Always renowned for its great value for money, the Dacia Duster was recently reinvigorated with a new design, new tech and hybrid powertrains. Al Suttie takes it up hill and down dale for a week.

Dacia Duster Journey Hybrid 140

List price (BiK): £25,680 (27%) CO2: 114g/km Economy: 55.4mpg Test efficiency: 45.6mpg

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Monday

Dacia has taken a much bolder approach to this third-generation Duster, which arrived this morning resplendent in its £650 optional Sandstone metallic paint. There are also sparkles, or Starkle as Dacia calls it, in the prominent plastic protection around the wheelarches and sills. Call it what you like, I think it looks great and gives this compact SUV a load more presence and chutzpah than its predecessor (see test here).

Tuesday

As I was getting into the Duster this morning, I had to do a quick mental double take. This was down to spotting the little silhouette of the car in the lower right corner of the windscreen, which is something Jeep has been doing with its cars for years. It’s a cheeky bit of fun and nod to the Duster’s better-than-you-think off-road ability, although this car is a Hybrid 140 with front-drive rather than four-wheel drive.

Wednesday

This Journey trim version of the Duster has keyless entry, which works a treat as the car unlocks as you approach, and locks again as you walk away. When you step into the Duster, there is a rather loud tune to greet you, along with the graphics on the infotainment screen made to look like the contour lines on a map. You get used to it, but it did make me worry about waking the neighbours on this morning’s early start.

Thursday

Dacia has done a very good job with the drive of the Duster. It rides smoothly enough while keeping body lean in reasonable check, though it can stumble with larger potholes and crests. However, there is good grip in corners and it’s possible to hustle the Dacia along twisty roads without bothering the brakes much. On the motorway, it’s decently refined and stable, so the Duster is a capable all-rounder.

Friday

The hybrid system in the Duster is happy to work in electric-only mode as much as possible, which has seen good economy over the week. However, the 1.6-litre petrol engine is noisy when it comes into life and hangs onto lower gears for irritatingly long periods. I’ve tried tempting it to change up by easing off the throttle pedal, which helps, but it often defaults back to the lower gear when power is reapplied.

Saturday

The Duster is one of those cars that has transcended boundaries and barriers, as the past few days have shown. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have commented on the car, and all in very positive terms. Several have been owners of older Dusters who are more than happy to tell me that their next car will be another Duster. Feels like quite an owners’ club has grown up around this car.

Sunday

It’s hard not to like the Dacia Duster. It retains the honesty of design and purpose that marked out the original, and it does everything you ask of it. A bit more rear seat knee space would be handy, but that’s about the car’s only significant quibble. The hybrid model has its obvious attractions, but I think I’d look to the 1.2-litre TCe 130 engine as my preferred choice to avoid the hybrid’s auto transmission.