Dacia Striker: A New Approach, a New Chance?
With the Striker, Dacia will launch a stylish and innovative crossover in early 2027 that brings together not just two, but three automotive worlds. Autosprint has already had a closer look at the 4x4 SUV.
With its affordable SUVs, the Duster and Bigster, as well as the compact Sandero, Dacia continues to enjoy success in Switzerland. Now the brand is introducing a crossover that combines not two, but three different aspects of a vehicle segment: the Striker. The 4.62-meter-long, yet just 1.53-meter-tall off-road station wagon is reminiscent of the models—with names like «Allroad,» «Alltrack,» or «Cross Country»—that were pushed out of the market by the SUV boom. And the Striker could very well strike a chord with today’s trends: It offers 4×4 capability and up to 20 centimeters of ground clearance like an SUV, plenty of cargo space (at least 600 liters) like a station wagon, and the fuel efficiency of a sedan —all at a price estimated to start between 29,000 and 30,000 francs.
«We’re very pleased with the result and the combination of elegance, ruggedness, and sturdiness,» reveals chief designer David Durand. «We’ve also successfully integrated the two signature black horizontal bands at the front and rear into the car’s design. And, of course, the distinctive T-shaped LED lights.» These are reminiscent of the lights on the equally new Skoda models, the Peaq and Epiq. When asked about this, Durand says with a smile: «I guess we both had a good idea years ago. And being compared to Skoda isn’t so bad.» Touché!
Comfortable 3D seats
The Dacia also impresses on the inside. The Striker cockpit remains uncluttered and user-friendly, featuring a new instrument cluster for the driver where—similar to a head-up display—the most important information is now projected not onto the windshield but onto a small plexiglass panel behind the steering wheel. There’s also a central 10.1-inch touchscreen for navigation and multimedia functions. The feel of the interior is particularly nice: Sure, there’s plenty of hard plastic, but in the areas where you rest your arms, there are also fabric surfaces and soft-touch materials. The comfortable 3D seats, which offer additional lateral support in the shoulder area, are also a success. «The Striker should be comfortable for a family even on longer trips,» adds David Durand.
We're looking for clever ideas
Efficient hybrid powertrains are designed to provide the Striker with the necessary performance. One option is a four-cylinder gasoline engine producing 80 kW/109 PS, combined with two electric motors: a 36 kW/49 PS electric motor and a high-voltage starter-generator. This setup does not require a clutch and distributes drive power via an automated electric transmission with four gears for the internal combustion engine and two for electric mode. In the all-wheel-drive version, a 1.2-liter 48V mild-hybrid engine with 103 kW/140 PS and 230 Nm on the front axle, as well as an electric motor on the rear axle with 23 kW/31 PS and 87 Nm, coupled to a two-speed automatic transmission that can be completely disengaged. «In the city, it should run on electric power up to 60 percent of the time, making it more efficient,» reveals Chief Engineer Sebastien Devillers. Up to 70 km/h, there’s a lock mode for the 4×4, which can be selected via the drive mode dial in the cockpit.
The biggest challenge for Devillers was to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight without losing too much ground clearance. «Once you’ve defined the windshield angle, everything else is a matter of engineering,» he reveals, proudly pointing out the side mirrors optimized down to the last detail, the air deflectors in front of the wheels, the rear spoiler with its recycled steel element, and the roof rails with rubber trim. «We don’t have an unlimited budget at Dacia. To achieve greater efficiency, good aerodynamics, and acoustics, we need to come up with clever ideas.» That makes sense. And the result—the new Dacia Striker—is quite impressive.
