Dacia Duster review off-road - Auto Express

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Can the UK's cheapest 4x4 cut it off-road? We take the new Dacia Duster greenlaning to find out...
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[@SoulTouchMusic93]

It doesn't has parking sensors, cameras, and other shits because we in romania use some old fashioned things wich are called eyes, and common sense.

[@6StacksOnFeastEUW]

Haha mate, well said :D

[@buca9696]

Indeed. I saw a reviewer complaining about the lack of a reversing camera on a fucking Fiesta. I mean, what the actual fuck, learn to park.

[@SoulTouchMusic93]

tavi921 it's a fiesta, it's an economy car. also it's not a lorry, why would you need a camera? and get a 200 euro android console and plug in a camera. if you can use a wrench you can do it!

[@Mark-mv1fy]

Finally someone who realises this.

[@BogdanCiobanu]

Best value for money ... very good car, cheap maintenance, fun to drive and very good car for off-road and roads with bumps. The interior is not that spectacular but is nice and simple with basic all you actually need from a car.

[@sandumihai-adrian4567]

Daca lumea vrea si interior si performante atunci trebuie sa uite de pret...dar lumea nu gandeste

[@hannescamitz8575]

Cheap... Well I wouldn't call 700-1000€ for the propeller shaft which is rubbish sort of, 700-1300€ for a timing belt change... Those prices are in Sweden so it might be cheaper in the UK. EDIT Don't get me wrong I do own one and I do like it, they're smal and agile little "speed bumps" 😉

[@merlin3461]

Dacia Duster is a very GOOD car, yes do buy one.

[@t0y2610]

The funny thing is that Q7 owners wouldn't try anything close to this off-road test because quite frankly they would be too scared to find out that their 50.000 pounds car can't handle it.

[@uncanaloarecare2530]

M-il bei?

[@verliebt3465]

as Romanian I have to be honest.those so called green lanes they ben on are about the same condition most village roads are in Romania, so not that tough.

[@V-ValveSupercharged]

that car is much cheaper than the X5 and it is better off-road than an x5

[@christiann7320]

You won't do what you did with a dacia in a bmw. Old Romanian Saying.

[@notmartipower918]

Another one drives a duster!

[@Vacil3Nuput]

In Romania the price for this car starts from 11.000 euro. A romanian middle class man can`t afford to buy a 40.000 euro Land Rover.

[@enver2480]

I mean not only in romania

[@Luisgtm95]

It is not unsafe, it not having 5 stars in EuroNCAP doesnt make it unsafe, it has airbags, ABS, ESP, and its structure holds up well in impacts, For this price it has all the right to be shit, but it isn't

[@claudiazirker2677]

You can get a new Lada Niva for under 10000 and it is 4 wheel drive and it has a difflock. so the duster isn't the cheapest 4x4

[@Tromi1986]

The only good Duster to buy, is a 4x4 deisel version... 1.5 dci does the trick, and the 4x4 version has a Nissan X-trail chasis, which is awesome ... :) The 4x2 does not use the same chasis though ... :(

[@terry141186]

Correct it uses a modified clio chassis like the sandero :-)

[@NorbyC55]

Dude, the car is as safe as you drive. If you want to go fast, buy a sports car. I really hate it when someone comments just so that they can rant about things and/or to insult other people. Grow up, if everybody sees that the duster is a good car, doesn't mean that you're the only one who's right.

[@Caine0027]

Matt is the only reason why I subscribed to the Auto Express channel. The videos of this guy are great! Keep it up mate!!

[@marcofava]

As far as budget 4x4s go this is amazing, right up there with the fiat panda and the daiatsu terios

[@marcofava]

***** yeah but the yeti is not really budget compared to the cars i mentioned, if you were shopping for a sports utility and down say you were initially looking at a q3, a tiguan and so on yes the yetis is propbably the best there is

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

I would also include the Lada Niva and the Suzuki Jimny in the class of cheap offroading cars.Sure, they may not be very comfortable, or luxurius, but they are quite capable.

[@oddities-whatnot]

I got the new panda 4x4 diesel about 3 months ago and i have to say it is excellent for the money.

[@robbeard6929]

The suspension set up for Eastern countries would be harder and stiffer, the suspension on this is made for most of Europe and the UK. Good motor by the looks of it though.

[@kingrocker3587]

Rob, what makes you think suspension for bad roads would be stiffer and not softer?

[@RoScFan]

"Daseea" is anglicized pronunciation, the original word is Romanian and the Romanian pronunciation is "Dachia". It's the name of the ancient kingdom that used to occupy the same territory as Romania, so ancient it was contemporary to ancient Gaul.

