Dacia Duster

If you live here in Bucharest then you are very familiar with Dacia. If you don’t live here yet, then it is high time you get used to the “Dacia” in the automotive sense of the term. Often looked at as a rolling traffic blockade, the old. slow, lumbering Dacia sedans are almost as iconic for Romanian streets as the occasional East German Trabant. Often repaired by tilting the car on its side to gain access to the undercarriage, the Dacia is a definite “project car” throughout its contradictory long lived life. It’s cheap to buy and cheap to fix for a reason. So from communist transportation to “every other taxi cab” let’s take a brief look into the development of Dacia before we take a look at the new “World’s Cheapest SUV, the Dacia Duster”…

The Dacia car company was founded in 1966, near Pitesti in Romania. Dacia was your typically “re-tooling” and re badging of another car company. You may recognize the similarities (almost exact) to older Renault model line cars. In other countries (they were everywhere in Buenos Aires Argentina) you’ll see the 1100 and 1300 series on every side street labeled as their Renault counterpart. Sparing the boring details of model lineage, we’ll simply say that this was a successful attempt at introducing a “Romanian” line into the mainstream consumer market. Picking up in the 70′s and 80′s as a car obtainable for the average Romanian family, various renditions of the 1100 series sedan filled gaps throughout a wide range of demographics by featuring many “upgrades” and additional options.

After the revolution of 1989 Dacia went full force with introducing new and in some ways improved designs for the marketplace. This included the Dacia Nova, and SuperNova models that was toted as being built without the assistance of Renault… a purely Dacia design. Let’s forget about the oddly similar resemblance to a Chevrolet model carrying the same model name across the pond.

It wasn’t until September of 1999 that Dacia began turning out the majority of what you see on the Romanian roads today. This was due to Dacia’s buy out by the Renault group. From the Solenza to the Logan to the Sandero, Dacia is now a “force to be reckoned with” on Eastern European streets. Don’t miss the occasional quips about Dacia on famed automotive program “Top Gear”.

Introducing the new and “improved” Dacia, the Dacia Duster:

Quoted as being the “World’s Cheapest SUV” the Dacia Duster may indeed fit the bill. Starting at 10,500 Euros for the 4×2 version and 12,500 Euros for the 4×4, you won’t have to look far to see that this definitely is one of the more affordable sport utilities out there.

Scheduled for release this Spring, the Duster SUV (more of a cross-over) will feature a wide range of engine sizes, from an 85HP petrol engine all the way up to a 110HP diesel power plant. At 1280 kilos for the fully loaded 4×4 version, the 110 diesel ought to be more than adequate to get this vehicle up to speeds on Romanian streets. Surely performance mods will follow in the “tuner” marketplace.

Dacia Duster is easy to drive and not only aimed at all-terrain aficionados. The combination of its low unladen weight (1.180kg in 4X2 – 1,280kg in 4X4) and compact proportions ensure particularly agile handling. In the 4X4 version, thanks to the unique and intuitive control (sourced from Nissan) located in the cabin at the foot of the central column, Dacia Duster drivers can easily adapt the vehicle’s transmission configuration to meet their needs of the moment.

This control allows one of three modes to be selected:

• When the AUTO mode is selected, the front/rear torque split is calculated automatically as a function of available grip. This system is aimed at providing optimal traction, however much grip is available, and gives Dacia Duster genuine 4×4 ability. In normal conditions, the torque is transmitted through the front wheels only. If traction is lost, or when grip is at a premium, some of the torque is transferred to the rear axle. In extreme conditions, the torque is split equally front and rear. This split is performed by an electromagnetic torque converter supplied by Nissan.

• In LOCK mode, the driver electronically locks it into 4×4 mode, whereby 50 per cent of torque is consistently fed through the rear axle. This mode is recommended in low grip conditions (snow, mud, dirt, sand) at low speeds.

• In 4×2 mode, the transmission is locked into two-wheel drive. This mode is suited to driving on good roads and reduces fuel consumption.

Sourced from Renault’s website at www.Renault.com

So how will this well equipped, “spacious” and affordable SUV fit in to the local marketplace? According to the Vice President of Dacia, Canstantin Stroe, this new model “will be very successful on the Romanian market, especially among the women”. We’ll see if Dacia Duster can deliver.

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