Dacia Jogger review

Cheap. Massive. And a potential hero in these fuel-crisis times. Since its arrival in 2021, the improbably priced Dacia Jogger has fast become a very strong entry into the admittedly narrow annals of ‘very sensible and inexplicably cheap seven-seat cars that I should consider buying with my own money’.

As it happens, people are buying them: in 2024, the Jogger was the second best-selling C-segment car in Europe with a grand total of 94,440 sold. That represented a 2.3 per cent increase over 2023. A long way off the 300,000 Sanderos Dacia shifted in 2024, but still.

Now, there’s a new one. Not new new, but heavily facelifted. Dacia’s been busy updating its most hardcore-y sensible offerings, so along with the Sandero and Logan, the Jogger now benefits from a raft of design, equipment and powertrain updates.

And with only the tiniest uplift in price, most importantly. But like any good narrative, we’ll… pay off that setup in a bit.

So what’s new?

The looks, for a start. The Jogger has always been a delectable, handsome car – as MPVs go, of course, it’s no Kimera – and now it’s more of both of those things.

There’s a fresh set of headlights with an ‘inverted T motif’, a dandy new (thinner) grille showing off Dacia’s Christmas cracker logo, a new front bumper arrangement, and new rear lights.

On some models you even get ‘Starkle’: not Iron Man’s disco name, but a recyclable material with at least 20 per cent recycled plastic in its mix that acts as body protection.

Is it still powered by a tiny fish riding a small bicycle?

Huh?

The engine. Weedy, innit?

Oh, right. Yes, well, the 108bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder remains, and it’s… actually a good ‘un. It’s a sprightly little thing paired with a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. A manual in an MPV!

It’s the hybrid version that’s had a glow up: there’s now a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine up front in place of the old 1.6, teamed with a pair of electric motors, a 1.4kWh battery and an automatic gearbox for a grand total of 153bhp. This too, is a front-wheel-drive car.

Anything of note inside?

It’s broadly the same layout as before, only this time the interface has been rebigulated to the tune of a new 10in central touchscreen – wait, come back! – that’ll sync up to your phone, and – depending on spec – a 7in digital driver display.

We say ‘come back!’ because there remains a triplet of rotary dials controlling temperature, where that temperature goes, and how fast it comes at you. What marvel!

Also, a new steering wheel occurs. You can turn it repeatedly, sometimes even for fun.

But it’s a family MPV, it can’t be fun.

Channelling our inner Austin Powers (honestly, he never leaves), au contraire: this is actually a well sorted, fun to drive family bus. Of course it’s not going to cock a wheel into the air like an old Clio RS, nor dive into an apex with the tenacity of a BAC Mono, and you should try and avoid anyone who attempts such feats.

But it’s game. There’s a sharpness to its front, a decent amount of steering feel to let you know what’s happening in that front, and a lightness of touch about the whole thing.

The 1.0-litre car feels refreshingly old-fashioned – there’s even a little kick through the gearstick as you come off the clutch. The hybrid can come across a little coarse at times like when the engine kicks in or the gearbox forgets what it’s supposed to be doing, but it’s lovely in EV mode, and offers incredible fuel economy – we saw up to 60mpg without any effort.

It remains surprisingly light for such a vast car – 1,221kg for the 1.0-litre version, and 1,388kg for the hybrid. Yes, the hybrid’s considerably heavier, but not in the context of how much bang you get for yer buck.

Speaking of bucks, is it still the UK’s cheapest new seven-seat motor vehicle available?

In the grand tradition of panto, oh yes it is. Prices for the entry-level ‘Essential’ – only available as a 1.0-litre manual – start from £18,995. That’s just £25 more than the outgoing entry-level Jogger. Twenty five quid! You’d spend more on a posh kebab.

The cheapest hybrid Jogger starts at £23,330, and the range tops out at under 25 grand. That’s incredible value.

What if I don't want incredible value and I want to spend loads more money?

For a long time the Jogger basically fell into a class of one – barring a converted van, nothing could transport as many limbs and things as this for such a low price. And... it sorta continues.

The other seven-seaters on offer in the UK take the shape of stuff like the Hyundai Santa Fe (very good, starts from £47k), Land Rover Defender 110 (really very good, um, £63k+), the big boi version of the VW ID Buzz (lovely, and also £60k+), Volvo's eternally excellent XC90 (soothingly lovely, £66k+), Peugeot e-5008 (very good and weighs in at £48k+), and yer BMW X7s and Audi Q7s and Skoda Kodiaqs and so on.

The closest you can get without looking at those vans (e-Berlingo and its ilk) is something like the Citroen C3 Aircross, which kicks off from £21,475. You pay a bit more for the extra seating, which is for occasional use only.

This could be one of the best ‘normal’ cars on sale in the UK today. It’s vast, comfortable, doesn’t require a degree in computer science to operate, and – in 1.0-litre guise – offers a pleasing mechanical feel to the drive. The hybrid’s certainly an improvement, and you can forgive its relative coarseness for the efficiency it brings.

There’s not really much else you’re left wanting from the Jogger, considering how keenly it’s been priced. With its ruthless attention to detail, it’s great just the way it is.