Long-term report: The Dacia Duster punches above its weight to be one of the best all-rounders money can buy

It may sound like the tagline from a terrible Channel 5 documentary about Lidl, but Britain really does love a bargain.

Whether it’s supermarkets or cars, we are a nation that loves to get value for money, and for years, Dacia has been the king of offering simple pleasures at bargain-basement prices. I’ve always been a fan of the brand for that very reason – it is a company which knows what it’s good at and it does it well.

Unlike some of its rivals, the brand hasn’t forgotten its core market. There is a no-frills approach to Dacia, which I really love. Whereas some car companies (cough, cough Hyundai) may try and lecture you on how you’ve been saying their name wrong all these years, Dacia isn’t fussed. ‘As long as you buy our cars, you can call us whatever you like’ seems to be the refreshing attitude.

With all this in mind, I was delighted when, earlier this year, I was offered the chance to run the brand’s new Duster for a few months. Picking the car up at my local Dacia/Renault dealer in Portsmouth, I was struck by just how confident the company seems to be in this, the third-generation Duster. I was given the full dealer handover experience and it was noticeable just how knowledgeable and keen to help everyone was. If you’re buying a Duster – or any Dacia for that matter – you may not be paying as much as you would elsewhere, but that certainly isn’t reflected in the quality of the service.

First impressions of the car itself were good. It looks great, with Dacia pitching the new addition as a far more rugged and off-roady offering than its predecessor, which looked about as interesting as a plain beige wall. By contrast, the new car has been given more skirt than a 1960s racing driver and the jacked-up body certainly gives it a presence that the old car could only have dreamed of.

It’s strong on the inside too. Yes, there are still a few cheap, scratchy plastics to keep the price low but if you are the kind of person who gets in the car and starts scratching the dashboard, then you probably have bigger issues to work out anyway! In any case, everything you use regularly – ie the steering wheel and gearstick – is covered with synthetic leather, which feels like it has come from a car well above the Duster’s price point.

I also like the seats, which look great in two-tone blue and grey cloth and are incredibly comfortable. Dacia’s new rugged image is also boosted by the decision to do away with carpets, which have been replaced by much more durable and easy-to-clean plastic mats. These are great, although they do get slightly slippery when you’re driving in wet shoes. The only real issue inside is the cup holder, which is mounted underneath the armrest. This means it can’t really fit anything taller than a 330ml can, which is less than ideal.

I’ve now been driving the Duster for the past month and I have to say I have been incredibly impressed. The old car was good for its price but this new one is just good full stop. The ride is smooth and comfortable, if a little noisy at high speeds, and the raised driving position gives the car a presence that belies its stature as a compact SUV.

Meanwhile, the boot is easily big enough for pretty much all daily jobs and there is comfortably enough space in the back for three grown adults. It’s also held up incredibly well to trial by dog, with my Cavapoo Glyn doing his best to sully the interior with muddy pawprints, only for them to easily wipe away.

I really like how Dacia has listened to what customers want and made that a priority in order to keep the price down, rather than cramming the car full of tech that realistically, nobody is ever going to use. It’s all about trade off with Dacia to ensure that you get everything you want at the lowest cost.

For example, the ignition may be turned on with a new fangled device Dacia calls a ‘key’ (can’t see that catching on), but the car does come with wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto as standard. During my trip to the dealership, I was proudly told by staff that this feature is available in a Duster but not an Aston Martin – which I’m sure will be enough to convince the country’s footballers to trade in their supercars for budget SUVs!

However, if you are reading this Mr Foden, don’t head to your local Dacia dealer just yet because there is a catch when it comes to the CarPlay – namely that it is about as reliable as you are in front of goal!

The Dacia’s 10.1-inch screen is a bit slow to fire up at the best of times, but connecting your iPhone renders it almost unusable. Every button seems to trigger Siri, Bluetooth drops out several times a journey and the screen lag is utterly infuriating. I think I’ve seen cadavers more responsive than the screen in my Duster – and they probably died of old age while waiting for the infotainment screen to follow a simple command!

Dodgy screen aside though, the Duster is a seriously impressive vehicle. I can’t think of anything else which offers quite so much car for so little money. In the last month alone the car has performed admirably on winding country roads, gravel tracks, muddy lanes and motorways, with fuel economy averaging out at a perfectly acceptable 46mpg.

If Channel 5 are right, and Britain really does love a bargain, then it’s hard to see the Duster being anything other than a huge hit!