By Giles Milner, June 21, 2016
From time to time we have to serve and dish out what the public want. FACTS. Reading through a FACT filled press release is boredom personified. While serious motoring journalists regard regurgitating corporate press releases as a job we here at DCB Towers regard it as similar to being lined up, handcuffed and blindfolded waiting to face a firing squad.
But even we were left aghast when we heard the news that Dacia, a Renault owned company, would use the Goodwood Festival of Speed to launch the revised Duster SUV. The updated Duster 2017MY will make its debut on June 23rd and will showoff a series blink-and-miss exterior and interior updates.
UK customers will also get a new 1.2 TCe engine which will sit alongside the current 1.6 SCe 115bhp engine.
The new 3-cylinder 1.2TCe will give away 125bhp and 205 Nm of torque, the Renault sourced engine is good for a claimed 43mpg.
Interior trim upgrades include better quality fabric across the range, DAB is standard so long as you go the next level up from the entry level Duster. The entry level Access SCe 2WD will cost just £9k for UK customers.
Potential customers will also get the chance to select more optional equipment such as rear-parking senors, rear parking camera and even a faux leather interior.
We really can’t think of a worse way to spend your money after all Dacia’s depreciate like the ratings for the re-booted Top Gear show.
But even the new Top Gear, minus Clarkson, Hammond and May, is a billion times better than the Duster will ever be.
Top spec models like the Prestige will include 16-inch alloys and a 7-inch touchscreen sat-nav-media-coffee-making-machine.
You can see this dreadful hunk of junk at the Goodwood Festival of Speed or you can give money to charity. Either option is full of potential drawbacks.