DUSTED AND DONE

This budget SUV is a simple solution for all your motoring needs

- ALEX WOLSTENHOLME

When the Mk2 Dacia Duster reached our shores in 2018, we were mightily impressed. The original had won hordes of UK fans for its ruggedness and affordability, but it was this later iteration that really made Romania’s SUV a genuine mainstream disruptor.

While underneath it was just a heavily updated Mk1, it had come on so far in terms of refinement and build quality that we gave it four road test stars and the class crown.

This a properly dependable workhorse that also does the whole daily-driver thing far better than you might think – and if that doesn’t convince you, then consider the fact that it even tempted our own Steve Cropley out of his legendary Citroën Berlingo after 19 years. “The Duster never disappoints, whatever you’ve been in beforehand,” he says.