What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

Dacia brought back the Commercial variant of its Duster SUV in 2021 for customers looking for a cut-price car-derived van with off-road capability, at least in the all-wheel drive diesel version.

The first Commercial iteration was short lived – lasting from 2015 to just 2017 – and was withdrawn when the passenger-car model came to the end its production run, due to “other engineering priorities”, according to Dacia’s parent company, Renault.

The Duster Commercial received a facelift in October last year, which included new-look daytime-running lights and front grille and updated alloy wheels designs. This was followed by the vehicle getting Dacia’s new brand identity in August 2022. The new Dacia Link emblem now features in the middle of the front grille, which itself has been redesigned in white, and in the centre of each wheel, while simplified ‘DACIA’ lettering has been applied to the rear of the vehicle and to the steering wheel.

The Commercial car-derived van (CDV) is created by removing the car version’s rear seats and installing a completely flat wooden load floor, covered with a hard-wearing, rubberised surface. A mesh bulkhead separates the load area from the cabin, and lashing eyes are provided for securing cargo. A full-length foldable and removable load cover, and opaque film covering the rear windows, prevent prying eyes from sizing up what’s in the load bed.

The Duster Commercial offers a decent 1.6m³ load volume, with a load bay length of 1,792mm, a load width of 1,247mm, and floor-to-ceiling height of up to 917mm depending on spec. Maximum payload is up to 503kg. The load area is accessed via a rear hatch and the two side doors inherited from the passenger car. As with all CDVs, this is not ideal and made more awkward in this case by the position of the bulkhead and load floor.

Engine options are 90hp, 130hp, and 150hp 1.0-litre petrols, and a 1.5-litre 115hp diesel. The petrol engines come with front-wheel drive, while the diesel comes with either front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

All powertrains come with six-speed manual transmission, except for the 150hp petrol, which gets a six-speed dual-clutch auto. Dacia offers the Commercial with two trim levels – Essential and Comfort. Standard equipment with Essential models includes roof bars, air conditioning, cruise control (not adaptable) with speed limiter, DAB radio, and a USB connection. Further kit with Comfort spec includes a new 8in infotainment touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, along with alloy wheels, front fog lights, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, a rear-view camera with parking sensors, hill descent control, a central differential lock on four-wheel drive models, and a height-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment.

Driven here is the diesel Commercial in Comfort trim. Despite catering for the budget end of the market, refinement and indeed, comfort, is surprisingly impressive. The engine is quiet, if a little under powered, despite producing maximum torque of 260Nm at 1,750
to 2,750 rpm and wind and road noise does not become intrusive at higher speeds.

The gear ratios feel short; you have to change up through the cogs quickly as you pick up speed from the off (a gearshift indicator on the dash reminds you to do so), but the gear changes themselves are slick enough. The Duster also handles well, although the electric power steering is a little on the light side. 

A selectable Eco mode and an efficient stop and start system help to keep fuel economy on the right side of 50mpg, which is better than the 44mpg we recently registered on Toyota’s hybrid Corolla Commercial CDV.

The cabin is functional rather than stylish but all the controls are straightforward and easy to use and it is easy to pair a smartphone and to engage Apple Carplay for satnav.

The interior does feel quite dark and closed in, however, mainly due to the small windscreen, which a colleague described as “like looking through a letterbox”.

Nevertheless, on balance, the Duster Commercial delivers as a cost-effective, practical LCV.