Renault has revealed that the Dacia Duster compact SUV will cost from £8,995 in the UK for the 2WD version.
We thought the Dacia SUV would dip under £10k, but Renault has priced the new Duster in its basic form – admittedly with FWD – at just £8,995.
The UK has had to wait for the Duster to arrive much longer than the rest of Europe as it’s been such a hit, and the RDH Dusters we’re getting are being put together in India now Dacia has finally managed to get up to speed with demand.
What you’ll get with the Dacia Duster is real ‘back to basics’ motoring, certainly with the entry-level Access trim available as FWD (£8,995) or 4WD (£10,995) where you get 16″ steel wheels, five seats, electric front windows and ABS. You don’t even get a radio, although there is pre-wiring for both radio and speakers.
Move up to the Ambience trim (£11,495 for 2WD, £13,495 for 4WD) and you do start to get something approaching a minimum spec level with a radio, Bluetooth, body coloured bumpers, split-folding back seats and front fogs.
The expectation is that most UK buyers will find the Dacia Duster in Access and Ambience trim just too spartan for modern sensibilities, so the Lauréate trim with 16″ alloys, AirCon, electric rear windows, electric door mirrors and piano black trim inside at £12,995 for the 2WD and £14,995 for the 4WD is expected to be the big seller.
Under the bonnet you can opt for a 1.6 litre petrol with 104bhp, although that’s only available on the entry-level Dusters. Most will get the 106bhp 1.5 litre diesel which offers 56.5mpg and 130g/km.
Even Renault admits that two thirds of Duster sales in the UK will be of the Lauréate trim, which makes the headline price of £8,995 not much more than an attention grabber.
Still, even at £15k for a 4WD compact SUV the Dacia Duster offers value motoring and is probably a real alternative for buyers who would otherwise have had to buy secondhand to afford what they want.
Dacia Duster Photos
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Anonymous says
They call it back to basics, but there is no provision for a proper spare wheel, unlike everywhere else. There is not even space for one in the British version!
As for the spec, the Laureate gets eletric mirrors , which are hardly essential, but no rear parking sensors, which are, and to get the essential sensors you have to pay a lot of money for a package full of stuff you don’t want or need. Basics eh!
A/C is not even an option on the lower models, so Renault is effectively selling a decent car that is only about £2,000 cheaper than many of its competiors. The Diesel gives decent performance and good mpg though.
Cars UK says
You’re absolutely right. As we said in the article, the headline-grabbing £9k price doesn’t give you a car that really offers what we expect in 2012. In truth, you need to spend £15k to get a Duster worth having – not quite such a bargain.
Anonymous says
I’ve just looked at the Yeti, whch in basic form costs a bit more than the Duster, and is also in a higher tax band, and the Cashcow, which is well over £3,000 more expensive for the same Renault 1.5 Diesel engine in a similar spec.
I don’t lke the Nissan though, but at least both Skoda and Nissan offer the option of a spare wheel.
I think Renault/Dacia needs to take another look at the pricing/spec of this car.
I might still order one, but I’m keeping my powder dry for a while yet.