Dacia Duster

alias no.9 · 13-08-2012 04:04PM

delthedriver wrote: »

I wonder would the Nissan juke be a more comparable car to the Dacia rather than the quashqai . Haven't seen many around , any thoughts please?

The Duster is based on the Juke AFAIK but beefed up in size. Without having been in either, I'd expect the Duster to be much more spacious inside.

delthedriver · 13-08-2012 06:09PM

That is very interesting. On that basis the car should be compared with the Juke for all the various reasons including price?

colm_mcm · 13-08-2012 06:38PM

Juke is 2 grand off at the minute too.

copacetic · 13-08-2012 06:43PM

delthedriver wrote: »

That is very interesting. On that basis the car should be compared with the Juke for all the various reasons including price?

No, it is a much bigger car in a different size class.

Jellicoe · 13-08-2012 06:59PM

The Nissan Puke ?

I'll take a Duster anyday.

delthedriver · 14-08-2012 11:05AM

Heathers online,
How did the test drive go on the Awd Duster? Have you placed your order?

Third_Echelon · 14-08-2012 11:27AM

Saw a lot of these in France when I was over there a few months ago. The car rental companies had a good few of them on their lot....

colm_mcm · 14-08-2012 12:09PM

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Saw a lot of these in France when I was over there a few months ago. The car rental companies had a good few of them on their lot....

Wouldn't you be rightly delighted if you booked 'VW tiguan or similar'

reilig · 14-08-2012 01:49PM

We test drove one at the weekend. We have had a fluence for the last 2 years and have found it ultra reliable and comfortable putting 40k miles a year on it.

The Duster that we tested was a 4 wd LHD. First impression was that it was very much like the fluence inside, with a very similar layout and similar spacing. Engine is a 110 - I think the fluence that we have is a 90. We were impressed with the power anyway.

The Signature 4wd model has Bluetooth, aircon, leather steering wheel, full size spare wheel - again, a lot of the mod cons that we got used to with the fluence.

We are considering the 4wd and can justify its purchase.

€20k is the price that we were given. €19k for the car, €500 for the metalic paint and €500 for the 5 year warranty. The 5 year unlimited mileage warranty is a huge attraction to us with the amount of miles that we do.

Will be making a decision on it in the next 2 months.

latenia · 14-08-2012 01:53PM

Saw a Luxembourg reg Duster parked in town the other day-not bad looking at all considering the price.

Edit Might be the one in the carzone ad...

delthedriver · 14-08-2012 02:07PM

reilig wrote: »

We test drove one at the weekend. We have had a fluence for the last 2 years and have found it ultra reliable and comfortable putting 40k miles a year on it.

The Duster that we tested was a 4 wd LHD. First impression was that it was very much like the fluence inside, with a very similar layout and similar spacing. Engine is a 110 - I think the fluence that we have is a 90. We were impressed with the power anyway.

The Signature 4wd model has Bluetooth, aircon, leather steering wheel, full size spare wheel - again, a lot of the mod cons that we got used to with the fluence.

We are considering the 4wd and can justify its purchase.

€20k is the price that we were given. €19k for the car, €500 for the metalic paint and €500 for the 5 year warranty. The 5 year unlimited mileage warranty is a huge attraction to us with the amount of miles that we do.

Will be making a decision on it in the next 2 months.

Very interesting. Yes the Fluence has been a big seller here, though I understand not available in UK. The Duster is built alongside the Fluence in Romania. If it is as good as the Fluence the Dacia dealers are going to be very busy.
Would you see it as a cross over version of the Fluence?

delthedriver · 14-08-2012 02:11PM

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Saw a lot of these in France when I was over there a few months ago. The car rental companies had a good few of them on their lot....

That is good news. If fleet buyers are happy to include them in their fleet they must be fine. Yes I see them in Paris too!

zinzan · 14-08-2012 02:23PM

Test drove AWD one a fortnight ago, being LHD, it's hard to judge exactly how comfortable the driving position etc. is, one thing that I'd be unsure of is the location of the pedals - they are quite offset as a result of the wheelarch so sitting a bit side on might be uncomfortable on a long run.
Bit of roll when cornering/on roundabouts - kind of expect it in higher vehicles. Acceleration is ok, won't be setting any records!
Will probably have another run out in it at some point.

Padraig Mor · 14-08-2012 02:31PM

delthedriver wrote: »

Very interesting. Yes the Fluence has been a big seller here, though I understand not available in UK. The Duster is built alongside the Fluence in Romania. If it is as good as the Fluence the Dacia dealers are going to be very busy.
Would you see it as a cross over version of the Fluence?

RHD Duster will be built in India, along with RHD Fluence and Micras.

delthedriver · 14-08-2012 02:37PM

Padraig Mor wrote: »

RHD Duster will be built in India, along with RHD Fluence and Micras.

Very interesting. Thank you for that info. Not necessarily a bad thing either!

delthedriver · 14-08-2012 02:41PM

Padraig Mor wrote: »

RHD Duster will be built in India, along with RHD Fluence and Micras.

Very interesting. Thank you for that info. Not necessarily a bad thing either! Very soon the manufacturers name will have very little to do with the country in which cars are assembled. It is all down to labour costs.

