Customer reviews for Dacia BigsterDacia Bigster seen by those who use it on a daily basis

Firstly, I'd like to say that overall we're enjoying the Dacia Bigster primarily for the following reasons:

- The vehicle is very functional and practical

- It has large boot

- The systems technology is not overwhelming

- The hybrid system is saving us money on fuel.

However, it has its faults:

- Build quality - when driving the car for the first time there was, and still is, an annoying rattle coming from the passenger side dashboard. Additionally, there is something loose and rattling around in the tailgate.

- Boot Space - the boot cover (partition between the boot and lower storage area) is flimsy and not one piece meaning that, frustratingly, it always comes apart and can be a pain to reposition. It would be better if it folded (like on the Kia Sportage). Moreover, there is no division of the lower boot space meaning that everything within it is loose. It would be better if there was the ability to partition this area so that essential equipment, some of it heavy and cumbersome (e.g. tow rope, tyre inflation etc.) could be more securely stowed so you don't hear it banging around when driving!

- Driving comfort - there needs to be more foam in the driver's side arm rest as my elbow is sore after driving, particularly as there's no other convenient place to rest my right arm when driving.

- Front Doors - the front doors would benefit from having some means of controlling their opening. As the handle is so far forward, when opening the door the only way to properly control the swing is to place a hand on the opening frame of the door. This makes it precarious when opening doors in car parks or when parked close to obstructions.

- Cruise Control - please provide standard cruise control in addition to variable cruise control! I find the variable cruise control a nuisance as I want to dictate the speed of my car and not have it dictated by the speed of the car in front. Although I appreciate there are times when this is necessary I find that for the most part it is an inconvenience as it results in a constant cycle of slowing down and speeding up which is not fuel efficient, particularly when motorway driving. Additionally, note that the variable cruise control function is unavailable when the sensors are obscured by heavy rain or dirt. In such instances there is no normal cruise control available as a redundancy. Personally, I would rather have normal cruise control over the variable speed option and this is one of the most frustrating things about the car.

- Ergonomics - the cruise control function buttons should be located on the right hand side of the steering wheel (as they are on a Kia Sportage) so the driver's right hand does not have to come off the wheel at any time. This is particularly annoying as the left hand is primarily used to control most other functions from the centre console screen, gear stick and heating dials meaning that the driver is not in full control of the vehicle when doing so.

- Traffic Recognition System - this is poor and needs updating. It doesn't recognise important UK traffic signs such as 'National Speed Limit' signs meaning that it alarms on the motorway as it thinks the speed limit is 60 mph rather than 70 mph. The speed at which any sign is recognised is significantly slower than the Kia Sportage I owned previous to our Dacia Bigster.

- Rear Windscreen Wiper - there is a really annoying clicking noise that emanates from an area near the glove box whenever the rear wiper is active, reminiscent of cars from the 1980s...

- Side Mirrors - the blind spot monitor frequently records spurious readings, particularly at night or when in the fast lane of the motorway.

- Handles - there are no ceiling mounted handles provided in the rear for passenger stability and to aid access and egress from the vehicle.

Let’s face it for the price who can complain. It is filled with all the stuff you would expect in a high end vehicle. So overall I’m really chuffed, it runs fine, it does the job I got it for, it’s a really good motor. Now there are sacrifices, I know this.and accept that, but there are a couple of areas which I think don’t fall into the budget trimming and are pure faults.

1. Door storage .. not enough insulation, they become extremely cold in winter and actually froze a bottle of water.

2. Front camera, loss of visibility and therefore loss of key safety features. After extensive research and trials I have found that it is fine at night, fine when driving with sun behind, but driving into sun… boom no visibility. The camera needs protecting from the sun, a design fault. Renault dealer say they can’t do anything unless the fault is present when they have it!! Doh! Well that’s a parity stupid response because as soon as you turn out of the sun it reverts back. Dacia are you trying to duck the issue?

3. Engine growl, bit of an angry bear, the insulation from engine to passenger compartment is lacking terribly. Sounds as if the big ends want to leap out the engine.

4. Hands free phoning. Very hit and miss. Sometimes it works fine, other times it tells you that you can’t use the function as you are moving? Something amiss there?

5. The satnav is far too bright!! Very hard to see and read. Bit fiddly to set destinations, not as simple as it should be To be honest the satnav in my previous dusters and stepways were far better to read and follow. Even Waze gives better detail.

