Dacia Bigster review

Dacia’s new flagship, the Bigster. OK, so that’s a cartoony name which will see you mumbling when people ask what car you drive, but it’s self-explanatory; the Bigster is a C-segment SUV that’s the top of Dacia’s current range. So it’s the biggest.

And technically the poshest and most expensive, but both of those parameters are relative. It’s not that posh – relatively – but it’s also not very expensive. The range starts at £24,995 for the front-wheel drive ‘Expression’ manual and tops out at under £30k for the ‘Extreme’ 155 hybrid, and for a car of this size and feel, that’s excellent value.

With every car seemingly one that you’ll suck air through your teeth and say ‘it’s good, but it’s a lot of money’, Dacias as a whole seem to be bucking that trend. So, it’s based on the same CMF platform as the Jogger and Duster, and essentially feels like a Duster with a bigger boot. A Bigsterest boot.

So what does it look like?

Take a look. Basically it’s the same thoughtful – and slightly butch – angled vibes as the Duster, but longer at the back and taller, with the depth in the lower third. It’s the same width mind, so no harder to place on the road. It’s got the same beltline of speckled, recycled Starkle plastic for protection (bumpers, wheelarches, sideskirts), the same rear doorhandles hidden up in the C-pillar area, the same bonnet humps, Dacia grille fonts and stylings and double-pointed spoiler at the top of the rear hatch. If it spins past you on the motorway you’ll think it’s a Duster that’s been scaled up on a photocopier.

So what’s the point?

Well, in a world where the Duster is a small SUV, the Bigster is a C-segment effort – so not massive, but right in the heartland of Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage, VW Tiguan or a handful of others. The boot is 667 litres, so 15-litres bigger than a Tiguan, 80 more than a Sportage. That’s not nothing. You can split/fold the rear seats from the boot to do a passable impression of a van, and there’s plenty of legroom in the second row with all seats in place.

And that’s in a car whose range tops out where the others start. In a world where every penny counts, that’s hardcore positioning. Plus, it’s a tad more plush than a Duster, but not by much. You can get an (opening) panoramic roof, powered tailgate and dual-zone climate – all nice things, but not exactly groundbreaking.

Bigster also gets the first application of the new 155 full hybrid powertrain – the first application within the Renault Group who deal with the CMF platform – which is also lightly impressive. But more on that in the Driving section. 

Why doesn’t it have seven seats if it’s the Bigster then?

Right. Dacia comes up with a variety of reasons, and they seem reasonable, but it depends on what you think. First, the seven-seat variant market is actually pretty niche, and to get seven seats in, you need to re-engineer things like interiors, axles, brakes; a whole gamut of stuff. If you just have five, you can keep comfort up for the rear passengers and not spend the money, which would increase the base cost. And Bigster is big on value. The second reason is that Dacia already offers the Jogger with seven seats, so feels that covers off those with extra-people needs.

Is it fun to drive?

Bluntly, no. But that’s not what this car is for. You get all the usual GSR II safety systems that are required on all new cars like lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitors, chiming speed limit warnings and the rest, but you can programme your preferences on the ‘My Safety’ button next to the steering wheel and switch them off with a couple of dabs of the same button. Excellent idea.

Other than that, it rides acceptably and handles with a kind of safe, predictable, slightly-rolly attitude that seems in keeping with the mission statement. The powertrain delivers in the same way; you kind of don’t notice it one way or the other. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but it’s more that the car knows what it is and what it's supposed to do, and doesn’t bother with much else. It’s a car for people with nothing to prove.

Bigster nails the concept of what a big Dacia should be. It’s lightly rugged, delivers what’s needed with a dash of style and doesn’t bother with much else. What that allows is a purchase price that’s pretty astonishing for the class of car – £25-30k buys you a hatchback these days, and yet you get more space, decent if not plush equipment and a look that can stand up anywhere. It’s not a flash car, but it is a good one. It’s essentially a bigger Duster, but that is absolutely no bad thing.