The Dacia Logan might not have won the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race, but it won the hearts and minds of every petrolhead who has a soft spot for humble cars. No matter if the Logan had been to the same gym as RenaultSport cars go and learned a few tricks: it was still a Logan sedan, even with RenaultSport Clio and Megane parts under its Romanian-built hood.
With the Logan sedan making the headlines after its Nürburgring finish, it’s good to remind that the platform itself gave birth to so many more useful Logans, and not just the four-door sedan that came first. The Duster, on the other hand, was spawned off the same Dacia platform, using Renault parts, and Dacia also created a really handy-looking pickup version of the Logan on a long wheelbase. That same length also helped create the Logan MCV, a stretched wagon version that has loads of space and barn doors in the back. Two decades ago the MCV was previewed by the Steppe concept, which is so cool even today that Dacia could easily build it as is.
The Logan MCV went into production in the summer of 2006, with production cars launched in Romania in October after the Paris Motor Show where they debuted. Yet, at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the MCV wore this fantastic winter sports suit from Renault’s design department. It was no secret that the entire idea of the Logan was to put as many useable Renault parts in a humble-looking Romanian bodyshell, but Renault didn’t hold back when restyling the wagon to Geneva catwalk spec on Dacia’s behalf. A few of the available photos are renders, done in extremely early 2000s fashion, but the actual Steppe Concept was built with great attention to detail as these real photos show.
The Logan gained a turquoise paint scheme directly from Renault’s swatchbook, the headlights and taillights were changed for custom items, and the body received chunky bumpers and flared wheel arches to differentiate it from the stock wagon. The stock 15-inch wheels were also swapped for 17-inch items.
As with every crossover of the 2000s, the bumpers got brushed metal parts to hint at skid plates, even if they were strictly visual aids. An aerodynamic snowboard mount was bolted to the roof, with a special snow boot holder fashioned in the cargo area: maybe it dried snowy boots using the car’s HVAC? The production Logan was available with seats in the back for a seven-seater configuration, but here they made room for concept-car hi-jinks.
The rear doors held a first-aid kit and a video screen, likely giving snowboarders the chance to replay their totally rad stunts while changing into after-ski gear. The front headrests also included screens, because why not.
The entire deal reminds me of MTV’s snowboarding-inspired MTV: Extreme 2CD compilation from 2001 (CD1: Alpine Chills, CD2: Glacial Beats).
Speaking of the interior, it was finished in this very Volvo shade of beige, with half-leather seats. The entire dash was resurfaced to appear more premium, which was severely needed, as the production Logan dash is very basic and plastic, and the Volvo XC70 was the gold standard of lifted 2000s crossover wagons with its stylish Scandinavian design, inside out.
The passenger side of the dash features a huge footprint graphic, which is interesting as the one thing you’re not supposed to do with a passenger airbag is to rest your feet on it. The gauges were redone and include an inclinometer in the middle, with a weird, spooky, early-2000s purple glow coming from within. As a final touch, the shifter gained a Ferrari-style gated look; the car was obviously manual, but the shifter knob was big enough to be from an autobox.
Tech-wise, the Steppe was no Steppenwolf, and its hundred horsepower could not hassle with Hesse. Dacia never made the Logan in 4×4 form, so all the crossover posturing is strictly FWD based. Four-wheel drive was reserved for the Duster, which was indeed available with FWD, but its cheap 4×4 capability made it a sales success.
In these 20 years, Dacia has made the sort of leap that Skoda could do for the VW Group: from humble Eastern European origins, towards dominating the European sales charts and strengthening the company’s footing in developing markets.
While Dacia still makes some of the cheapest available new cars in Europe, the Sandero also tops European sales. And it’s not about offering bargain-basement stuff for everybody, as the Duster has gradually developed into a more and more solid and stout mid-size crossover, despite its first generation looking near identical.
These days, Dacia also sells the ingeniously named Bigster, the Duster’s bigger and longer sibling that’s a sort of a poor man’s Volvo XC90 – and not bad at that. They could also still sell the Steppe as is, but currently its place is taken by the similarly long-wheelbase, Sandero-based Jogger, which is also sold with seven seats and doesn’t have a 4WD option.
Just now, Nissan launched the new C-segment Tekton SUV, which it builds in India. 15 years ago, the first-gen Dacia Duster was also a budget-friendly alternative for the similarly sized Qashqai, which Nissan sold as the Rogue Sport in the US for a number of generations. The Duster used the same AWD tech as Nissan, with a dial giving the driver the choice of Auto, Lock and 2WD depending on the driving situation.
Now, Nissan itself takes the Duster as its basis, as looking at the Tekton reveals it’s little more than a redesigned new-generation Duster with some Nissan styling cues baked in. The engine palette is also shared with the current Duster, including the 163-horsepower 1.3-liter turbo. Using the Duster to make a Nissan is no bad thing, as both the starting point and the end result look good.
To borrow a few lines from Nissan’s press release:
The all-new Nissan Tekton is Nissan’s bold new C-SUV, developed for customers in India, the Middle East and Africa. Built on the Alliance CMF-B platform, the Tekton combines commanding SUV design, advanced technology, premium comfort and everyday practicality in a package designed around real customer needs.
