Dacia might be known for its range of value-focused models like the Sandero and Duster, but the Romanian firm is punching into the premium sector with the Bigster. While still keeping a competitive price, the Bigster brings more space and features that families would want.
The Dacia Bigster goes beyond cheap and cheerful, bringing a more premium edge to this brand that’ll make many buyers consider this large and spacious SUV.
Jack is an experienced motoring journalist who has been covering the latest new-car releases for the last 10 years.
Read bioDacia is well known for keeping its prices low - it famously launched the Sandero as the UK’s cheapest car - and the Bigster has also been launched with a competitive price. It starts from £25,215, making it one of the very cheapest cars in its segment, and this goes up to £28,190 for a top-spec full hybrid. It does mean that whichever model you go for, it shouldn’t cost the earth compared with competitors.
The Bigster is a new car, which means that not many have filtered through to the used market just yet. However, there are a few examples, with mid-spec Journey cars going for just over £24,000, which is actually an increase on the as-new price - which shows the sustained demand for this car.
The Bigster is only offered with hybrid setups, either mild or full. The mild version uses a turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine which drives the front wheels through a manual gearbox. It’ll be a good choice for drivers after a no-nonsense setup. If you need a little extra go-anywhere ability, then there’s also a four-wheel-drive version of this configuration.
Then, there’s the full hybrid model. It pairs a 1.8-litre petrol engine with two electric motors which bring 153bhp to the front wheels alone via an automatic gearbox. However, don’t expect to travel around on electric-only power at high speeds, as this setup is designed to make the engine more efficient, but it cannot run on battery power alone for very long. It’ll do so at slow speeds, such as when parking.
With a zero to 60mph time of 9.6 seconds, the Bigster isn’t what you’d call pacy, but it actually does a good job of getting you up to speed in good time. Once you’re there, things are quite pleasant and with a high ride height, there’s good visibility to be had up front. Like other Dacias, the Bigster is quite square overall, so it’s easier to judge where the car’s corners are than you might think.
The electric motors on the full hybrid do actually help to power the Bigster on battery power at slower speeds and, Dacia says, up to 80 per cent of around-town journeys could be completed without needing the engine. In practice, it feels like the petrol engine is called into question more often than that, but it certainly switches to EV power quite often when you’re sauntering in more urban environments.
Other Dacia cars have been known for a rather soft suspension setup and the Bigster is quite similar. What is noticeable are the wind and road noise levels. Particularly when you’re on the motorway, there’s quite a lot of both and this makes the Bigster feel quite boomy. It’s not a huge issue, of course, but it might be quite draining over a longer period.
The handling is what you’d expect of a car of this type, which is to say safe and not all that entertaining. It’s weighty enough, but doesn’t give you a whole lot of feedback. That said, the steering is predictable and accurate enough to allow you to place the Bigster just where you want it.
For what is usually a budget-focused brand, Dacia has made a very good attempt at making a more upmarket cabin for the Bigster. While it might not be on the same level as cars from the likes of BMW and Audi, it’s a big step up when you compare it to some of Dacia’s other cars, like the Duster or Sandero. Yes, there are some harsher plastics here and there, but they’ve been placed in areas which are more susceptible to damage, so they make their case.
You can actually personalise your Bigster experience through a variety of packs. One is the handy ‘Sleep Pack’, which adds a fold-out bed to the car’s interior. As a result, the Bigster could quickly be transformed into a home away from home - and it goes to show you the flexibility that this car’s interior can offer, too.
The Bigster is Dacia’s largest model and, as a result, is its most practical. There are storage points for odds and ends, though the door bins aren’t roomy enough for a water bottle. Also, though the Bigster is quite long, it remains relatively narrow which means that rear-seat spaciousness isn’t the best - adults will struggle to sit three abreast back there.
However, the Bigster more than makes up for this when it comes to boot space. In front-wheel-drive cars, you get up to 677 litres of luggage space, beating many rivals by some margin. You can expand that space further by folding down the rear seats, too, and they go almost completely flat, so loading larger items in there should be easy.
To go with that premium image, the Bigster has been equipped with more equipment. All cars get a 10.1-inch infotainment display which incorporates both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so it’s a breeze to mirror your smartphone there. Entry-level cars also benefit from a seven-inch driver’s display, while higher-spec models see this upgraded to a 10-inch version.
You also get dual-zone climate control on all models as standard, helping to make hot-weather travel more comfortable in the process. Each step up in specification does add more equipment, but it’s worth noting that even basic Bigster cars get more than enough tech as standard.
Dacia offers the Bigster in three trim levels - Expression, Journey and Extreme. As we’ve touched on earlier, the standard level of equipment is very good with features such as a large infotainment display and digital driver’s readout included from the off, while 17-inch alloy wheels and a multiview parking camera also come equipped as standard.
Move up to Journey and the Bigster takes on a far more premium feel. This grade adds a full navigation system with live traffic updates, alongside 19-inch alloy wheels for a more upmarket exterior look. A contrast black roof and pillars adds to that look and feel, too, while inside you’ll find an upgraded 10-inch driver display and an electric tailgate for easier loading and unloading of the boot.
Finally, there’s Extreme, which adds a more go-anywhere look to the Bigster. As well as 18-inch semi-diamond cut alloy wheels, one of the biggest additions that Extreme brings is a full-length panoramic roof, which helps to make the cabin of this car much lighter. Modular roof bars are also a very handy inclusion at this grade; while they look like regular ‘rails’, the two ends can be unlocked and rotated, forming ‘bars’ onto which you can then mount roof racks or boxes.
Dacia has also introduced a range of funky colours with the Bigster, including highlights such as Teracotta and Indigo Blue. There are, of course, more ‘standard’ shades such as Shadow Grey for those who want them. As we’ve touched upon, a great range of ‘packs’ means you can tailor the Bigster to any adventure you have in mind - there’s even a Dacia-branded tent that you can attach to the side of the car and use as an extended sleeping area when parked up.
The Bigster’s list of safety equipment is impressive, with features such as lane keep assist, autonomous emergency braking and traffic sign recognition included as standard. It’s worth noting, however, that Euro NCAP only awarded the Bigster a three-star rating, with a lack of weight sensors on the rear bench - which alert the driver if a passenger is sitting there without a seatbelt on - being a key criticism. However, there weren’t any complaints about how the car reacted in a crash.
Dacia cars have always been good on the reliability front and we can see the Bigster following suit. It uses engines from the wider Renault Group, too, which are tried-and-tested.
Given that some form of hybrid assistance is offered across the board, the Bigster should prove cheaper and more efficient to run than your typical petrol or diesel-powered SUV. Dacia claims up to 61.4mpg from the full hybrid model, which is particularly impressive for a car of this size. Emissions go as low as 105g/km CO2 which, again, is worth praise in a car of this type.
Bigsters will attract a first-year road tax rate of between £390 and £540, depending on the model and CO2 output but from then on, it’ll be covered by the standard £195 annual tax amount. Since all cars cost under £40,000, you won’t need to worry about the Expensive Car Supplement, too.
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