[@KIYOOU]

the Duster is a very good car for the money! Cheap, economical to run with a nice ride! Good job Dacia!

[@TurfSurf]

this car would be perfect for Los Angeles's crappy roads.

[@ecina1]

Matt is the greatest car reviewer on the net Keep up the good job

[@paulwheatley1966]

I've got the 4x4 1.5 110 duster on order I took 1 for a test drive & loved it

[@korlumchukhu3150]

i have the 4wd verions and i love it

[@Astoriculus]

If you look at the actual NCAP tests you will see that it was penalized because of pedestrian protection (Bad for most SUVs) and safety assist stuff like Speed limitation assist and a lack of ESC. Otherwise, when it comes to passenger protection, it did rather well actually.

[@petronelchiriac8293]

Duster is cool and reliable car...yeti is a bullshit :)

[@petronelchiriac8293]

Leave it. I drove both and duster is by far better

[@terry141186]

The yeti isn't a bad car its just no way near worth the money they ask for it. Duster is miles better value for money and the better car in my opinion.

[@adrianmares8371]

Change that tires for asphalt with tires for mud / all terrain and than go again on same tracks

[@darrenwilson8042]

England in August 2012 - pouring down with rain England in August 2021 - pouring down with rain Nothing changes eh?

[@jafwilding]

I get sick of farmers planting over public rights of way.

[@Cramsdal]

I live in the Sibillini mountains in Italy. Here we have a lot of 'white roads' with no asphalt, many of which are completely neglected or only used by farmers with their tractors. I am also looking to buy an old ruined farmhouse to restore so I frequently drive on overgrown, steep mud tracks. The Duster copes with everything I throw at it. I also recently drove it to England and back: a journey in which it proved remarkably comfortable and economic. Oil give it foive.

[@Ulevicius92]

clearly he's never been to eastern europe. roads there are much better than uk

[@q3b26]

I saw loads of these in Prague last month! :)

[@jimmy2dub]

Eastern Europe roads worse than Britain? Have you ever been to eastern Europe? Better roads than the UK by far.

[@kingrocker3587]

Jim, I am in Eastern Europe. That's NOT Poland & Czechia, by the way. And roads are worse.

[@Nimli22]

i want one :D

[@inthevip23]

seems like one of the very few cars actually worth its price :)

[@GraveUypo]

i have two of these. they're pretty decent all around, not only off-road. mine are not dacia though. they're under the Renault badge, since i'm in brazil.

[@thra5herxb12s]

Bloody crikey. It can go through ankle deep water, thats just incredible. My bicycle will be so jealous. (I bought one anyway )

[@Mladjasmilic]

Car just needed proper off-road tyres , and than it could take lot more . Or at least winter tyres . I done some driving through cropsfields and forests in my Hyndai Atos (whis is just a FWD city car) and with some M+S tyres I was ok .

[@DanixDannike]

Absolutely right! In the field you need the best car, not the newest/cheapest car.

[@waitotong9590]

Probably not far behind from the Bentley Bentayga.

[@hellcat1988]

I don't know what you consider a normal car, but other than the deep rut that had you on 2 wheels I didn't see anything I haven't taken my 1996 dodge neon coupe through before. Cattle roads like that are pretty fun as long as you don't get stupid and put your car on a mound to high center it.

[@bassvaasd7457]

i m a romanian and i like the new duster and i hope i ll have the oportunity to enjoy the ride in one :D..btw who says DACIA is rubbish doesn t know what a fiable car means..for example look at the LOGAN and u will see a very good car...only 1 model from DACIA i dislike : SUPER NOVA who can have a lot of problem with engine and rust ..

[@TravMenace]

This is more than a car though. You could buy a Kia or a Fiat 500 but this is a fullsized 4x4, which is practical for a family as well as being capable off-road.

[@MiclausGmS]

In Romania the off roads are worst than Britain off roads xD This video is a joke....a sad one !

[@luckluck4621]

+Micla GmS :)) it's almoust true .For Roumanian off roads we have Aro 243, 244. Crosslander. :))

[@MiclausGmS]

=))))

[@luckluck4621]

did you see ARO?

[@MiclausGmS]

aro e baza =))),ce hilux cand ai aro

[@whywhere1768]

Micla GmS yea cuz we have mountains. They don't 🤣🤣

[@MajorVendetta]

I need a 4X4 not to go off-road just something that will cope with all the crappy potholes in the UK roads!!

[@00kirbyd]

Autoexpress, the Duster isn't actually the UK's cheapest 4x4 because the imported Lada Niva 4x4 is actually a full £21 cheaper than the cheapest 1.6 4x4 Duster at £10974. I am nitpicking here but I'd never recommend the Niva over the Duster for the point of saving £21!

