The Third Generation Dacia Duster Review: A Look at the Hybrid Version and Why Czech Savers Should Consider It

It has been fourteen years since the Dacia Duster first appeared. Literally, because in addition, only the Lada Niva from the deep Soviet era was able to break the threshold of 300,000 crowns for a family SUV.

The starting price of the current Dacia starts just under 430,000, and that’s for the most popular LPG version in the Czech Republic. Compared to competing European brands, it is still very good, but there are also cars from the Middle Kingdom that have been the focus of Dacia for a long time.

However, the current Duster is not the car it used to be. Although the first generation was not difficult to imagine in the backyard of a house with a tin roof, at the other end of which a cord with tesila pants is floating, the new Duster is almost no different from the European car production of the today. He got simple lines without rustic decorations, he got rid of all the chrome and, in addition, he switched to recycled plastics, because ecology is now his main theme.

When the three generations stand side by side, it cannot be ignored that the newest one is the most powerful one. This is due not only to the high and consistently straight nose, but also to the smaller side glass area, which is a movement that is mainly related to safety.

But what the Duster user feels on his own skin every day is the modern door handle, which replaced the old rear handle – not only uncomfortable to hold, but sometimes it could even crush a finger.

Some things in Duster, on the other hand, have survived since its inception. These include the two gas-liquid layers of the front hood, which usually represent more luxurious models in cars. Its presence in a budget car is very rare, but it maintains an admirable continuity, which is not given much attention in today’s car world.

However, it is known that the Duster is still a car, when every leu is turned twice, at most after looking at the interior. The dashboard panel and doors are made only of hard plastic, the trunk and upholstery are made of standard materials. The seats lack adjustable lumbar support, they can only dream of electric control, which, by the way, also applies to the trunk lid.

However, this does not mean that the inside of the Duster looks unfashionable. Under the steering wheel we find a digital instrument panel, in the middle of the dashboard there is a ten-inch display. Although his views could be more flexible, they were connected to the phone smoothly and Apple Car Play or Android Auto are also available. There are two USB-C sockets and a wireless phone charger on the center console.

Thanks to the new chassis platform, the interior space has increased slightly, which is especially noticeable in the rear seats. However, its use is mainly related to the assistance systems newly required by European legislation: Duster reads traffic signs, warns by whistling when it crosses the border speed or returning the car to the lane when the driver forgets for a moment.

All the assistants can be turned off at the same time with one button – this is useful in case of tinkling, but for example the assistant to keep the car in the lane works until surprisingly reliable in the Duster. It would be unwise to ignore its services while driving at night on the highway, it can save a life in a minute of micro-sleep.

While other car manufacturers are abandoning the offer of a direct transfer transmission, Dacia is going against the trend. Except for the hybrid, it only offers a six-speed manual, and its character is also completely changed in the 4 × 4 version. The first gear is no longer short instead of the reduction gear, but the longer gear ratio mainly takes into account low consumption.

Consumption is surprisingly low for a square SUV. During a test trip of one hundred kilometers, the 12-hundred-liter front-wheel gasoline car claimed 6.1 liters of fuel per hundred kilometers. The four-wheel drive version has a standard consumption of half a liter more, but during the test drives the Duster 4×4 was only available for short off-road entries, so it was not significant measure his desire.

However, when it comes to gasoline consumption, the biggest surprise was driving ​​with the hybrid version, where the 16-liter gasoline engines are driven by two motors electric powered by a battery with a capacity of 800 watts. The hybrid is only available with the highest equipment and costs 622,900 crowns, so traditional Duster buyers will probably avoid it to their detriment. According to Jitka Skaličková, spokeswoman of Renault’s Czech representative office, it is estimated that about seven percent of interested people will choose it – and usually those who come to buy Dacia for the first time.

And the measured consumption of the hybrid? Careful work with gas gave a reward in the form of 3.5 liters per 100 kilometers. Two liters less than normal.
At this point, it is good to note that under the hood of the third generation Duster, we will no longer find a diesel engine. Modern diesels are expensive to make, and according to the automaker, their presence in Dacia does not give much chance of success. But the gasoline hybrid is an adequate substitute, the automatic transmission is an added bonus.

However, no one will probably tell Czech customers that the LPG version is the best version. In the long term, it accounts for almost half of Duster sales, and the Czech production of Dacia has also made it the most affordable option. Unfortunately, the propane-butane Duster Malaga did not arrive, we hope to know it later in an editorial test.