…
Developed and manufactured in India, in partnership with Renault, for domestic and export markets, the all-new Tekton highlights India’s importance as both a growth market and strategic export hub. The model will be exported to 50 global markets across the Middle East and Africa, further strengthening India’s role in Nissan’s global manufacturing and product strategy.
…Tekton draws design inspiration from the legendary Nissan Patrol, combining a strong SUV stance, commanding proportions and unmistakable Nissan styling cues to create a bold and confident road presence.
While it does have a few bits that resemble earlier Patrols, the design also reminds us of the recently leaked new Lada Niva, which also appears to have ties with the same Renault/Dacia platform.
In other words, the tables are turned. Twenty years ago, it would have been a bit much to suggest Dacia would form such a backbone that Nissan’s globally sold SUV offerings would be so heavily based on Renault’s Dacia architecture: While the original Logan was sold in Mexico as the Nissan Aprio, it covered a different market segment compared to the Duster, as a bargain-basement sedan. Renault also hasn’t shied away from selling Dacias as Renaults in markets where it wouldn’t have been able to make the Dacia brand work.
And as the Tekton has been designed to suit as many as 50 global markets, it would make a fine successor to the Rogue Sport, which Nissan hasn’t sold in America for a few years. It even looks a lot chunkier.
Photos: Dacia unless otherwise mentioned
Top graphic images: Nissan; Dacia
Jeez, I do like those barn doors. Big enough to be really useful for loading bulky items, like a dishwasher or dryer, etc… The ones on the Mini Clubman are cute (especially the ones with the holes cut out for the tail lights) but to be honest, the roof is so low and the cargo hold so tiny that it’s all very performative… if you actually have to move smaller appliances, or a couple dozen old Unix workstations, or the occassional load of cinderblocks.
I honestly don’t know all that much about Dacia historically or their past/current model range. Whenever I saw them mentioned on the old Top Gear, or on a Youtube video since then, my general impression is of cheap and cheerful, sufficient and sensible. All qualities I like in a vehicle.
Dacia, (some) Skodas, Suzuki, Citroen, Renault, Peugeot. And all the Fiats they don’t see fit to let us Americans have. Imagine if we lived in a truly globalized marketplace where all of those and more would be available to buyers everywhere (along with parts and necessary tech info for service). Think of all the interesting cars we might add to our collections!
Thanks Antti! 😀
James May pointing out the new Dacia Sandero was such a fun running gag.
Dacia is wasted opportunity for Nissan to sell low cost vehicles under the Datsun brand. Renault has many quality resources Nissan should have mooched when they were in “the alliance”.
Don’t you know that Dacia is Romanian for “Datsun”?
What are the warranties offered on these?
Up to 7 years or 150,000km.
Wait, Nissan has a car called the Tekton? That’s the name of a tool company I rather like: https://www.tekton.com/
So I could work on my Nissan Tekton with my Tekton tools! Excluding toolkits from car manufacturers, are there any other car models that share their name with a tool brand?
I see a cross-branding bonus opportunity here:
“Buy a deluxe set of socket wrenches – Get a free SUV!”
The first gen Duster already was a Nissan:
https://imagenes.topgear.es/files/image_1920_1080/uploads/imagenes/2023/06/26/68c9a814eb4e1.jpeg
Also this doesn’t need to be the new Rogue Sport. The Qahsqai still exists.
But the first Duster was a Dodge.
(Unless you’re listening to the B-52s, then it was a Chevy)
Little detail needed, Dacia was not an underdog at the time the Logan was released.
It was freshly acquired by Renault (in, full, finally), had received ample funding, and was given all the right cards to play. They were given funds, know how, access, and liberty to play around with.
That they played these cards very right is a fact worthy of respect, indeed.
At its release the Logan started at 5000 Euros in Eastern Europe and the dealerships in France wanted it badly. Renault was very hesitant, because it would have canibalized the Clio sales. Eventually they imported it as the Renault Logan, starting at 7500 Euros with some mandatory extra equipment.
Kudos to Dacia and Skoda for having used what was provided to them in the most efficient way possible.
Dacias were always Dacias in western Europe. They were certainly revolutionary and a big success, especially when the Sandero arrived.
Yes, but in terms of brand perception, they were. Prior to the Logan, Dacia essentially had two cars, a warmed over 1969 Renault 12 and a hatchback designed in the 1980s, put into production in the 1990s when the design was a decade old, and still on sale in the 2000s. They had a lot to prove to get themselves taken seriously as a credible brand in the 21st century
You’ve got a photo of the wrong Duster there, the Indian market is pretty different to the European one shown.
It’s not the first time Nissan has rebadged it either, they sold the first one as the Terrano in India.
They’re great cars, we’ve a second gen which may be the peak. The latest gen seems to have lost some of the charm and capability in exchange for better looks and the latest Reno tech
AHH the heady days of small cheap affordable crossovers. Those were good days.
A basic Duster with a 120bhp engine and a 6 speed manual costs less than 20 grand.
And I cannot buy one in the U.S.
If Renault wants in the US market then Dacia the way to do it.
