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Dacia cars: what are they like?

Dacia cars: what's the opinion on them?

Gabriel Creaven (Galway)

Jan 2014 Filed under: choosing new car

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Hi Gabriel,

Dacias are fine, to be honest, you just have to make sure you know what you're getting into. They're not sophisticated, nor are they especially modern, but they're cheap and genuinely quite cheerful. Best of the bunch is the Sandero supermini, which combines decent build quality with surprising refinement and a emptingly low price.

The Duster SUV is also pretty good, albeit it's quite an old design now and lacks things like electronic stability control as standard. Still, it's rugged, tough and refreshingly simple. The newer Logan estate and Stepway crossover are just variations on the Sandero theme and are there for those who need either an enormous boot (Logan) or a bit of 4x4-esque style (Stepway).

Another of our readers had been asking about safety when it comes to Dacias and the answer is a touch complicated. As we mentioned, the Duster lacks standard-fit ESP and it has received a three-star safety rating from EuroNCAP, whereas most of its more expensive rivals would get a full five-star score. The Sandero actually does have standard ESP, and it scores a more healthy four-star rating, although it's worth noting that the overall crash protection score for the occupants is more or less the same for both vehicles, and the Duster loses points when its lack of electronic systems is taken into account.

Hope that helps

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe

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Dacia cars: what are they like?

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