Overview

Considering its price, the Duster really is a brilliant family SUV, and that’s why it’s a previous winner in the Parkers New Car Awards. It’s a value leader – and it’s been updated with a sharper look than before, more driver assistance tech and a more up-to-date infotainment set-up. It offers comfort, refinement and an overall feeling of quality, for considerably less than £20,000.

Despite the higher price that comes with the facelift, the Duster is still one of the cheapest SUVs you can buy. You can spec it up with all the equipment you’d associate with more expensive rivals, while the option of four-wheel drive and genuine off-road ability are highly unusual at this price point..

The Duster starts with the Essential model, and that means even the cheapest Duster comes with air-conditioning, radio, Bluetooth connectivity and a new centre console with more storage options. Beyond that, there’s the Expression and Journey models, which gain a plusher interior, larger infotainment screen and other gadgets – but the car’s appealing utilitarian appeal still shines through.

Dacia is the only company that offers an Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) version of its models as a factory option, and is keen to see the TCe 100 Bi-Fuel finds buyers. These Dusters can run on that cheaper fuel or conventional unleaded petrol. The Bi-Fuel is powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and for the latest model, it gains a larger tank for up to 155 additional miles and costs the same as the equivalent – less powerful – petrol version.

So, it’s inexpensive to buy, doesn’t cost much to run, it’s practical and you can have it with four-wheel drive if you’re into more adventurous driving. It may feature in our best small SUVs roundup, but is it really worth considering alongside pricier, more mainstream alternatives such as the Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai to name a handful?

Over the next few pages we’ll be scoring the Duster in 10 key areas to give it a score out of five. They’ll take into account the driving experience, how pleasant the interior is, the practicality on offer and what it’ll cost you.