[@AutoReviewCom]

I just uploaded my personal review of the Renault Duster (Dacia Duster) here in Dubai. A different look at it due to the great price it comes here for.

[@LIUSAAAA]

James May : Good news everyone!

[@shiny_446]

What

[@Sherukka]

Evoques standard wheels are sadly not up for the job but if they are changed for the test, why not!?

[@bluemoondiadochi]

yea... i'd be confident to go there in my old Lancer! you dont need 4x4 for what they're doing!

[@andrei007ps]

finally a review that puts money in the first place,not like top gear

[@alexandrucatana1036]

Actually, the name is pronounced as it is writen: Dacia ( gets its name from the province the romans conquered around 100AD) And yes im from Romania, sorry for the spelling :))

[@qinghuichen1520]

You made the right choice you made the right choice by not going onto that race central track I mean the water is fine but the center is just so raise and there’s a 99% charge then you’re just ground out and you just get stuck

[@thruthegalaxy6660]

Please do the same with Opel Mokka or nissan qashqai

[@ryano8768]

Foot race with Yianni! Wait, wrong video

[@wontondestructxn]

I can't wait to see Top Gear's review.

[@Peoplestariff]

Glad DACIA ( don't like the pronunciation in the video ! ) has finally come to the UK :)

[@RoScFan]

Dacia is a Romanian company. It used to be the state-owned national Romanian car maker during communism. As far as I know, and please don't have a fit if I get this wrong, but as far as I know, this is the only such communist state-owned company that survived the transition to capitalism. It was, of course, bought by a western company as most privatizations in Eastern Europe seem to work, and now it is owned by Renault. A lot of things have changed, Renault really overhauled the company

[@boy638]

is it just me or does the Duster look surprisingly good?

[@suckah97]

man, your reactions are priceless

[@rongyao2250]

Despite the fact that dusterdoesn’t have a low ratio gearbox but it’s short first gear four-wheel-drive la go to the 1.5 L diesel

[@Mladjasmilic]

What about Lada Niva - it was on Fifth Gear few years ago .

[@ArianeQube]

yes, it does look great.

[@watannen]

You would be surprised to see how good that cheap 4x4 system is. The Pathfinder runs on the same basic design, only stronger obviously and normally powers the rear and not the front axle. Nissan does not produce bad 4x4s and you couldn't call the Pathfinder a bad offroader, could you?

[@PandaUzumaki]

"It lacks ground clearence" - well, not really. It haves 22 cm, Lada Niva haves 21 cm and cars like Octavia Scout,Yeti,Koleos,Qashqai and RAV4 all have 18 cm and for an expensive alternative, XC60 haves 24 cm. All in all, it stands pretty well. In the end, the Dacia is just a cheap Qashqai. and both share pretty much same rubish 4x4 system...if 2 wheels on a side are above ground you will need to be pulled out. A full option 4x2 Duster is the best deal, don't buy the 4x4, doesn't worth it.

[@enriqueflimberger]

You should come to Brazil. Some of our streets are worse than your 'offroading' in this video.

[@mikeymarmalade]

A good review but not very objective to start with. I got the impression you were expecting it to fail even though reports from elsewhere in Europe are very favourable. I wouldn't have taken half the soft-roaders sold in the UK where you did, so I think the Duster did very well. I know in rural France they love them. It would be interesting to see how it would cope with off-road tyres. The Eastern European videos would suggest very well - ground clearance allowing!

[@JohnLegends1]

ROFL, thanks for bringing back good memories from TG :)

[@toninocars]

Like it, is it better then Mitsubishi ASX? Any comparison between will be nice. Love soft off-road

[@milosilic23]

For that kind of money, this is the best car out there. Even if you buy the 2-wheel drive version.

[@lSairexl]

brilliant review :)

[@UvozAutomobila]

True but if u want reall offroader for little money buy Lada,but Dacia is still a great car for that money,probably best on market.

[@Mark-mv1fy]

The Duster is the most capable off-roader in which you could do a road trip, and for a small price.

[@TheCarArchives96]

well you can but only in LHD

[@lffit]

Laugh if you want folks, I once drove a Lada through a snow storm in France for 3 hours, Russian tyres and all... when others had slid off the road, the 1 speed wipers however sucked.

[@rongyao2250]

And it’s not even the most expensive car on the planet it’s the cheapest hard-core off-road SUV you could ever buy

[@idserbanescu]

I have one 4x4 and is very good.

[@ScottPC]

Great video Matt !!