E30i · 14-08-2012 05:11PM

Passing a garage today and popped in for a look. Not a bad looking car in my opinion for the money and the optional warranty is reassuring. However the fuel filler flap is HUGE relative to the cap and feels v flimsy and as if the hinges are too weak for the size of the flap. Maybe it was just the one I saw but if they are all like that there will be plenty of Dusters going around in a couple of years with the filler flap missing I expect.

Jellicoe · 14-08-2012 08:16PM

Couple of UK reviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUppwdpVCB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZOAs127Gg

It's no Qashqai/Tiguan, but with the 2WD one for the same money as a new clio, punto, ibiza, and with a 5 year warranty, I can see this car selling well in austerity/recession ridden Ireland, and we better get used to seeing them.

Antrim_Man · 17-08-2012 10:19AM

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

If it's a simple enough car and nothing goes wrong on it, people might go for it, as they might be weary of more sophisticated cars heaping enormous bills on them for various gubbins going wrong.
I've seen plenty of them in Germany, reminding me of what O'Leary once said: "Germans will crawl bollock naked over broken glass for cheap flights" and I might add any other bargain.
The Lada Niva was quite a success in Germany, people loved it's simplicity and ruggedness.
On the other hand, if the Dacia develops a reputation for LOTUS (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious), even it's cheapness won't help it.
Cheap'n'Cheerful or Cheap'n'Nasty, we'll see.
At least car test dude pronounced the name correctly.

http://www.autospectator.com/cars/models/2011-dacia-duster-review-official-photos-features-specs

Dacia Duster is built on the B0/Logan platform which is widely acclaimed for its strength, reliability and durability.

delthedriver · 17-08-2012 12:54PM

Jellicoe wrote: »

Couple of UK reviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUppwdpVCB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZOAs127Gg

It's no Qashqai/Tiguan, but with the 2WD one for the same money as a new clio, punto, ibiza, and with a 5 year warranty, I can see this car selling well in austerity/recession ridden Ireland, and we better get used to seeing them.

Many thanks for the video reviews. Much appreciated. Certainly driving a Duster for the price of a Clio makes perfect sense. With a five year warranty , who cares about the badge. It was the same when Skoda launched the Octavian, people turned there noses up at it also. Now the Octavia is outselling the golf on which it is based. How times change. Looking forward to seeing the Duster in Rhd spec.
Of course it makes sense to build it in India easy access to the emerging markets some of whom require this car has the potential to be a massive seller in Europe and the Far east.
Has anyone else had a chance to drive one?

colm_mcm · 17-08-2012 02:59PM

Considering the octavia was launched in around 1996 it was easily on par, and in a lot of cases ahead of its rivals. Cabin quality for example was in a different league to the competition when you consider it was in the mk3 golf, ford escort, fiat brava, Toyota corolla class.

If you're making a comparison to a skoda, then the felicia is more fair relative to its rivals.

smooch71 · 21-08-2012 12:48PM

heathersonline wrote: »

Anyone know how far the engine could be pushed with a retune/map/chip? Presume the answer will be the same for these and the qashqai?

Just far enough to invalidate your warranty!

smooch71 · 21-08-2012 12:58PM

cgal093 wrote: »

Is this going to be the only Dacia in Ireland?

No, the Sandero will follow in the new year along with a "pimped" version called the Stepway with higher suspension, bigger wheels roof bars etc.

MuppetCheck · 21-08-2012 01:08PM

The version coming to Ireland will actually be the face lift model too. It looks a bit tidier at the front and the interior seems much improved.

air · 21-08-2012 01:15PM

They would make a popular commercial vehicle too no doubt if offered in that format.

Cantona's Collars · 22-08-2012 04:59PM

Took a spin in one,very impressed.Smooth,quiet ride.Very similar to a Quashqi.Decent boot space too.
Diesel engine is the same as the one in the Quashqi.

It seems we are getting the version with electric windows,alloys etc.compared to the more basic Continental model.

The €15k version won't have 4wd but I reckon this won't be an issue as most people will be using it as a 'car'.

Seems there's a lot of interest in it as the guy in the garage said they have taken a lot of orders for next year when it hit's the showrooms proper.
If I had €15k & the choice of this or the Clio-I'd go for the Dacia.

delthedriver · 22-08-2012 05:04PM

zerks wrote: »

Took a spin in one,very impressed.Smooth,quiet ride.Very similar to a Quashqi.Decent boot space too.
Diesel engine is the same as the one in the Quashqi.

It seems we are getting the version with electric windows,alloys etc.compared to the more basic Continental model.

The €15k version won't have 4wd but I reckon this won't be an issue as most people will be using it as a 'car'.

Seems there's a lot of interest in it as the guy in the garage said they have taken a lot of orders for next year when it hit's the showrooms proper.
If I had €15k & the choice of this or the Clio-I'd go for the Dacia.

Many thanks for feedback. It certainly seems good value for money. The Nissan engine is a real bonus

Stallingrad · 22-08-2012 05:18PM

delthedriver wrote: »

The Nissan engine is a real bonus

It's a Renault engine that Nissan use.

colm_mcm · 22-08-2012 06:00PM

Are you looking to buy one of these delthedriver, you seem awfully interested in them.

delthedriver · 22-08-2012 11:41PM

colm_mcm wrote: »

Are you looking to buy one of these delthedriver, you seem awfully interested in them.

Just a car enthusiast, always interested in something new to the market.

Dacia Duster

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