Dacia Duster Test - 4x4 SUV off road drive

The Dacia Duster is the first crossover SUV developed by the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia. Officially revealed on 8 December 2009, it became available in Europe from 18 March 2010.

Design

Based on the B0 platform, the Duster measures 4.31 metres (169.7 in) in length, 1.82 metres (71.7 in) in width and has 210 mm (8.3 in) of ground clearance. It's luggage space has a volume of up to 475 litres (16.8 cu ft), while with the rear benchseat folded and tipped forward, its carrying ability can exceed 1,600 litres (57 cu ft).

The Duster will be offered with two-wheel or four-wheel drive. The 4x4 variants make use of Nissan's all-wheel drive system which allows the driver to choose from three different driving modes: Auto, in which the front/rear torque split is calculated automatically as a function of available grip, Lock, whereby 50 per cent of torque is consistently fed through the rear axle, and 4x2 where the transmission is locked into two-wheel drive for maximum fuel efficiency.

Safety

Dacia Duster features Bosch 8.1 ABS, as well as EBD electronic brakeforce distribution and EBA emergency brake assist. It also features ESC electronic stability control as an option on certain versions, as well as CSV understeer control and ASR traction control. This option also allows torque to be transferred away from a spinning wheel in 4x4 mode to improve traction when diagonal wheel spin occurs.

On the passive safety front, Dacia Duster comes as standard with two front airbags (depending on market) and three-point seat belts with load limiters for the front seats. Depending on version, two lateral head/thorax airbags are fitted in addition to the driver and passenger front airbags to provide additional protection in the case of side impact. Pyrotechnic pretensioners for the front seats (depending on version) complete Dacia Duster's retention system.

Price

Dacia Duster is offered in Europe, Turkey, Algeria and Morocco from March 2010, with prices starting from €11,900 for the two-wheel drive version, and from €13,900 for the 4x4 version. From June 2010, the Duster will also be available in Ukraine, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon and in some African countries badged as a Renault, while in 2011, it will be sold in the Gulf States.

In 2011, Renault will begin production of the Duster at its Curitiba plant in Brazil for distribution in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile, while at a later date, the Duster will go on to be manufactured at the Avtoframos plant in Moscow, Russia.

It has also been confirmed that the Duster will be launched in the UK in 2012, relaunching the Dacia brand there.