The Jogger is a Dacia according to a traditional recipe. Renault technology is housed under the hood, everything behind the hood is as large as was possible within a segment. The entry-level engine is by no means large. It is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder that produces 100 or 110 hp. That difference in power has nothing to do with chip tuning, but with the fuel type. The 100 hp variant runs on petrol or LPG. Those who want more power, an automatic or a four-cylinder, choose the Jogger Hybrid, which uses the same powertrain that you find in the Renault Clio and Captur.
On the third row of seats in the Dacia Jogger.
Jogger is spacious, but how spacious?
The next owner will be pleased with the practical properties of his Jogger. “The legroom in the second and third rows of seats is generous, so you can sit there as an adult. The interior is very easy to adjust: seat up, seat out, seat back. It’s all very simple and quick.” The downside? “When all the seats are upright, the trunk is really small.”
“The fact that the rear seat is not adjustable (as in many seven-seaters) is not really an issue,” writes another. “You sit comfortably there and the rear seats are also comfortable. There seems to be slightly more space than average behind the seats. The luggage compartment is also in excellent condition.” The next owner is also satisfied with the seating and space, but the folding system can be improved. “Once you are seated, the spots are all spacious enough for adults. The small lever with which you fold down the backrest of the rear row of seats could have been a bit more convenient in my opinion. And why you need that same lever again to raise the backrest is a mystery to me. Very cumbersome.”
Anyone who is short on interior space can still go onto the roof. “The modular roof racks are super handy and easy to convert. However, they are a bit far apart at the narrowest setting, I had to punch holes in the bottom of our roof box (roof bag) because otherwise it wouldn’t fit,” writes one such rider who uses the Jogger to the fullest. These carriers integrated into the roof rails are standard from the second Expression equipment level.
Seating comfort
So there is plenty of space, but what about the comfort of the seats? “First of all, the seating position behind the wheel. Initially we found it difficult to find a good seating position behind the wheel, but we have now succeeded! After many different settings, it is pleasant to sit and steer in the Jogger,” writes the owner of a Jogger TCe 100 Bi-Fuel.
A fairly tall driver writes: “The seats of the chairs are on the short side, so that is disadvantageous for tall people. With my 1.91 meters I can still find an acceptable seating position behind the wheel. I don’t get any back pain or other discomfort.” The driver of a 2023 Jogger also gives kudos. “The seats are much better and provide more support than those in older Dacias and, in my opinion, they are just as comfortable on long journeys as those of a Volkswagen Passat, where you get out fresh and rested even after long journeys.”
Anyone who does not think that the new seats surpass the old ones in all areas is the next rider, who at the same time offers a solution. “The headrests press annoyingly against the back of your head. The older Logan ones also fit and don’t have that disadvantage, so I arranged them. Those who do not know do not notice or see it.”
How does the Jogger drive?
The TCe 100 Bi-Fuel appears most often in the review section. One of the drivers writes: “The three-cylinder engine saves it all. It’s not all that fast, but you don’t actually lack anything either. It rumbles modestly and is never grumbling, even at very low speeds. The large turbo gives you enough power on the Dutch highway to compete in the left lane. At 130 you still have some power left, but then I think it was nice in terms of chassis. The controls then become vague. I did not buy the car for sporty cornering, so I am happy with the nice high tires (205/60R16H). The length of the car also makes the car quiet and comfortable.”
“The car drives very pleasantly, without strange noises,” writes another. “It has extremely good straight-line stability! It steers very lightly, so I can imagine that not everyone is charmed by it. The chassis is clearly tailored to comfort in combination with the fat tires. He doesn’t steer sharply, but all in all very acceptable.”
The following driver does not experience the vague steering or does not care about it: “I went to Germany with it, and on the autobahn unladen, the odometer reached 180 km/h. It strikes me that he is still like a log on the road. In Germany I drive an average of 130 km/h and faster where allowed.”
Seven of us on the road
The next rider really put his Jogger TCe 100 Bi-Fuel to the test and went to Spain with seven people, luggage and roof box. “Is 100 hp enough with a full load? Short and sweet: yes, it is sufficient, but you have to switch back (a lot) in the mountains. We rarely used sixth gear in the mountains. We usually rode in fives and threes. Really hard climbing had to be done in the third. On the French autoroute we could almost always drive in sixth gear. Our cruising speed was 120 kilometers per hour and it felt calm and reliable. Of course, the Dacia is not a speed monster under these circumstances. It remains a comfortable, quiet travel car.
Some drivers opted for the 140 hp hybrid. The experience of one driver: “I feel like the car doesn’t drive much electrically, namely only when the battery is more than 50 percent charged. Compared to my test drive in a Renault Clio, I know that for sure. It is lighter and I drove half of the half-hour test drive electrically.” The braking behavior is also not entirely satisfactory. “I noticed that when you brake at high speed, it kind of shoots forward as if it’s generating energy, and only when you press the pedal further does it brake mechanically.”
The Dacia Jogger Hybrid 140 is the only Jogger with digital instruments.
Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations
The Dacia Jogger has only been on the market for a short time, which means that we cannot yet extract a list of defects or premature wear points from the reviews. The only minor irritation that drivers notice so far concerns the cruise control. This driver sketches a practical situation: “The cruise control memory is set to 105 km/h. At 70 km/h it can already be in sixth gear, which is the moment for me to switch on the cruise and let the car accelerate to the set speed itself. We pass 105 km/h, the gas is released, we reach 112 km/h and slowly descend back to the intended speed. Very clumsy, and I can imagine that it can be annoying for motorists around you.” Another rider is shorter in stature. “Really the only negative so far is the cruise control. When accelerating in cruise control, the car often exceeds the limit by 3 km/h. That is a risk, but above all irritating.”
In addition to this minor suffering, there is also a rider who had to deal with serious bad luck. His review is headlined ‘Defective’ after 17,000 kilometers. “The car has now been at the dealer for over a month and the problem has still not been found. Probably a crack under the pistons, where the casting is very thin to heat up quickly. The importer has given permission to replace the entire engine with a new one, including the cylinder head. The engine is not simply in stock and must come from the factory shelves. That could take a long time and I’m quite grumpy about it.” We can imagine something about that.
Dacia seems to be hitting the mark again with the Jogger. The reviews show that several cars are actually used down to the last square centimeter. The drivers describe the Jogger’s handling as stable and familiar, but anyone who enjoys driving as a hobby should make a different choice. Nothing new under the sun here either. It is hoped that one owner’s broken motorcycle really turns out to be an incident, because no motorist wants such surprises. Apart from that, nothing seems to stand in the way of a top position in Dacia’s sales statistics.
2023-11-05 15:00:53
#Practical #experience #Dacia #Jogger #ideal #large #Dacia
