Budget cars: Suzuki Ignis vs Dacia Duster
Looking for an inexpensive way to get off-road ability? Suzuki’s new Ignis could be the answer – but it is a better choice than the recently revised Dacia Duster. We put the budget baby 4x4s head-to-head to find out.
The £13,999 Ignis 1.2 SHVS 4x4 SZ5 is as at home in the city as it is on a farm. With a jacked-up city car body, surprisingly roomy cabin, ample standard kit and low CO2 emissions from its 1.2-litre petrol engine, it’s quirky and compact, and it’s an even bigger showroom bargain than its rival here.
Meanwhile, the Duster 1.2 TCe 125 4x4 Lauréate costs £14,895. This old-school SUV is also spacious and durable for its size, and it’s great value for money, too. It’s larger than the Ignis, but it falls into the same price arena in four-wheel-drive, 1.2-litre petrol spec.
The two cars’ driving experiences vary as much as their looks. The Dacia’s 124bhp 1.2-litre turbo and six-speed manual box deliver fairly sprightly progress at most revs, but short ratios mean you have to change gear a lot. It rival’s non-turbocharged 89bhp 1.2 is happier at low revs, so you don’t need to work its five-speed manual quite as hard. By the way, Suzuki refers to this engine as a ‘hybrid’, but it doesn’t have an electric motor like a proper hybrid. It merely harvests energy otherwise lost in braking to boost efficiency.
The Ignis is the more enjoyable contender in town or on the open road. It has stiffer suspension, and so less body lean in tight bends, plus more direct and precise steering. The Duster’s steering feels less pleasant, more rubbery, and the front wheels often tug the steering wheel over bumps. In most conditions except for on the motorway, the Dacia feels more ungainly and is harder work to direct.
It does soak up big bumps better than the Ignis, which hops and fidgets more around town. However, the latter doesn’t suffer its rival’s unnerving body pitch and bounce on faster, undulating roads.
Off-road, the cars’ 4x4 ability matches their looks. The Duster is surefooted even on muddy slopes, and although the Ignis’s lesser pulling power shows on steep ascents, if you keep the revs high it scrabbles willingly over tough terrain. It does have lower ground clearance than the Duster, though.
Refinement isn’t great on either car, but a thrummy engine at higher revs means the Ignis is noisier on the motorway. Less road noise makes it quieter around town and at lower speeds. It’s easier to drive smoothly than its rival as well, thank to more consistently weighted pedals and a feelsome gearshift.
Inside, both cars have roomy front compartments and height-adjustable driver’s seats. Neither has adjustable lumbar support, though, while their steering-wheel movement is limited to up and down, not in and out.
Both feature cheap but durable-feeling plastics, although the Ignis's colour options and gloss finishes make its cabin more welcoming. The Duster’s dash seems drab in comparison, especially if you don’t add the £450 infotainment touchscreen (pictured). It’s more logical and has bigger icons than the Ignis’s standard touchscreen and sat-nav, which can be fiddly. DAB radio, Bluetooth and a USB port are standard in both cars.
Surprisingly, the smaller Ignis has more head and legroom for its two rear passengers, not least thanks to its boxy shape. It even has 50/50 split-sliding seats with reclining backrests. The Duster can seat three, though, albeit at a squeeze. When it comes to boot space, things swing the other way. The Suzuki’s load area is half that of the Dacia’s, which even has room for a full-sized spare wheel beneath its boot floor; the Ignis makes do with a tyre repair kit. Folding its rear seats leave a huge step up in the floor, whereas the Duster’s 60/40 split-folding rear seats leaves a smooth, if slightly sloping, extended boot floor.
Cost-wise, the Ignis is cheaper pretty much all round, including being less money to buy. It also works out about £3000 cheaper over three years and 36,000 miles of ownership if you tot up its much lower fuel costs and slower depreciation. It does fall into a higher insurance group, though, at group 18 compared with group 11.
It’s cheaper to finance, costing £217 per month compared with the Duster’s £262 on a 36-month/12,000-annual-mile personal contract plan with a £2000 deposit. Lower CO2 emissions make it the better company car choice, too.
The Suzuki trumps its rival for standard kit, adding dusk-sensing LED headlights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, reversing camera, climate control and keyless entry and start to both cars’ standard 16in alloys, four electric windows, cruise control and air-conditioning.
Its better haul of safety kit – including lane-keeping assist, auto emergency braking (AEB), plus six airbags against the Duster’s four – earns it five Euro NCAP safety stars with its optional safety pack fitted. Without, it scores only three. The Duster also has three stars. Both cars have immobilisers and remote central locking, but no alarm.
If you’re looking for a roomy, punchy, uncomplicated 4x4 workhorse for many thousands of pounds less than any other ‘proper’ SUV, the Duster’s the one for you. Yet it’s ungainly to drive and short on safety kit, and is outclassed by the characterful Ignis. The Suzuki is fantastic value, nearly as practical (load space aside), better equipped and more accomplished on the road in town or country. That breadth of talents gives it the win here.
1st Suzuki Ignis 1.2 SHVS 4x4 SZ5
Engine size 1.2-litre petrol
List price £13,999
Target price £13,565
Power 89bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 88lb ft @ 4400rpm
0-60mph 11.2sec
Top speed 106mph
Gov't fuel economy 60.1mpg
CO2 emissions 106g/km
2nd Dacia Duster TCe 125 4x4 Lauréate
Rated 3 out of 5
Engine size 1.2-litre petrol, turbocharged
List price £14,895
Target price £14,789
Power 124bhp @ 5250rpm
Torque 151lb ft @ 2000rpm
0-60mph 10.4sec
Top speed 110mph
Gov't fuel economy 44.1mpg
CO2 emissions 145g/km
Budget baby 4x4s go head-to-head
Budget cars: Suzuki Ignis vs Dacia DusterPublishedImageMedium width3Thursday, June 8, 2017 - 09:45OnEnable video endboarddefaultThursday, June 8, 2017 - 09:45Greater LondonEnable Georiot JSEnable Skimlinks JSGBEnable awin JSKey Points