First Drive: Dacia takes on premium SUV rivals with new Bigster

At a time when most car makers are pushing prices up, Dacia has done everything possible to bring them down by offering a car with the bare essentials to make driving pleasurable, but without expensive and often unnecessary extras.

The Bigster aims to supersize Dacia’s sales thanks to its middle-aisle £24,995 price tag and just enough accessories to keep drivers satisfied they’re not missing out.

Occasionally, it runs on EV power alone, but there’s no official range as the car chops and changes as it sees fit.

The seats should really be a little more comfortable than they are and despite Dacia insisting it had worked hard to keep road noise down, we still found it a little loud. That said, it’s got a functional layout, feels solid on the road and is enjoyable to drive.

There’s a distinctive front end with LED driving lights, a huge Dacia badge and the design echoes that classic utilitarian look the smaller Duster mastered.

Plastics feel hard wearing, the cabin is airy, thanks to a huge panoramic sunroof, and there’s loads of space in the back for your kids, dog or both.

We love the fact that all the mandatory (annoying) safety alerts – like lane keeping assist and speed limit warnings – are easy to turn off with one button too. Dacia engineers said it’s the first thing most owners do, so they’ve made it as easy as they can for them to do it.

Execs admit the Bigster name is a little ‘Marmite’. But in the words of the brand’s UK boss ‘if customers got used to the Duster – named after a cleaning cloth – then I’m sure they’ll soon get used to Bigster’. He’s probably not wrong.

Name aside, the Bigster will appeal to money-conscious middle-class shoppers who strive for Marks & Spencer quality at discount store prices. Just like buying Aldi’s own-brand Jaffa Cakes for a fraction of the price of the originals, this Dacia feels a little bit like you’re cheating the system. And buyers, just like us, will love that.