Dacia Duster Long-Term Report: Are You Better Off With The Hybrid?

The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that our long-term Dacia Duster is suddenly wearing a different number plate. Never fear, there’s nothing underhanded going on here – we’ve simply traded the plasticky little keycard for our 4x4 for the one for a Duster Hybrid for a few weeks.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, the boot of this particular Duster Hybrid is full of bed. That's the optional Sleep Pack car camping setup, which we’re going to be having a play with at some point. Secondly, as much as we love the plucky little 4x4, the Hybrid’s probably going to be the bigger seller (there’s also an ultra-basic version with a 99bhp 1.0-litre triple, and a front-wheel drive one with the same 128bhp mild hybrid setup as the 4x4). It’s worth finding out what it’s like to live with for a bit, then.

Simply by being an auto, this car deals with my biggest grumble with the 4x4; that is, the super-light, imprecise clutch. No longer is backing into an uphill parallel parking space (of which there are a few around where I live) a genuinely stressful experience, with the car juddering away as I desperately try not to stall.

The hybrid system shows its strongest side around town. The car may call the shots on when to run on electricity or petrol, but it does a very good job of it, especially if you lean on the surprisingly potent regen setting to keep the battery topped up. The result is that most quick urban jaunts can be done largely on electricity, where the Duster Hybrid feels nippy and smooth.

It also means you don’t have to deal with the 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated petrol engine, which, in all honesty, feels a bit like something out of the 1990s. It can be coarse and buzzy, something exacerbated at speed by the four-speed gearbox it’s hooked up to (yes, four – there are another two in the electric motor, though).

Out on fast A-roads and dual carriageways, it likes to maximise the engine’s modest power band as much as possible, meaning you get lots of noise before it eventually upshifts. This is necessary, mind you, because despite being the most powerful Duster at 138bhp, the Hybrid can still feel a bit gutless on faster roads. The kickdown can be a bit jerky, too – I think I was being a bit generous when I called the gearbox ‘smooth as you like’ on the Duster’s launch last year.

Again, though, all this needs to be taken in the context of the car. Trim-for-trim, you’re looking at a £760 jump to go from 4x4 to Hybrid, but it remains one of the cheapest ways into a hybrid SUV – in fact, the £27,330 you need for a Hybrid Extreme like this is the absolute most you can currently spend on a Duster before options. There are inevitably going to be compromises.

So, the two versions we’ve been spending time with naturally have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Hybrid’s gutsier overall and smoother to operate, but the 4x4’s a bit more refined, and you can work the engine as and when you need to.

Mostly, I’m pleased to report that the Duster remains a little charmer either way. There’s the same sense of lightness as you bound along a country road, the same grin-inducing looks, the same unpretentiously robust interior, and the same sense of it being a bit like a faithful Labrador.

The front-wheel drive Hybrid only loses 8mm of ground clearance over the 4x4, too, so it should still be able to tackle more than the average family crossover as long as things don’t get too slippery. It’s also noticeably more efficient, easily cracking 50mpg even when I’ve been driving it more with a view to getting where I need to be than eking out every last drop of efficiency.

And yet… I miss 'my' 4x4. The Duster generally feels like a plucky underdog, but the all-paw one elevates that even further, just by having that slightly more adventurous spirit to it. Unless you genuinely are traversing muddy fields on the regular, the Hybrid’s probably the more sensible buy, but I’ll be counting down the days until NA74 SVK is back outside my house.