Dacia Duster is a 4WD family SUV that’s priced like a Corsa – it’s chiselled, tough and cool, inside and out

THIS is important work. Seriously it is.

We dug a little pothole — much like the one on your street — to see if a Dacia Duster could climb out in one piece.

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It did.

Next, we recreated the kerbs outside school to see how it handled that one.

What kerb?

You couldn’t do either of those things in a Vauxhall Corsa.

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Why do I say Corsa?

Because this new Duster will be priced like a supermini — and so it deserves a bit of credit for being more capable than you might think.

It’s never going to beat a Land Rover Defender in a tug-of-war. Of course it won’t. Not much will.

But Duster has all the minerals most people need: Proper mechanical 4WD, high ground clearance and attack angles, chunky tyres, five drive modes and hill descent control. Its all-round cameras will help you to avoid scrapes with rocks.

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Or, more likely, hungry walls at the multi-storey car park. Or flower pots the ­missus keeps putting around the driveway.

Choose which camera view you need — left side, right side, front or back — and a live feed pops up on the central touchscreen as you plot your way through.

What do you think of the new design? Same. It’s like Duster has followed Clark Kent into a phone box and exited in superhero clothes.

It looks chiselled, tough and cool ­— inside and out. And it’s kinder to the planet with those wheel arches made from 20 per cent recycled plastics.

The slab-like dash has Duster stamped across it in big letters. Much like a Defender.

Improved comfort

We like that.

You can have wipe-clean seats and thick rubber floor mats. You can have a specially-designed “sleep pack” for camping out under the stars.

Dacia has yet to crunch the numbers but I’m assured the standard Duster will start around £18k for the LPG version. They will sell about ten of them.

Your start and end point should be the new 130hp 1.2-litre turbo petrol, with front-wheel drive from about £19,495 and four-wheel drive from £21,495.

Both six-speed manual only. Both can tow up to 1,500kg. Both come kitted out in the mid-spec Expression trim which unlocks 10in touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay.

In a nutshell, the do-it-all Duster is a new family SUV at used car prices

The 140hp 1.6-litre petrol hybrid with two e-motors is more money for little gain and best avoided. Unless you really want an auto gearbox.

No diesel this time round.

You’ll need to hurry and buy the current-shaped Duster if you want a diesel.

Re-worked suspension and steering have improved comfort and reduced body roll.

The boot is bigger. There’s a smidge more knee room in the back. Yet new Duster is exactly the same length as before, so it’s easy to place on narrow country roads — and to park.

In a nutshell, the do-it-all Duster is a new family SUV at used car prices.

I can think of nothing, apart from this newspaper, that represents such good value.

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Need something bigger? Sit tight. The aptly-named Dacia Bigster is coming next year. I’ll need to dig a crater for that one.

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