Facelifted Dacia Duster SUV goes on sale – but it’s got PRICIER

The newly facelifted Dacia Duster goes on sale in the UK, but prices have risen and the cheapest Duster now costs from £13,995, rising to £20,845.

It took Dacia, despite excellent ‘press’ from James May, a long time to put their budget offerings on sale in the UK, but eight years on from arriving they’ve now flogged more than 200,000 cars in the UK.

In many ways, the pick of the bunch of Dacias is the Duster SUV, offering a properly rugged little SUV at properly bargain prices, although those prices are getting stronger.

When the Dacia Duster first arrived in the UK in 2012 it cost from around £9k, and by the time the current, pre the latest facelift, Duster went on sale in 2018 the starting price had only risen to £10k.

But now, with the 2021 facelift of the Duster going on sale, the starting price has risen to a much less affordable £13,995.

Part of that is because Dacia seems to have done away with the entry-level Access trim, with the Dacia Essential now the starting point. But £13,995 is still £2.5k up on the launch price of the pre-facelift model.

The Duster Essential comes with 16″ steel wheels, roof bars, Auto lights, LED running lights, Cruise, DAB and Air Con, with Dacia Comfort (from £15,495 to £19,645) adding 16″ alloys, Fogs, Hill Descent, electric mirrors and body-coloured handles, with interior upgrades including better upholstery, electric windows, 8″ infotainment, parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Top of the Duster tree is the Duster Prestige (from £16,695) which gets 17″ alloys, privacy glass, Climate, heated front seats, multi-view camera, Blind Spot, Sat Nav and wireless phone connectivity. But you can add more than £4k to the price if you opt for the Duster Prestige Blue dCi 115 4×4, so be warned. Yes, it’s a £21k Dacia Duster.

Engine options remain much the same, with petrol 1.0-litre three-pot TCe 90 with 89bhp, 1.3-litre four-pot TCe 130 with 128bhp, TCe 150 with 148bhp, plus a Dci 115 diesel, with six-speed manual ‘box and six-speed dual-clutch available on the TCe 150. Two and four-wheel drive options are also available.

The facelifted Dacia Duster is now on sale.