Dacia Bigster: price, specs and UK release date

Thu, 10 Feb 2022

• Dacia Bigster announced
• Rivals the Skoda Kodiaq and Land Rover Discovery Sport
• £20,000 starting price massively undercuts rivals

The Dacia Bigster has been revealed in concept form – but in what looks like close-to-production readiness – showing us exactly what Dacia’s new seven-seater, range-topping SUV will look like when it goes on sale later this year.

2022 Dacia Bigster price and release date

You can expect the Dacia Bigster to undercut rivals such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson significantly with a price of around £20,000 for a basic model. The widely tipped hybrid version – with its expensive battery and motors – will likely tip the scales at £30,000, which is still significantly less than you’ll pay for a rival with similar tech.

The official pictures of the new model show a car that looks to be almost production ready, suggesting the Dacia Bigster will go on sale towards the end of this year.

2022 Dacia Bigster styling and design

You can expect the Dacia Bigster to expand on the chunky, utilitarian looks already seen on models such as the Duster and Jogger. 

Dacia calls it ‘genuine’ design, which means you’ll find no fake aluminium or chrome here, instead you get recycled black plastics that make no attempt to hide their humble origins.

Boxed wheel arches and trims emphasise the fact that the Bigster will be available with four-wheel drive and you can expect mid-range models and above to have roof rails for the easy fitting of bike racks and roof boxes. 

Fingers crossed that lovely green paint also gets signed off for the production model.

So far, Dacia has only confirmed that the Bigster will be 4.6m long – just 100mm short of a Skoda Kodiaq, despite the Dacia undercutting the smaller Skoda Karoq on price. It’s a pricing structure that has served the firm well with cars like the Sandero, which is much cheaper than the Volkswagen Up despite being significantly bigger.

2022 Dacia Bigster interior

You can expect the Dacia Bigster to take much the same approach to its interior as it does its exterior. 

Fancy fake trims will be notable by their absence, while expensive soft and spongy plastics will make way for cheaper harder plastics that will also be more durable. In the UK at least, Dacia has dispensed with the bare-bones trim levels it used to be famous for so you can expect all Bigsters to come with a radio and air-conditioning. 

The big news is that it is likely to be the second Dacia – after the Jogger – to be available with seven seats. You can expect the Bigster to have loads of room for four people, while the third row of seats will be suitable for kids, or adults on short journeys.

A boot capacity of at least 500 litres seems likely and while the boot carpet will be cheap and thin, expect the space to have handy features like shopping hooks and a 12V power socket.

2022 Dacia Bigster hybrid, engines and powertrain

The Dacia Bigster will be underpinned by Renault’s CMF-B platform meaning it could be offered with the same petrol-electric hybrid that is fitted to the Renault Captur PHEV. It uses two electric motors and a 1.6-litre petrol engine to produce 160PS and give the car a pure-electric range of 30 miles. 

Cheaper versions of the Bigster are likely to be fitted with the same 1.0 three-cylinder and 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engines as you get in the Duster, producing between 100-130PS. A 115PS 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel will likely be offered, too.

The diesel could be the only model to get four-wheel drive fitted, while mid-range petrol models will likely be offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox to replace the standard six-speed manual.

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Ask HJ

What's the best 4x4 for narrow, rural roads?

My daughter, an emergency nurse, is moving from the south of England to the North East and will be commuting between hospitals. She is looking to buy a new car more appropriate to the change in climate and the narrower roads. A small 4x4 would be ideal, perhaps a MINI? Your advice would be very much appreciated.

I'd recommend the Suzuki Jimny, Fiat Panda 4x4, Dacia Duster 4x4 or MINI Countryman All4. The Jimny is a brilliant 4x4. But Suzuki stopped selling it as a new car in 2021, which means your daughter will need a nearly new model via a dealer.

Answered by Dan Powell

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