SUV at a competitive price
Dacia Bigster: First review of the low-cost flagship
Following its Austrian premiere at the Vienna Drive motor show, the Dacia Bigster is touring the country in a presentation trailer. "Krone" motoring editor Stephan Schätzl took the opportunity to take a close look at Dacia's cheap flagship - as a foretaste of the driving presentation, so to speak.
The days when Dacias were a design-free zone are long gone and the Romanian cars are generally attractively designed. But no Dacia has ever looked as impressive as the Bigster. A feat - no one has ever been this big. At 4.57 meters, it is even two centimeters longer than the seven-seater Jogger, and at 1.81 m it is also 3 cm wider. It is also 3 cm higher.
But the small difference in size belies the fact that the Bigster is simply much more car. It is actually considered to be a vehicle class higher. You sit better, more comfortably, have more space and although the entire interior is made of hard plastic, it somehow seems more valuable.
Some people will now wonder why we are using the Jogger and not the Duster for comparison. The question is justified; after all, the Bigster is an SUV, just like the Duster. However, the Bigster is the significantly larger brother - with a difference in length of 23 centimeters, there is not much more to compare.
The fact is: there is a lot of space in the Bigster. The trunk can hold up to 667 liters, and with the rear seat backrests folded down using the remote release, even 1937 liters. However, this is only possible with front-wheel drive, as the all-wheel drive and even more so the hybrid drive limit the load volume.
We took a look at the hybrid and nevertheless found a very large trunk, even if it "only" holds 550 liters. The solid double floor can be laid flat in two parts, whereby the rear floor section can also be inserted upright into various guides as a divider. In the pre-production vehicle we were shown, the floor was not fully upright in the lower position. This may change for series production.
There is a small LED trunk light on the side, which can be removed as a flashlight. The holder can also carry other practical gadgets and can also be found in identical form in the passenger compartment (not with basic equipment).
The rear door handle is hidden next to the window - no one would ever think that the Bigster is a two-door vehicle. There is no need to hide the rear bench seat, even tall people will find it comfortable with more than enough knee and headroom.
The Bigster also lives up to its reputation as a flagship in the front seats. The seats are comfortable and generally nothing is restrictive. The speedometer is a 7 or 10-inch display and a 10-inch touchscreen is fitted as standard in the middle of the dashboard. Most of the controls here are digital, but the steering wheel buttons are still completely analog and haptic, and there is also a button bar for the climate control below the display and air vents. In any case, the sound system is operated via the steering wheel satellite, which is widely used by Renault and Dacia.
Prices and drive systems
The price list for the big brother of the Duster compact crossover starts at 23,990 euros in Austria - impressive for a CUV in the C-segment. For this, you get the cheapest "Essential" variant with a 140 hp 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine with 48-volt mild hybrid technology and a manual six-speed gearbox. This engine, called TCe 140, has not yet been found in any other Dacia.
Even new in the entire Renault Group range is the more powerful full hybrid called Hybrid 155, which is the only automatic version. It is available from 27,990 euros, which is also a competitive price.
The only all-wheel drive version is the TCe 130 4x4, which has the 131 hp 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine with 48-volt mild hybrid system known from the Duster under its hood. It is only available for the basic version (28,590 euros) and the Extreme. Thanks to 22 centimeters of ground clearance, you can also venture into light off-road terrain.
The Bigster is available in three equipment variants: Expression and two top versions with different but complementary elements, at the same prices: Extreme for outdoor enthusiasts with panoramic sunroof, modular roof rails, washable TEP MicroCloud, rubber mats and YouClip 3 in 1 as standard, and Journey for customers who value comfort and style, with electric tailgate, more exclusive ambience and electrically adjustable driver's seat.
From the outside, the Dacia Duster looks much more upmarket than the plastic-laden interior. But the compact SUV can be forgiven for this, as it passes as "robust" and is definitely not lovelessly designed. Besides, where can you get a fully equipped all-wheel drive compact SUV in the C-segment including all extras and a special paint finish for a good 32,000 euros?
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