Dacia Bigster 17,000-mile test: The only car you need - for £30k

Dacia’s new flagship SUV, the Bigster, is being positioned as a high-value alternative to pricier mainstream rivals, with no standard version expected to cost more than £30,000. The Bigster is essentially a stretched-and-raised Duster, built on the CMF-B platform shared across the Renault Group’s Dacia lineup, helping keep parts and production economies in place. Pricing starts at £25,000, undercutting models such as the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage, both from around £30,000. A mid-range Journey example tested here is priced just over £30,000 with an optional 1.8-litre hybrid system, offering 106bhp, 50bhp from a 1.4kWh battery, and a 9.4sec 0-62mph time.