Dacia Bigster: a fan of the 1000km bound

In short, the Dacia Bigster is a Duster stretched by 23cm. Its look is unmistakable. It's also 5cm taller. This gives the SUV a length of 4.57m. Does it have what it takes to appeal to families looking for a rational product? Whatever the case, the tested hybrid version has a royal range.

Let's start with some important information: despite its extra twenty centimeters, the Dacia Bigster doesn't come with 7 seats. However, the 5th seat, the central rear one, can accommodate an adult. Admittedly, it's not the most comfortable, but it's better than in many SUVs. However, if you fold this seat down to take advantage of the cup holder, you open up a hatch to the trunk. An object could slip through it in the event of a hard brake and invade the passenger compartment. Danger!

Cargo

Let's stay in the back of this Duster XL to dive into the Bigster's main attraction: its trunk! A huge bay that easily accommodates a pile of luggage. When returning from a trek (not mine, but one of the hitchhikers I met), everything fits without any difficulty.

There's more space so the chore of going to the recycling bins will be more spaced out. As for the holidays, all the kids' (superfluous) stuff will fit in the car easily. As a bonus, there are rails on the roof if you really want to move everything to the roof... And what about the monthly shopping? It's ready to withstand a lockdown. Dacia even offers an app to help you organize your loads, via your smartphone's camera.

The numbers? For this variant, the cargo area has a volume of 612 liters under the luggage cover. When you unroll the boot's canvas protection and fold down the rear seat, you can reach up to 1912 liters of usable volume. You can stretch out easily. It should be noted that the Hybrid 155 model tested here is the least generous because of its battery. Thus, the Mild Hybrid 140 version displays volumes of 702 liters and 2002 liters respectively.

Ergonomic

When you get behind the wheel, a typical Dacia feature doesn't go unnoticed: the smartphone holder (Journey and Extreme trims). This should be mandatory on all cars. That said, Dacia has also installed an induction charger at the foot of the center console. The Media Nav Live system, standard in the Journey trim of our model (€550 optional on the base trims), is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay pairing systems. You can also install apps directly into the system, particularly to rely on the Here navigation. On that front, no complaints.

Dacia can meet basic infotainment needs. The only drawback is that when the smartphone's navigation system is projected, the volume control buttons no longer change the sound of the radio or audio streaming, only that of the voice prompts. You then have to play with the screen in order to mute or unmute. This is a bug already encountered on other Dacias and Renaults.

Speaking of buttons, Dacia hasn't given in to the temptation of going touch-sensitive. The 10.1" central screen is touch-sensitive. But there are buttons for almost everything. Among other things, on the left, to deactivate the now-obligatory annoying speed alert. In reality, the button (pressed twice) activates the personal settings that you would have had to configure beforehand; a trigger that must be pressed every time you start the car.

There's also the headlight height adjustment button. Very useful when the car is fully loaded or has a trailer to tow. However, the button is too easily reached, with the risk of inadvertently lowering the range of the dipped headlights. At the time, we wouldn't have been against a less accessible location. Nevertheless, let's praise the Bigster's simple and effective ergonomics, right down to the volume buttons at the top of the screen...

A Little Tough

Obviously, the value for money of a Dacia requires some compromises. If you don't like rough plastic, you'll be disappointed. There are no trendy or brightly colored materials. Even the upholstery is dark gray or light gray in our trim. There's also almost dark blue in the Expression and green bordering on khaki in the Extreme. You might say that when you have children and a dog, beige leather seats are great—sorry, but they suck…

This plastic is a sign of robustness. Like the vehicle's lines and overall impression on the road. The chassis absorbs hard surfaces but doesn't cover all the roads' vibrations. However, the suspension has a nice travel. From then on, it's easy to venture onto small forest roads dotted with craters, or even onto rocky paths. The comfort of the seats lacks flexibility. This doesn't prevent you from calmly considering long journeys. Especially since the machine's fuel consumption is attractive.

In order to get to the photoshoot locations we wanted to reach, I averaged 6 l/100km, occasionally roughing it up in the heatwave. By being more sensible, it's possible to stay at an average of 5 l/100km. And even a little under 4.5 l/100km. With 50 liters in the tank and the electric motor's little jaunts, that's 1000km in leisurely mode and at least 900km between fill-ups without feeling like Sébastien Loeb.

On the track

The combined power of the Bigster Hybrid 155 is… 158 hp. This output is shared between the 109 hp of the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder and the 49 hp of the electric motor powered by a 1.4 kWh self-charging battery. The automatic transmission does the job. If the gasoline engine weren't so rumbling, the shifts would be discreet. Alas! Let's not be mean. The duo works well for this front-wheel drive. The Bigster, despite its size, can proudly take off from a green light or easily pick up speed after a highway construction site.

But it's not a dynamic driving car. The fault lies with the steering in particular. It's not authoritative enough. The same goes for the braking. Ease of use is the priority. However, while it's easy to transport a Gersby bookcase from a famous Swedish furniture chain, it's bound to slide sideways at the first roundabout if it's not properly secured. This is due to a rather pronounced body roll.

Price challenge

Dacia is above all a question of getting a good deal. How much does the Duster cost? In Belgium, the entry-level Essential model, without on-board navigation, costs €24,490 with its 1.2-liter 140 hp engine. Let's also not forget that the Franco-Romanian brand is a fan of LPG. To take advantage of this inexpensive fuel, the Bigster costs €26,490. But there's no longer a proper spare tire (optional at €150) under the trunk floor. A place had to be found for the 50-liter LPG tank.

As for the Hybrid 155 solution, the starting price is €29,490 in August 2025. The model we tested had a few options and equipment, such as the sunroof (€1,000), the winter pack (€500), the City pack with the panoramic camera (€450), the indigo blue bodywork (€550) and the Rasan wheels (€250). Add this and the rest to the Journey finish with electric tailgate (€31,190) and we get a total price of €34,390.

In France, this basic Dacia Bigster starts at €24,990 in the 140 hp Essential trim. A 155 hp Bigster Journey Hybrid with the same equipment as our test model costs €35,345. In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the range starts at €23,680. To find the same model as this road test, in the 158 hp hybrid trim, you have to pay €32,818.

In Switzerland, a Dacia Bigster costs a minimum of CHF 27,990. Configuring it as shown in our illustrations, the bill will rise to CHF 35,290. In the Netherlands, it's a minimum of €31,000, with the 140 hp LPG. For the 158 hp hybrid, in Journey trim with the same features as above, the amount to be expected is €41,120. And all this while there is also the Extreme trim and a host of accessories, particularly for transport and towing, to further increase the bill in all countries. But honestly, this remains reasonable considering the product on offer.

 (MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source : Dacia – Photos : © Olivier Duquesne)