Dacia has unveiled its latest all-new family car for 2022.
Called the Jogger, it will become the cheapest seven-seat car you can buy in Britain, with prices for the crossover expected to start from £13,000 – less than half the price of existing seven-seat models on the market.
It will also become the first Dacia to offer hybrid technology, though not until 2023.
Dacia’s new seven-seater: The Jogger is the newest – and longest – model in the budget-friendly car maker’s range. It will be priced from around £13,000
Exact pricing and specifications for British-spec models will not be announced until the end of this year, though in Europe it is claimed to start from €15,000.
Converted, that works out at £12,900, which will easily make it the least expensive seven-seat model on the market.
Skoda’s Kodiaq is among the cheapest new seven-seat cars on the market currently, though the roomy SUV starts from £29,585 in basic ‘SE’ trim in the UK – potentially more than double the price of the Jogger, depending on the Dacia entry price point.
It will use a stretched version of the ‘CMF-B’ platform that underpins the award-winning Sandero supermini as well as the Renault Clio and Captur.
Bosses say the new model will blend ‘estate car practicality, MPV spaciousness and SUV styling’.
The Jogger uses the same platform – and styling – as the latest Sandero supermini
The Jogger will cost around half the price of most seven-seat models on the market. The rearmost two seats car be removed entirely
Britons will be able to place orders from November with first deliveries arriving in early 2022
Measuring in at 4,547mm, it will become the longest Dacia model on sale.
But despite its rugged looks and 200mm of ground clearance, it will only be sold with front-wheel drive.
This will retain the Duster SUV’s unique selling point of being the only four-wheel drive Dacia in its range of models.
Inside, the Jogger has three rows of flexible seating.
The middle row can split 60:40 and be flipped forwards while the rearmost pair of seats can be fully removed. This provides van-like carrying space if required.
With all seven seats in place, there’s only 160 litres of boot space. That’s enough for a small weekly shop.
But with the third row chairs taken out, boot capacity rises to a capacious 708 litres, making this an ideal family wagon even if you only need to fill five seats.
Dacia says the boot floor with the rear seats not in use can accommodate a pram or a child’s push bike without disassembly and adds that ‘hikers can easily transport a full kit and that of their friends’ as the budget Romanian brand pushes its appeal to leisure enthusiasts.
The two back rows can be folded upwards to provide more space, though they do no fold flat into the floor
Dacia says the Jogger’s arrival will reinvent the seven-seat car market, making large models for bigger families more accessible
With all seven seats in place, there’s only 160 litres of boot space. That’s enough for a small weekly shop. But with the third row chairs taken out, boot capacity rises to a capacious 708 litres, making this an ideal family wagon even if you only need to fill five seats
There are some limitations though. Not least the fact none of the chairs fold flat into the floor or can be slid forwards and backwards.
This is part of Dacia’s efforts to keep manufacturing costs low to offer affordable pricing to customers.
It does have 24 litres of storage space in compartments spread conveniently throughout the cabin – a much-needed feature of any vehicles used to transport children.
This includes a generously-sized seven-litre glovebox, deep door pockets front and rear, 1.3-litre lidded storage area within the centre console and six cup holders in total.
Despite the raised ride height, roof bars and chunky design, the Jogger will only be sold with front-wheel drive. That means the Duster SUV will continue to be the only all-wheel drive Dacia on sale
Lots of optional extras will be made available, many of which are aimed at attracting leisure enthusiasts
In terms of powertrains, it will use one of three Renault engines already shared across the French parent brand’s range of cars.
The entry motor will be a turbocharged 1.0-litre three cylinder that produces 108bhp linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.
Dacia will also continue to provide a Bi-Fuel LPG variant using the same 99bhp Bi-Fuel engine that appears in the Sandero. Its addition of a 40-litre LPG tank gives the Jogger a combined ‘official’ maximum driving range of 621 miles and up to 37.1mpg.
Finally, a hybrid – not due until 2023 – will combine a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, a small 1.2kWh battery and automatic ‘box.
This hybrid variant should be able to complete very short journeys in electric-only mode. A plug-in hybrid version is unlikely to follow.
In terms of powertrains, it will use one of three Renault engines already shared across the French parent brand’s range of cars. One will be a hybrid for the first time in Dacia’s history
Inside, it shares its cabin with the Sandero supermini. Three infotainment interfaces are available across ranges, with top-spec versions getting an 8-inch touchscreen and navigation
Dacia says there is 24 litres of storage compartments dotted around the Jogger’s cabin to make it the ideal family car
Inside, the Jogger will have the modern interior upgrade already featured in the latest Sandero.
Cheapest versions will come with a ‘Media Control’ interface, which is a smartphone cradle and docking station that turn your device into the control unit for the radio and navigation.
Mid-grade models get a ‘Media Display’, which adds four speakers and an 8.0-inch touchscreen – though without sat nav. If you want the latter, you will need to upgrade to ‘Media Nav’, which brings wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as six speakers.
Denis Le Vot, Dacia’s chief executive, said the brand is ‘reinventing the seven-seater family vehicle’.
‘This latest versatile addition embodies the brand’s outdoor spirit, always ready for adventure,’ he explained at its launch ahead of the Munich Mobility Show, which started this week.
‘It exemplifies Dacia’s commitment to make mobility accessible to all, and that includes large families.
‘The Dacia Jogger will also be Dacia’s first hybrid, because mobility, be it in or out of town, must be available for everyone.’
The Jogger will be available to pre-order in the UK in November 2021, with first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2022.
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