told us they only make the TSI engines, it's the Germans who are interested in GASSING people according to one of the tour guides. The steels presses were incredible also and hypnotic to watch.

Mad_maxx

road_high wrote: »

Fiats aren’t mad cheaper than anything else. Plus they have a terrible reputation, Dacia don’t as for the prices the buying public have given the benefit of the doubt. That seems to have paid off as they’re appear pretty decent reliability wise

I'd wager fiat are every bit as reliable as dacia.