Dacia Duster Journey Hybrid - long-term review

Before stepping into the Duster seven months ago, I had just stepped out of a £94,000 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. And yes, it was a bit of a shock at first. Gone was the carbon trim, Alcantara, and soft-touch everything. In their place? Hard, scratchy plastics. But also a bit of rugged charm.

There’s no doubt it’s a utilitarian interior. Nothing flash or overly stylised about it. But here’s the thing: just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s fragile, and I’m happy to report it’s holding up really well. Nothing’s broken, nothing rattles, and everything feels built to take a bit of abuse. And with camera gear getting thrown around inside during the day job and a toddler in the back in its off time, it certainly is being put through its paces.

The YouClip system is a good example. I was convinced these plastic clips and accessories would snap the moment I gave them a nudge. But seven months in, they’re still rock solid. Genuinely useful, and surprisingly tough.

Then there’s the physical climate control buttons. While other brands are busy replacing buttons with touchscreens and haptic controls, having proper, dedicated buttons feels refreshingly sensible. There’s just less to go wrong when you have a dedicated button for something. In fact, they should be mandatory for climate controls. No faffing with a glitchy touchscreen while trying to demist the windscreen.

However, it’s not all good. If there’s one feature that’s properly useless, it’s the cubby hole under the infotainment screen. It’s made from smooth, slippery plastic and doesn’t have a lip or edge to stop things sliding out. So every time I put something there (wallet, keys, parking tickets) it immediately shoots out the moment I pull away. Annoying, and easily fixed with a bit more thought.

On the tech front, the screen itself has improved. An over-the-air update appears to have resolved the freezing issue I mentioned in a previous report, namely when the reversing camera refused to switch off on the motorway. Since the update, it’s been behaving. The rest of the system remains functional. Ultimately, as long as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto works and is responsive without dropping connection, I’m happy.

And that’s the theme here. It’s all very no-nonsense. Yes, it feels cheap in places, but it doesn’t feel flimsy. You get the sense it’s been built to take some knocks, and you don’t have to worry about damaging expensive materials like lacquered carbon fibre, Nappa leather or sleek aluminium trim.

Swapping from something almost six figures to something so simple might sound like a downgrade, but honestly? The Duster’s interior gets the job done, and I’ve settled into it surprisingly well.