[@lafeelabriel]

For a suv that costs less to buy than a lot of superminis it did very well indeed.

[@Shortgrauzis]

8:41 yeah.. sure m8. i agree with you..

[@newcastlehypnotherapy]

I love the duster. Great review

[@timourr4572]

Is the Lada Niva no longer sold in the UK? If it still is then I'm pretty sure it's the cheapest 4x4 in the UK.

[@richa237]

Nice test, when are you road testing??

[@watannen]

Have you noticed that the headlights on the new VW Amarok look surprisingly similar to the Duster's ? Guess which one was launched first? Nope, it's not the Amarok! :)

[@12345678uygfcxdrtghn]

we are waitin` for more offroad tests, Evoque Maybe ;)

[@Naoufalitos24]

the only thing that annoys is the 3 star safety rating

[@gordonremsey8055]

Everyone I know who has a Duster has had zero problems with them can't understand these people "oh it fell apart" well you obviously bought a shit one how come theirs still some on the roads then

[@ghmusic8116]

Fine Engines and Mechanicals Comholio but thats where it ends ...You pay for everything they call "Extra" Thats standard on Most models which brings the Duster"s Pricing way up in Line with Most equally equipped cars..There"s No Air Con More Importantly No Safety Belt Warning alarm No Spare Wheel which is a Whopping €300 extra..Nor is there a radio on the Standard Model Their also not particularly safe in a head on Collision either (Tests).

[@gordonremsey8055]

Lord fauntleroy still though their a nice looking car

[@ghmusic8116]

Ah I was almost going to buy one there about 2 years ago until i saw the amount of Money that actually had to be added to bring it up any where near your Normal Average Standard car The Interior"s not Great either Cheap soft plastics and Upholstery Their a Good Looking car alright and Fine Engines But I think the Bog Standard"Low Price" is a Con You get what you pay for I eventually went for the New SsangYong XLV Far better equipped Leather seats Heated wing Mirrors reversing sensors 7 Airbags etc and a large warranty to Boot for slightly more Money than the Duster The Duster"s not great safety wise either only scoring 3 out of 5 in the Euro NCAP test.

[@DerangedSloth555]

I thought the Niva was sold in UK?

[@00kirbyd]

Right hand drive versions will be built in India.

[@Okeeffeg]

Enjoyable review !

[@ross46x]

More off road action please

[@Superdsheppard]

Not bad, thats impressive!!! Do that in a Nissan X-Trail!!! that would be epic!!!

[@lorilori311]

DACIA is a part of RENAULT-NISSAN-DACIA grup and all of the 4/4 mecanic in DUSTER is NISSAN one of the best in the world which make this car at the price you pay for it the best what mony can buy.

[@nagshaxdkj9870]

My man mat change it a lot 😂

[@bentaylor1986]

so it can drive through a corn field, a gravel road and an ankle deep puddle.......wow, im amazed

[@rongyao2250]

But the interior duster is not the best but it’s quite basic well that’s OK but it is definitely a little bit off the pace here

[@UmnicKo]

Great review!

[@Guide504]

Suzuki jimny hands down the best if its big enough for your needs.....untouchable off road 1.5inch lift and all terrain tyres.

[@Guide504]

no hence my comment if its big enough.

[@Guide504]

you are very excitable, I was just having a little chat and you get all silly and offensive. The jimny is a proper off road vehicle, light weight, short wheel base great approach/departure angles, separate chassis and tub, 2,4,4low drive, sort after by many who are serious about steep and deep. If you want to tow just get a heavy lump with plenty of torque. If I agreed with you I would not have put a caveat "hence" why I don't "just agree" with you. I truly hope tomorrow is a better day for you, all the best.

[@ZephyrKnight76]

Guide504 The jimny has to be the most awful looking car around, its look hasnt changed once in the time its been in production, it looks like a silly toy car, the duster is much better. fact.

[@Guide504]

they haven't changed it because it is that good!! and iconic in design!! thank for proving my point

[@ZephyrKnight76]

The beetle, the golf, the mini, the 500, the range rover, all them icons have been remodeled, But they're still good, the jimny is still a 1990s car in the modern age, its outdated.

[@1Sniper6661]

well said

[@r383lthepsycho]

It's actually called exactly the way he pronounced it; it's a romanian brand, and it he calls it right even if for brits it's a bit hard

[@robertamos7569]

What are these like for going dogging ?

[@jamesrothwell8693]

Robert Amos Lonely I suspect.

[@kimbreezy_2140]

+James Rothwell hho

[@EauRouge]

For a budget 4x4...excellent ride at an amazing price... Call it what you want...Renault...Dacia...whateva!!! ...great SUV...