Large and almost opulent
Dacia Bigster: What’s the catch with the price breaker?
The largest Dacia is also the best-equipped in the basic version: with the Bigster, Dacia moves up a class and makes it one of the largest among the C-segment SUVs - and at an absolutely competitive price. Where do you have to make compromises?
Dacia has long since blossomed into a brand that has become attractive with its independent, well thought-out design and robust appearance, over and above the argument of low prices. Sensible cars without frills. With the Bigster, the Romanians go one step further, "because customers in the C-SUV segment simply have higher expectations", as Dacia puts it.
The basic concept is reminiscent of the Tiguan/Tayron siblings from VW, only a class lower, as the Bigster could also be seen as an extended Duster with an independent appearance. The body looks more powerful, larger and more grown-up. Of course, there are parts that the Bigster adopts 1:1 from the Duster, such as the headlights. And there are also synergies in the bodywork, otherwise they would not be able to represent the price at all. But even with the rear lights, first impressions are deceptive: although they look the same, they are LEDs.
Such differences are evident in many places. The flagship is not only larger than all its brothers, but is also of a higher quality in terms of detail and is already well equipped in the basic version, which is not typical for Dacia. Where the Duster driver has to make do with manual air conditioning, the Bigster comes with dual-zone automatic air conditioning as standard. In addition, all four power windows have a pulse switch, not just the one on the driver's door. Cruise control, height-adjustable front seats, driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support, 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto wireless and DAB+, parking beeper with reversing camera, etc., are all on board in the base model.
What a lot of space!
The opposite of sacrifice is also true when it comes to space, because the Bigster is a master when it comes to space utilization. With a length of 4.57 meters, the Romanian towers over the VW Tiguan by three centimeters, but remains 3 cm narrower at 1.81 m wide. Nevertheless, the amount of space in the back seat of the Dacia makes you feel more like you're in a VW Tayron, as the amount of space is one of the surprises in the Bigster, which actually lives up to its name.
However, a seven-seater version is not planned. The Dacia Jogger is responsible for transporting the family.
The trunk can hold up to 667 liters, with the rear seat backrests folded down (by remote release!) it is even 1937 (Tiguan: 652/1650). The all-wheel-drive and full hybrid models each have around 100 liters less. The trunk floor is variable as standard, the floor sections can be inserted into practical guides as dividers, and everything appears solid and well finished.
Slight tendency towards drabness in the interior, but ...
When you take a seat in the comfortable front seats, you are initially irritated by the very plastic-heavy interior. Aha, so they've saved money here. The hard plastic door panels in particular are a bit drab and it certainly wouldn't have been much more expensive to make the door compartments suitable for 1.5-liter PET bottles.
In everyday use, however, it is noticeable that the large amount of plastic is less distracting than feared and that the choice of materials in the important areas is quite appropriate. The feel is pleasant where your hands rest while driving, be it on the soft-touch steering wheel, the center console or the soft armrest on the door. The automatic nub in the test car feels pleasant and the blinker lever even surpasses that in the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé in terms of feel (although this is mainly due to the cheap feel there). The fact that Dacia has completely dispensed with piano lacquer (susceptible to scratches, dust and finger tapping) is also rather positive.
Modern operating system
The Bigster is also relatively digital, with a 10-inch screen that reacts well, a 7-inch speedometer display in the base model and a 10-inch screen in the other two trim levels, which can even display the navigation map in full format. The simple steering wheel buttons and the Renault/Dacia/Alpine-typical radio satellite behind the steering wheel are pleasing. In times like these, I would also like to praise the classic power window switches. And the fact that the air conditioning has its own buttons on the dashboard should also be emphasized.
Three drive systems to choose from
The Dacia Bigster celebrates the premiere of the new 157 hp full hybrid, which has not yet been fitted in any other car from the Renault Group. I drove this version for two days and was very impressed. The "Hybrid 155" accelerates from a standstill without any delay and Renault's multimode gearbox is now so sophisticated that you can overtake on country roads without any problems and are generally quick on the road. 9.7 seconds for the standard sprint marks the best value in the Bigster portfolio. The 109 hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine is only likely to hold back a little in terms of revs on slight inclines.
The basic engine is also new for Dacia: a 1.2-liter three-cylinder mild hybrid petrol engine with 140 hp and 230 Nm, which drives the front wheels like the full hybrid, but is shifted manually using a six-speed gearbox. Instead of 1.4 kWh, the battery - which is located under the front passenger seat - stores 0.8 kWh.
The all-wheel drive vehicle takes over the entire drivetrain from the Duster, including the older version of the three-cylinder engine with 131 hp but the same torque. It takes the most time when accelerating (0-100=11.2s). The chassis of the 4x4 has a special feature: It has a multi-link rear axle instead of the twist beam.
All engine versions offer a top speed of 174 km/h.
Comfortable chassis
The chassis and steering of the full hybrid made a very good impression when driving on different types of road. Although the suspension does not respond very sensitively, it certainly conveys comfort without even a hint of sponginess. Even tight corners are easy to negotiate, not least because the steering provides good feedback. There is no cheap feeling here either.
With 22 centimeters of ground clearance, the Bigster can take on light terrain under the 17 to 19-inch wheels, but the Duster has the better ramp and slope angles.
The noise comfort is also surprising. The Bigster has an acoustic glass windshield as standard and the windows are thicker all round than usual for Dacia. It is quiet. With the three-cylinder engines, the engine noise will probably be more present.
Prices and equipment
The base price for the Dacia Bigster is 24,000 euros. All-wheel drive or hybrid are already available with the basic equipment and cost 4600 and 4000 euros respectively.
Above this, there are the two top-of-the-range trims Journey and Extreme, which each cost an additional 3000 euros, but are designed differently. For example, the Extreme comes with a huge panoramic glass sunroof as standard (which already buzzes when opened at highway speeds), while the Journey has an electric tailgate.
In both top trim levels, the surcharge for all-wheel drive or hybrid is 1000 euros less and the hybrid is automatically equipped with adaptive cruise control.
However, you will look in vain for luxury features such as Lane Departure Warning or LED matrix headlights in the price list. And the high beam is produced by halogen lights, despite the LED headlights. However, the "My Safety Perso" button is standard, with which you can activate your personal configuration of the assistance systems (e.g. limit warning and active lane departure warning off) with a double press.
Driving citation
The Dacia Bigster is probably the Dacia and also the C-SUV with the best price-performance ratio. So spacious, so well equipped even in the basic version and so affordable, it's quite astonishing. Of course, you can tell that a lot of money has been saved (plastic, halogen high beam etc.), but that's easy to get over. And a fully equipped Bigster costs less than the base of most competitors. So you have to cut back on the limited choice of engines (no diesel, automatic only for the full hybrid) and the cheap materials, but otherwise you get a lot of car for relatively little money. At a level that is as new for Dacia as it is for customers.
Why?
Surprisingly well equipped even in the base version
Drives well
Offers plenty of space
Why not?
Cheap materials in the interior
Pure combustion engine only as three-cylinder
Or perhaps ...
... Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Skoda Karoq, Citroen C5 Aircross, VW Tiguan
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read the original article here.
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