Photos: Justin Leighton
Follow that donkey!
May heads to Morocco to spend a dirty weekend with Dacia’s new crossover. Will it tickle his fizz gland? Click through the gallery to find out.
Follow that donkey!
Bad news! We in Britain will never be able to buy the Dacia Sandero, and that's official. By the time this revived and revered Romanian marque is introduced to a nation panting with desire for an unpretentious low-priced hatchback, the Sandero will have been replaced by something else.
Still, at least we can remember it at its most beautiful and radiant, when it shone briefly in the firmament like a guiding star, and perhaps be thankful that it was snatched from us at the apex of fame's arc. It's a bit like Princess Diana.
Follow that donkey!

Follow that donkey!

In its basic form, it comes as a 1.6-litre petrol front-wheel driver, but can also be had with a 1.5-litre diesel and four-wheel drive. The latter Dacia Duster has a clever central diff that can be set to distribute drive automatically from front to back depending on conditions, or can be locked to give permanent all-wheel traction. But there is no low-range, hill descent or fatuous knobbery to set it up for different surfaces. It's what used to be known as a ‘grass and gravel' off-roader.
Follow that donkey!
What, while we're at it, is Dacia? The cynical view is that it's a means by which the Renault/Nissan axis can produce cheap cars for poor people without diminishing the glamour [sic] associated with their existing and established badges, and other marketing nonsense. The other view is that this is an exercise in extreme pragmatism, a separate and clearly defined experiment in back-to-basics motoring via cars that are a bit unexciting but of dependable provenance. The tie-up between Dacia and Renault works quite well - Renault lends expertise and saves Dacia from being technically moribund, Dacia prevents Renault from being too French and getting carried away.
Follow that donkey!

Inside, it's pretty bare, to be honest. Off the shelf, it comes with no aircon, electric windows or central locking, although they can be had as options, and whichever track you have selected on your iPod is never going to appear in a small sub-display in the speedo dial, or anything like that. No auto is available. By selecting the diesel 4wd version, you will at least introduce the diff control to the barren desert of the Dacia's fascia and increase the knob count by some 10 per cent.
Follow that donkey!

As with the car, it's possible to take a cynical view of the launch as well. It took place in Morocco, which might seem like a cheap attempt to pervert the course of level-headed assessment with a light dusting (geddit?) of mystique and exoticism. Dull car, glamorous debut: I did once attend the launch of a new Bentley at a motorway service station, after all.
In truth, though, rural Morocco helps make a point. The car here is still an expensive commodity for most people, many of the roads are unmade, and it has to be prepared for pretty much any duty, a bit like the donkeys.

With the 4wd hardware and the diesel, it really is quite impressive. No, you're not going to be able to plunge down the side of a mountain in low range like you can in a Land Rover, but in reality no one actually does: that's just a stunt for off-road driving courses. And even now the Duster weighs in at just 1,250kg, which is still less than my old 911.
Follow that donkey!

Follow that donkey!

The other is youths. The Duster doesn't cost much, it will be easy to maintain, the petrol 2wd version should manage 50mpg if driven carefully, the insurance group should be low, there's plenty of room for pals and tons of space in the back for music festival tent and bong, and it might even make it back out of Glastonbury. It's also pleasingly anti-fashion.
This is a cheap car. It's also basic, not especially exciting, definitely not glamorous and I can't pretend it gives me the fizz. But it is in no way nasty. In fact, I think it might be a bit cool.