Romania’s low cost Dacia brand has released final pricing for its first model to touch UK ground, the Duster compact SUV that will be available for pre-order from June 28 with first deliveries in January 2013 at a starting price of £8,995 OTR (US$14,000 or €11,300) for the two-wheel drive variant.
To put it into context, that’s less than the basic version of the Suzuki Splash tall city car that starts at £ 9,325 for the 1.0-liter petrol model.
Dacia is also claiming the bragging rights for the most affordable (new) 4×4 model as the all-wheel drive version of the Duster begins at £10,995 (US$17,200 or €13,800).
While the Dacia brand may be Romanian, all right-hand drive versions of the Duster will be built at the all-new Renault-Nissan Alliance factory in Chennai, India.
In Britain, the Duster will be offered with a choice of two Renault Group engines. The 1.6-litre petrol delivers 104hp (105PS) and is linked to a five speed manual gearbox returning 39.8 mpg UK in 4×2 and 35.5 mpg UK in 4×4, with CO2 emissions of 165g/km and 185g/km respectively.
The second engine option is a 1.5-liter dCi turbo diesel rated at 108hp (110PS) paired with a six-speed manual. It gives a fuel economy of 56.5 mpg UK with 130g/km of CO2 emissions in 4×2 trim and 53.3mpg UK and 137g/km in 4×4.
The 4,315mm meter long five-door model has a rather spacious boot for its size at 475-liters for the 4×4 models and 408-liters for the 4×4 that can be increased to 1,636–liters with the rear seats folded down.
There are three equipment grades starting with the Access that includes, 16-inch steel wheels, ABS, longitudinal roof bars, electric front windows, four airbags, height adjustable steering wheel, ISOFIX points on the outer rear seats, and remote central locking.
Next up is the Ambiance that adds a 4x20W radio/CD system with AUX, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and steering-column mounted fingertip controls, plus body coloured bumpers, 60/40 split folding rear seats, front fog lights and height adjustable driver’s seat.
At the top of the range is the Laureate, which includes 16-inch alloys, air conditioning, electric rear windows, leather steering wheel, trip computer, piano-black trims inside, and satin chrome for the roof bars, scuff plates, side sills and door handles on the outside.
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