GETTING THE BIG PICTURE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Dacia's Bigster mid-sized SUV is a big deal - in every sense. Jonathan Crouch explains why.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 47

As so many Dacias have done in the past, the Bigster re-writes the value proposition in its segment - in this case, the class for upper-mid-sized five-seat family SUVs. What's different here though, is that it does so with a genuinely appealing, technologically sophisticated strong quality product.

Backgroundword count: 149

Renault-backed Romanian maker Dacia has always shaken up the market when it comes to value. But so far it's done so primarily with compact cars. What if the same proposition could be applied to model more appropriate for a growing family? A contender like this one, the - Dacia Bigster. The brand has ambitious plans for this upper-mid-sized family SUV, which slots in above the rejuvenated Duster in its crossover model line-up. The strong-selling Sendero hatchback and the Jogger 7-seat estate, previously built in Romania, have been moved aside (to a Renault factory in Morocco) so the Bigster can roll down that main Romanian Mioveni production line in the substantial numbers the brand thinks it's going to sell. You can see why it's optimistic, undercutting directly comparable rivals by around £10,000, yet delivering what at first glance seems to be a very appealing product. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 369

It's usually a decent rule of thumb with Dacias that the less you pay, the better off you generally are. We're not certain that applies here. The Bigster is, well, big and the little three cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine that mainstream models use, though perfectly acceptable, isn't going to give SUV this large lightning performance. So we can understand why, particularly in view of the up-front cost savings you'll be making here, you might be minded to pay the extra the Romanian brand wants for the top Hybrid 155 powertrain. This is a full-Hybrid 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol unit which comes mated to a six-speed auto gearbox working with one main electric motor, a separate starter generator motor and a 1.4kWh battery. Total system output is 155hp, which makes this the most powerful Dacia ever made; 62mph takes 9.7s en route to the 112mph top speed that all Bigsters share. The only slight full-Hybrid downside is that you can't have it with 4WD. The lesser 1.2-litre mild hybrid powertrain set-up is more flexible, available either with front wheel drive and 140hp; or with four-wheel drive and 150hp. We'd stretch to the latter, the hybrid 150 4x4 variant. Here, the 1.2-litre unit's total output is made up of the combined efforts of the engine, the 30bhp rear electric motor and a small 48V front electric motor. It's a part-time AWD system, so the rear motor only engages when it senses a loss of traction - at speeds of up to 87mph. Or you can have that rear motor permanently engaged at crawling speeds, when the rear motor's dedicated 2-speed gearbox gives it great low-down torque at slow speeds and sends 87Nm of constant torque to the rear wheels to keep you moving. Dacia also provides a suite of drive modes. These are for different surfaces (Snow, Mud/Sand and Lock). And there's Hill descent control. As well as 'Auto' and 'Eco' for the tarmac. Off road, the 4x4 model has 219mm of ground clearance and an approach angle of 24-degrees, a departure angle of 29-degrees and a ramp angle of 23.2-degrees. Braked towing capacity is up to 1,500kg with the two mild hybrid models; that falls to 1,000kg with the Hybrid 155.

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