Dacia off-road camp: affordable all-wheel drive models put to the test
With the Duster and the new Bigster, Dacia has two affordable SUVs. At the TCS Center in Betzholz ZH, where even nine-time rally world champion Sébastien Loeb doesn't go easy on them, they show what the all-wheel drive vehicles can do off-road.
Dacia is still in the fast lane in Switzerland and continues to grow in a shrinking market. "We now have a market share of 3.7 percent in Switzerland, although we do not focus on the rental car and fleet business," explains Michel Jansen, Marketing Director Renault Group Switzerland. "With the larger SUV Bigster, we are now tapping into the potential of a further 130,000 customers." The Bigster should not only be on the shopping list of Swiss families and anyone who needs a lot of space, but also score points with its equipment, price and clever features. The 4.57-metre-long and 1.81-metre-wide Bigster offers plenty of storage space for 556 to a maximum of 1977 liters of luggage in addition to five seats - impressive.
Sébastien Loeb knows no mercy
But can the Bigster and its smaller brother Duster also hold their own on the off-road course? Or do the two Romanians reach their limits here? We want to find out at the Dacia off-road camp with the new WRC rally world champion Sébastien Loeb. We quickly find out: both 4×4s master the course at the TCS training center Betzholz near Hinwil ZH without any problems thanks to 21.7 (Duster) and 21.5 centimetres (Bigster) of ground clearance. Heaving yourself out of the artificial riverbed, digging through sandy passages or conquering a steep slope is as little of a challenge in the Duster as it is in the Bigster (23/24 degrees) thanks to slope angles of 31 and 36 degrees (front/rear).
But a 100 percent incline with a slippery surface? The test route in Hinwil does not actually lead over this hill. But Loeb, who is aiming for his first Dakar success in January 2026 as a rally raid driver for the Dacia Sandriders team in the 265 kW/360 hp rally car, has no mercy in the production Dacia either. The 51-year-old takes the climb in the Bigster (48V mild hybrid) with 96 kW/130 hp, 4×4 and manual six-speed gearbox in his stride and then says mischievously: "In a rally stage, I'm allowed to drive such obstacles at more speed." Loeb is slower here; he even uses the hill descent control for the way down. This works perfectly from 5 to 30 km/h in conjunction with the ABS and easily guides the Bigster down the steep hill and back onto the actual course without the rally crack having to intervene with the brakes or throttle.
A good deal even without all-wheel drive
The two all-wheel-drive vehicles impress in the endurance test with off-road capability and offer amazing off-road competence in the Duster from 27,890 francs and in the Bigster from 31,190 francs - even without a reduction gear. "They also have a special display with roll and tilt angle and quick access to the Multiview camera," adds Dacia brand boss Paolo Roberti. And thanks to the rotary knob for five driving modes from "Auto" and "Eco" to "Snow", "Mud/Sand" and "Off-Road", which automatically distribute the torque between the front and rear wheels depending on the grip and speed, driving is easy on any surface. Both SUVs are also available as front-wheel drive models, either as 48V mild hybrids with 103 kW/140 hp and a six-speed manual gearbox or as full hybrids with 116 kW/158 hp and automatic transmission. The full hybrid Duster has to make do with 115 kW/156 hp on paper, but you don't notice anything of this at the wheel.
Also good on the road
After the off-road check with the three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a displacement of 1.2 liters as a full hybrid, we take the Bigster to the hilly Zurich Oberland. This time, we want to find out how the five-seater with "multimode" automatic transmission performs on conventional roads. Just like the 4×4 version, the front-wheel drive model is no slouch: it pleases with agile steering and comfortable, but never too soft damping. On steeper and fast sections, the automatic transmission should shift up earlier - also due to the background noise in the attractive interior. Given the price-performance ratio of the family SUV, however, this is complaining on a high level. In future, Dacia buyers will have to ponder which SUV to choose: the Duster, available from 24,990 francs, or the Bigster from a very fair 27,990 francs.
