Dacia dazzles with value-packed Duster

But, despite the obvious value offered by Renault’s Romanian sister brand, some might still need reassurance that low-cost does not translate into low quality.

We drove Dacia’s range-topping Duster Extreme Hybrid 140 to find out.

Priced at £27,395, it remains around £4,000 cheaper than a Hyundai Kona Hybrid and £8,000 cheaper than Nissan’s Qashqai e-Power.

The new Duster’s styling better communicates its rugged, utilitarian persona than before.

With its pronounced wheel arches, roof rails, bonnet bulge and dead pan face, it looks ready for business.

It also appears larger, though is only 9mm wider and 2mm longer.

Dacia claims there is 33mm more rear legroom, however, with a boot expanded to 496 litres.

Th Duster’s new cabin may not feel premium – the plastic mouldings are hard and there is a lot of them – but it is stylish and its specification leaves you wanting for little.

There is a 10.1-inch touchscreen with a reversing camera and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

Dacia does not stop there, serving up a wireless phone charger, heated front seats and steering wheel, automatic high beam and a full suite of driver assistance tech.

Then there is the clever ‘YouClip’ system which allows owners to attach extra cupholders, phone cradles or lights at convenient points around the car.

The Duster Hybrid’s 140PS power output and 10.1 second acceleration to 62mph are academic out on the road, where the electric motor’s torque supplements the 1.6-litre petrol engine to provide useful surges of acceleration.

Even with the Extreme’s larger 18-inch alloys, chunky tyres also help to deliver a comfortable ride.

With reassuringly predictable handling, the Duster proved to be surprisingly rewarding to drive.

Couple this to 55.5mpg fuel economy and 114g/km CO2 emissions and I am impressed.

Dacia continues to dazzle by offering so much for so much less than its rivals.

Its third-generation Duster deserves to soar well beyond the 2.2 million sales achieved by its predecessors.