Not with that name, Dacia? Renault? Need some toxic male energy Decault or Aultica put some testosterone in the name and in the car.
The new Daciangry Face Hammerer!
I wished Dacia exported to more markets. We could do with more budget-oriented products in these trying times.
I noticed when Dacias in the 2010s took over as the go to car for the french countryside, after the reign of the Citroën Berlingo (and identical Peugeot Partner) around the start of this century. And I thought it was pretty cool!
(The Renault 4 had this job before the Berlingo)
Just a simple cheap and untrendy Renault with another badge on, for people who didn’t care about brands, but just wanted something simple that could do everything.
If I lived there, I would have a used grey Duster on steel wheels, and use the rest on baguettes and wine.
Good news!
Right. Moving on.
Man, I love these articles about cars we don’t get in the US and rarely ever hear about. So much good stuff out there. Does make me wish it was easier to legally bring one across the border, though.
it is not a good car, trust me. It’s built to a price point, and it’s very dreary. I drove one of the 4 dr sedans for 2 months about 18 years ago, when they were still new.
i am not going to go into the lack of power, but the things were very buzzy, at 130km/hr you could barely hold a conversation inside. Pressing the gas at any speed in it, would cause the motion to be a side effect. Numb steering, very hard interior plastics, brake pedal lacked any feel for it.
From what I heard afterwards, they were pretty reliable but that would be about it. I kinda enjoyed public transport more than i had enjoyed driving the car. If it weren’t for having to go to some very rural areas and having to haul stuff there, i would have turned the car back in.
Good intel. When I lived in Europe, I did find many of the ubiquitous vehicles were far less than perfect, but they did seem mostly reliable, economical and cheap which meets a lot of needs. And, away from the high speed highways, the European driving environment is different than the US. I agree, the public transportation options were numerous and convenient almost rendering a car unnecessary. Almost.
Depends on where you live / go. Urban areas, certainly you can do without a car. Rural zones or areas with smaller towns can be harder.
On the other hand, the smaller and more affordable cars are perfectly acceptable… as long as you understand you are not driving a Porsche.
That’s Por-shea
A caveat to The Clutch Rider’s point: The new Duster is a significant upgrade over older ones and is generally regarded as a noticeable step up by reviewers. In addition, the Indian market Renault Duster that the Nissan Tekton is supposed to be based on is not 100% the same car as the Euro market Dacia that the article is using as its reference point. While there is a simple Renault rebadge of the Duster sold in several markets, the IDM Renault was partially re-engineered and has noticeable differences; it even rides on a slightly different platform called the RGMP. The Indian Duster is meant to be a more premium product than the Dacia.
I’m actually a little surprised that the Nissan press release calls the platform CMF-B, since RGMP was supposed to replace it in countries like India. The Tekton was designed as a replacement for the IDM Terrano (their previous attempt at a Duster rebadge, unrelated to the JDM + Euro market Terranos). Either Nissan doesn’t care to note the differences between the two platforms (they may be even more slight than Renault says), or the export model will be CMF while the domestic will use RGMP. It’d be unusual for Nissan to stick with the original CMF for India.
This. All of these cheap cars are seriously dire.
I don’t get the point (and neither does the US market as a whole) – just buy something rather better used.
Not really the case anymore, Dacias and cheap cars in general are getting pretty good. The latest Duster looks awesome and feels rather nice.
For the average non-car person looking for cheap transportation without much fuss a new budget car like this is a better option than most of anything used. You get everything you need and nothing you don’t, with a warranty and a few years of hopefully nothing going wrong, it’s a no brainer.
Most cars now are so over-complicated and over-engineered for their actual purpose it’s laughable. Everyone trying to pack increasingly useless features to 1 up each other, the difference in real-world experience between something like a Duster and a so-called ‘premium’ brand is smaller than ever before.
Most of what people do is crawl in bumper to bumper traffic in cities or cruise on heavily speed limited roads, all they basically need is up to 150hp in a sensibly sized car with AC and Carplay. The pursue of bloat in the automotive industry needs to stop and I suspect it soon will when the realities of the world hit.
150bhp I would say that it could even too much. B-segment hatchback with 100-120bhp turbo engines have more than enough oomph to go around. Even cruising at 110mph in the autobahn.
While that my be true, and I don’t entirely disagree, it’s not what the US market wants. And realistically, there is not doubt that for the average corn-fed American family AND American distances something bigger is useful.
And while it may be these cars are not as much penalty boxes as they once were, it’s still very relative.
Really? They are only doing well in the worst areas that no one goes to and no regulations to keep it safe or run well and no warranty. Yes New car no warranty
I would say that Dacias have come a long way from the days of the original Logan and Sandero. It is true that they are basic, and if you can afford a Clio (to keep
It within the same group), I would recommend to do.
But they are useful. I have a colleague with a Jogger and he is satisfied with it (although be clearly is not a car enthusiast).
I bet they could buy the rights and equipment for a early 2000 Toyota 4 cylinder engine cheap and improve their performance for the same money. And pass more countries environment tests
The newer turbo engines have given then a performance shot in the arm. They are more than enough.