2024 Dacia Duster Is a Cheap but Stylish Off-Road SUV

• Dacia, owned by Renault, has revealed a brand new Duster, which seems to hold on the identical cheap-but-capable mantra of the outgoing mannequin.
• The brand new Duster seems way more distinctive, nevertheless, with expressive lighting and a tricky stance.
• The Duster comes with two totally different hybrid powertrains in addition to an uncommon one that may run on gasoline and liquified petroleum fuel (LPG).

It could share its identify with a Nineteen Seventies Plymouth muscle automotive, however the Dacia Duster is a really totally different beast. This compact SUV from the Romanian Renault subsidiary has been a large success in Europe since its launch in 2010, with 2.2 million items constructed to this point, because it has carved out a popularity as an reasonably priced off-roader. The brand new 2024 Duster seems to keep up that standing whereas including a wholesome dose of favor to the combination. Sadly, it will not be bought in America.

Recent Design

The outgoing Duster wasn’t ugly, however it definitely appeared nameless. The brand new design is chiseled and assertive, with daring Y-shaped graphics within the headlights and taillights. Entrance and rear skid plates shield necessary powertrain elements and the all-terrain character is enhanced by beefy wheel arches. The Excessive trim (present in these images) options copper accents.

Dacia describes the black trim as a “belt” that shields the car from dents and dings, wrapping from the bumpers across the sides and up the entrance fringe of the entrance doorways. This trim is common from a brand new materials developed by Dacia known as Starkle, which comprises as much as 20 p.c reused polypropylene. It’s left unpainted, lowering the car’s carbon footprint, and Dacia says the dearth of paint makes scratches much less noticeable. Round 20 p.c of the entire plastic within the Duster is recycled, and Dacia touts the eco-friendly deserves of the dearth of ornamental chrome and actual leather-based (additionally a handy technique to preserve prices low). Even the consumer guide makes use of much less paper than earlier than.

Inside, the cabin blends Dacia’s down-to-earth, low-cost really feel with fashionable components that forestall it from feeling like a dour econobox. Using straight traces and sharp angles brings a visible robustness that’s backed up by a washable material upholstery on the Excessive trim and rubber ground mats, 20 p.c of which come from recycled supplies.The air vents borrow the Y-shaped motif from the headlights, and the ten.1-inch central touchscreen is angled towards the driving force and supplemented by a 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster.

Below the Hood

Dacia affords an array of powertrains. The Hybrid 140 pairs a 94-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder with a pair of electrical motors; one serves as a high-voltage starter-generator and the opposite sends 49 hp to the wheels. A 1.2-kWh battery supplies the juice, and with the regenerative brakes, Dacia says the Duster can drive in all-electric mode as much as 80 p.c of the time. This powertrain is linked to a four-speed automated gearbox.

The TCe 130, in the meantime, combines a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder with a 48-volt electrical motor and a 0.8-kWh battery to enhance gas effectivity and assist with acceleration. A six-speed guide is the one gearbox obtainable on each the front- and four-wheel-drive variations of the 130. Lastly, the Duster affords the ECO-G 100, a turbo 1.0-liter three-cylinder that packs two 13.2-gallon tanks, one among which holds gasoline and one other that holds liquefied petroleum fuel (LPG). Dacia claims that working on LPG releases 10 p.c much less carbon dioxide than gasoline, and the Duster can swap between the 2 gas sources on the press of a button.

Homeowners who want to depart the pavement will likely be helped by a terrain-control operate fitted to 4×4 fashions that has 5 modes, together with Snow, Mud/Sand, and Eco, which redistributes torque to the entrance and rear axles to restrict gas consumption whereas nonetheless offering the requisite grip. 4-wheel-drive Dusters have 8.5 inches of floor clearance, and the rugged little ute boasts a 31 diploma strategy angle and 36 diploma departure angle. There’s additionally a hill-descent-control operate, and the central display shows important off-road-relevant info.

Dacia is providing outdoorsy equipment, together with a roof rack that simply snaps onto the roof bars and might maintain as much as 176 kilos. There’s additionally the Sleep Pack, a detachable field that features a fold-out 6.2-by-4.2-foot mattress, a tray desk, and a storage cubby. Dacia says it takes simply two minutes to transform the Sleep Pack from a field to a mattress.

Costs have not been revealed, however Dacia guarantees to supply “essentially the most reasonably priced costs in its section.” Sadly, these low costs won’t ever be transformed into U.S. {dollars}, because the Duster will stay forbidden fruit, bought primarily in Europe and Latin America, the place it has been badged as a Renault prior to now.

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Caleb Miller started running a blog about vehicles at 13 years outdated, and he realized his dream of writing for a automotive journal after graduating from Carnegie Mellon College and becoming a member of the Automotive and Driver crew. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to sooner or later personal one thing weird like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.