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

Close to three decades ago, an encounter with a model from Romanian manufacturer Dacia might have involved driving a Renault 12-derived Shifter pick-up – a truly vile vehicle with no redeeming features.

Thankfully, the cheap and nasty products ground out in the bad old days of Romania's communist dictatorship have long been consigned to the dustbin of history. Owned by Renault since 1999 and making extensive use of that manufacturer’s modern systems and components, Dacia has emerged as a producer of quality products that can stand comparison with anything else on the market, yet are still sold at highly affordable prices.

Based on the five-door Duster SUV, and given its UK launch at last April's Commercial Vehicle Show, the Duster Commercial represents Dacia's first foray into the British van market.

Power comes courtesy of a 107hp 1.5-litre dCi Euro5 110 diesel, and you can order the vehicle as a front-wheel drive 4x2 or with selectable four-wheel drive that uses Renault-Nissan Alliance technology.

Two levels of specification are up for grabs: Ambiance and the more upmarket Laureate. All models come with electric front windows, remote central locking, a driver's seat and steering wheel that are both height-adjustable, and an MP3-compatible radio/CD player with steering column-mounted remote controls and Bluetooth connectivity. The package includes a tyre pressure monitoring system and front fog lights.

Opt for Ambiance specification and you get rather a lot of black trim plus 16-inch Matterhorn steel wheels. Stepping up to Laureate gives you 16-inch Tyrol alloy wheels, manual air-conditioning, electrically heated and adjustable exterior mirrors, cruise control, a speed-limiter, and leather trim for the steering wheel. To all that can be added a seven-function onboard computer not to mention satin chrome side sills, front and rear scuff plates and longitudinal roof bars.

We decided to have a crack at a 4x4 in Laureate trim – ideal for squelching around rural Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Load area

Access to the 1.0m3 cargo bay – the Duster's handful of rivals all offer more cargo space – is by means of a rear hatch and a hinged door on each side of the body shell. Both the side doors are completely opaque – the windows are fixed in place and blacked-out with film – but the hatch is glazed and fitted with a wash/wipe system and a heater.

The doors open to reveal sockets for a missing parcel shelf that betray the van's five-door hatchback origins. They also reveal a purpose-built toughened-plastic load bed that looks rather like a litter tray for a very big cat.

While a lip at the driver's end of the tray should hopefully prevent unsecured items from spilling into the cab, no bulkhead is fitted. That's a little unfortunate given that only two tie-down points are provided to secure up to 550kg of cargo. Two more would have been nice. It’s good that a 12V power point is present, though, and you'll find another one in the cab.

If you're looking for the (full-size) spare wheel you will find it under a panel in the load tray. The jack sits in an offside compartment close to the aforementioned rear hatch.

The Duster Commercial 4x4 was on the verge of being homologated for towing at the time of writing, with a maximum 1500kg braked towing weight. The figure falls to 1200kg for the 4x2.

Cab and equipment

Offering an attractive working environment along with a comfortable driver's seat, the cab is endowed with only a modest amount of oddment storage space. The roll call includes bins in each of the front doors, a lidded but not lockable glovebox with a shelf above it, a tray atop the centre of the nicely designed dashboard and a couple of cup-holders.

Our Duster Commercial was fitted with a seven-inch touch-screen multimedia system that includes satellite navigation plus USB and aux connection points. An extra-cost option, it will set you back £250 (all prices quoted here exclude VAT).

Remote controls for the radio and the cruise control/speed-limiter are mounted on the steering column. You hit a button on the dashboard if you want to lock/unlock the doors.

Powertrain

Employing a particulate filter, the four-cylinder eight-valve common-rail turbocharged direct-injection Euro5 diesel produces maximum power at 4000rpm. Top torque of 240Nm bites at 1750rpm.