Dacia Duster: Grade 2 in the How To Cars endurance test

The second generation Duster came on the market, and a few months later Dacia gave us another copy for the marathon. If you don’t dare, you can’t hope for anything – that’s the Schiller motto of the courageous Romanians. This time, however, there was petrol instead of diesel. And instead of two, one driven axle had to be enough. Colleague Jörg Maltzan therefore saw a need for explanation when his three-year-old son got shining eyes at the sight of the Duster: “Uih, an off-road vehicle.” Nice compliment from the toddler, who apparently loved the rustic look.

But the 2WD Duster has avoided difficult terrain over the past three years. And where its all-wheel drive predecessor is to document the adventurous excursions through Danish beaches, alpine When we rummaged through snowy landscapes and gravel pits in Lower Saxony, this time we made do with bright green meadows and slightly muddy forest paths. Also good, In any case, nobody missed the all-wheel drive. But more power: “lower draft engine“some grumbled “that should be 115 PS be?”, the others were outraged. But that wasn’t it yet. The four-cylinder got on the lid for the inharmonious throttle response, the poor warm start behavior and the howling engine noise. But still while the colleagues overtook tractors on the country road with sweaty hands, Dacia reorganized its range of engines and finally threw the vacuum cleaner out of the program in mid-2019. All engines have been turbo charged since then. And even the 91 PS strong three-cylinder base now has more torque than ours 1.6er.

Thanks to a ground clearance of 21 cm, the colleagues hijacked the 2WD Duster for a photo into the countryside. We avoided difficult terrain.

Will weak-chested drive could fade out, on the other hand, was pleased with the sufficient rolling comfort and the rather soft chassis. Also details such as the aluminum trim rings, the large climate controls (“feel good in the hand”), the Gas pressure dampened bonnet (“A Golf 8 no longer has to offer”) or the four cameras, which proved to be very useful when maneuvering, received benevolent attention. And on the subject of the price-performance ratio, Klassik colleague Martin Puthz remarked: “The quality of the cockpit and finish are perfectly fine considering the price. The multimedia equipment is easy to use and fulfills its purpose, I don’t expect more.” Others were bothered by the “cheap looking carpet and the fiddly trunk cover”. and almost all colleagues expected more lateral support from the seats – Next to the engine, the second most frequent point of criticism in the long-term test log. In fact, the two front seats lacked gripping cornering support, especially in the back area. And even on the barely formed rear seat, the passengers hung in their belts in every second bend – anything but comfortable. In the meantime, Dacia made improvements. The lifted Duster started in mid-2020 IIwhose seats are blessed with more lateral support.

“The quality of the cockpit and the finish are perfectly fine considering the price,” says editor Martin Puthz.

Due to the many negative entries in the logbook, our Duster cannot avoid four points of error in the everyday evaluation. As for the second inspection, after only 40,000 kilometers, the complete change of the front brakes was due, the pessimists were already saying: “What else is going to break?” But the new panes and rubbers lasted longer and lasted until the end. And apart from a lightbulb, nothing else broke. Impressive! The clutch occasionally plucked while driving, once the engine control light even shone, but then went off again a little later and remained silent from then on. So the technology lasted which is why the optimists suddenly oracle before the dismantling: “That could be enough for a one.” But it wasn’t enough. For the little sensation would have needed more comprehensive corrosion protection. It was not difficult for DEKRA man Marcus Constantin to dismantle brown wounds on the sheet metal to detect. It bloomed in the trunk behind the side panels, on the welding points in the rear left door sill and the retaining tabs of the inner wing at the front right.

At least the preservation inside was sufficient; the endoscopy did not uncover any further problem areas here. On the other hand, the axle beam was infested with light edge rust – as in the other places not yet worrying, but annoying. In addition, there were the first signs of fatigue in the front shock absorbers, loose trim parts due to the lack of retaining clips and signs of wear on the seats and in the trunk. In total, that makes 13 error points, together with the manageable loss of value that is enough for a smooth 2. And by the way confirms the well-known wisdom: Good doesn’t have to be expensive.