The Dacia Bigster has landed! First look at sub-£25k SUV on UK roads
In true Dacia style the Bigster will undercut many similarly sized family SUVs
We got our first look at Dacia’s new Bigster in concept form back in 2021 and finally we can now see the firm’s flagship SUV has arrived on our roads. Pre-orders for the Bigster have already opened and Auto Express has even poked around inside the mid-size SUV in a studio.
Pre-orders of the Bigster can be secured with a refundable £250 deposit. Deliveries of the newcomer to UK customers aren’t expected to begin until May and finance offers aren’t available yet. Dacia says retailers will give their first updates in March to confirm orders.
Despite being the range-topping model in Dacia’s line up, the Bigster’s pricing remains keen.
The entry-level Expression costs from £24,995 and even the top-of-the-range full-hybrid version will cost less than £29,500 – undercutting the £30,000 base price for a Nissan Qashqai.
The Bigster also costs less than several other key rivals, such as the Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga, while its starting price matches the value-focused MG HS. It achieves this despite being the largest and most expensive model Dacia has launched to date.
Buyers have a choice of three trim levels – Expression, Journey and Extreme (the Bigster misses out on the Duster’s super-basic ‘Essential’ trim) – and three hybrid powertrains.
Expression models will come with a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a seven-inch digital instrument display, dual-zone air-conditioning, a 40:20:40-split rear bench, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and four ‘YouClip’ anchor points for attaching accessories.
Plus, there are plenty of safety features onboard, such as traffic sign recognition with speed alert, cruise control, lane change alert, lane-keep assist, driver attention warning, advanced emergency braking and an emergency call system.
Upgrading to Journey trim costs £26,245 and adds 19-inch rims, a 10.1-inch instrument display, a powered tailgate, heated steering wheel, heated front seats, different seat upholstery, a wireless smartphone charging pad, high beam assist and electrically adjustable door mirrors.
Extreme specification, which will be available from £26,495, is aimed more towards fans of the outdoors. It gets most of the same kit, but also adds 18-inch alloy wheels, modular roof bars, washable seat upholstery and rubber floor mats, plus a panoramic sunroof and brown copper accents.
The top two trim levels will have the option of a two-tone black roof, to contrast with the six paint colours that’ll be on offer, including Indigo Blue, which is exclusive to the Bigster.
The engine range kicks off with the TCe 140: a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 48V mild-hybrid technology and a six-speed manual gearbox. It produces 138bhp and 230Nm of torque – enough for 0-62mph in less than 10 seconds – and Dacia says it can return up to 51.4mpg.
The TCe 130 4x4 features the same mild-hybrid petrol engine, but with 128bhp on tap and four-wheel drive. There’s also five drive modes for different terrain: Auto, Eco, Off-Road, Mud/Sand and Snow. It’s only available in Expression and Extreme trim, and costs £2,200 more than the standard motor.
Finally, there’s the Hybrid 155 powertrain. This uses a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox, working together with one main electric motor, a separate starter generator motor and a 1.4kWh battery. Combined power output is 153bhp, while the e-motor provides up to 205Nm of torque.
The Bigster Hybrid, which is available from £27,995, is capable of returning up to 60.1mpg, says Dacia, and can spend up to 80 per cent of the time driving in town on pure-electric power.
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