Design review Dacia Duster: ‘Simply clever like that one brand once was’

Since its inception in 2010, 2.2 million units of the Dacia Duster have been sold. The Duster is Dacia. In two generations, this model has transformed the market perception of the Dacia brand.

The Duster changed from a car that was mainly intended for the tight budget to a choice that is attractive for reasons beyond just the friendly price tag. The Duster is the accessible, fun, friendly 4×4, a modern Fiat Panda 4×4.

The new generation retains all the aesthetic qualities of its predecessors and confirms its personality as a solid and robust compact SUV. Customers indicated during surveys that they did not want too much change. The Duster is loved. Range Rover received the same striking briefing when developing its L460.

According to David Durand, head of design at Dacia, the design team had a strong focus on proportions, even before starting on the styling and fleshing out those proportions with graphics and surfacing. That mission has been successful, because the Duster has a strong volume balance: the design execution is exceptionally good.

Quality Dacia design better than current Volkswagens and Audis

Finding the right proportions – which in this case not only had to be pleasantly shaped and in good balance with each other, but also had to express a typical Duster character – is absolutely crucial. Good proportions are the foundation that prevents you, as a car designer, from having to resort to stylistic tricks later. The quality of Dacia work exceeds that of many brands that have to rely on difficult emergency steps. This includes many of the current Volkswagen and Audi products.

The design is based on the exceptionally good range of concept cars that the brand recently showed, all with an outdoor style and robustness consisting of pure shapes. The Y-shaped light signature introduced on the concept cars is now larger and emphasizes the approachable yet assertive style of the SUV and is applied to both the headlights and taillights.

The Dacia designers based themselves on simple volumes: the passenger compartment, bonnet and large fenders surrounding it. These main elements were then attached to each other using pure and clear surfacing. This gave the model a modern, technical and constructed style, with very consciously drawn, sculpted lines.

With this quality of design, it is unprecedented that the Dacia marketing team has not placed development sketches in press releases or on websites anywhere.

Below are the Dacia Bigster Concept, the Sandrider Concept and the Manifesto. Text continues after photos.

Dacia Bigster Concept

Dacia Sandrider Concept

Dacia Manifesto Concept

Dacia Manifesto

Dacias have been accessible to a large group of customers since the brand was founded. Now the accessibility is still there, without losing attractiveness. These core values ​​have developed a strong, long-term relationship with customers over the years. Dacias are simple, honest and authentic. What you see is what you get. No bells and whistles, no fake chrome finish or imitation aluminum. However, tough, recycled plastics have been used for all protective exterior panels. They are colored through and through and will therefore retain their color if damaged.

For the third iteration, the Duster’s design has been reinvented. The Dacia design team has succeeded in carrying out the briefing perfectly: the right balance between innovation in the field of further development of the brand DNA and its interpretation through good proportions and new surfacing ideas, materials, colors and graphics. New, but without losing sight of the essence and roots. Simply cleverthe brand that once built comparably likeable, smart and approachable cars would say…