6. Pillars are a bit wide and produce some frightening blind spots. Checking for oncoming traffic at junctions is a hazardous event.

1500 miles extreme 155. Love it but wish Dacia would sort out the niggles for me.

Overall the Bigster 1.8 Extreme is great I'm near 5000 miles with it up to now. I had 2 dusters in the past with 0 problems at all. so I knew what brand I was buying:-

1. Its big., loads of boot space and perfect for me

2. Comfy.

3. Fantastic on fuel.

4. looks good.

5. Drives well, not too soft on the suspension and ok on corners.

6. Can be quite nippy when needed.

7. Internal dash is set up well

8. I really like the U clip light for the boot very handy indeed

However there are a couple of niggles mainly due to the vehicle soft where

1. The cup hold is almost useless. needs a free upgrade i think

2. The tech isn't refined and I get invalid warnings often.

3. Water gets inside on the rear wiper mount (will be contacting the dealers about this on the first service, but its not a lot).

4. The engine grumble is loud at times and can stay in one gear too long now and then.

5. Heater not the best, can remain cold some times even when engine is warm

Saying that, I Like it, and perhaps a soft where update will resolve the management system issues.

Would I recommend it ? Absolutely yes, compared to its competitors and the class it now drops into its a good car that costs a lot less, Well done Dacia

Owned 3 months car has plenty of space and a very large boot. Drive is good and little body roll. Fuel economy was around 64mpg but this has dropped to around 54mpg possibly due to cold weather, as driving style has not changed. Parking can be a challenge as spaces long enough are few and far between. Boot is large but not flat so longer items may be off the deck. Main issues are the infotainment and digital information. Messages flash up very day saying the front camera is not working, or safety equipment has been activated, lane discipline is a nightmare on country roads as is activates all the time. Radio cuts out for a few seconds almost daily. Settings can change from switching off to starting, eg fan speed can change, or you have it set to show fuel consumption and when you get back in it is on water temperature. The other main issue is the engine noise, normally the engine noise is reasonable, but when about to change gear the engine revs hard. If the battery to the hybrid system is low the engine goes into an horrendous roaring noise at it attempts to recharge. My sons Bigster also does this. Not sure why Dacia thought such an issue was acceptable in this day and age.

The IT center console appears to be temperamental in cold conditions, 0 degrees or below. It cycles round rebooting, black screen which makes it difficult to switch on heated seats and steering wheel, with also the radio disappearing for up to 2/3 days.

Occasionally the warning sensors come on for no reason, which can be a bit annoying when driving.

Not having a heated windscreen is creating a daily build-up of condensation inside the car and in freezing conditions I am having to scrape this off with a car scrapper (something that wasn't a thing in my old car).

Apart from these little niggles, the car drives smoothy and caters for my family of 5, the seats are comfortable with the boot space being it's best feature.

Very happy that the Bigster meets my requirements for a modern car which can tow my 1230kg caravan, and works economically as a family car. I ordered a full size spare wheel, as I sometimes use the caravan in remote areas, and also will go off road in the car (solo!). However, it diminishes the usable size of the boot more than I imagined, which is disappointing. The 6 month wait for the car to be built and delivered disappointed me a lot.

I would have much preferred the upcoming full hybrid version with rear axle electric motor which can also tow, but thought I needed a new tow car more quickly. Perhaps I should have waited?

The Bigster is a great car, roomy and easy to drive. Some of the plastics look a bit cheap, but you get what you pay for and overall the car doesn’t look ‘cheap’, it’s just clearly not premium. The boot cover is clunky and awkward and falls off its rails while you’re trying to adjust it. The automatic windscreen wipers seem a bit erratic. Sometimes they go crazy over a slight drizzle, other times they don’t even come on in pouring rain. Everything else is great. I enjoy driving it. It’s not a fun car to drive, but it’s comfortable and pleasant.

Overall the Bigster is very good value for money. My only moans are the phone connectivity. It disconnects randomly. You get in and out of the car a couple of times and all is fine then the next time you have to reconnect your phone. Also gets confused when two phones are in the car and one leaves it doesn’t pick up on the phone that is still in the car unless you reconnect. The Kadjar used to do this automatically. Also I cannot fathom why I am sometimes driving around using petrol when I have a fully charged battery.

Make the adaptive cruise control less susceptible to not working, use radar instead of the front camera.

Car is very comfortable and the large boot is excellent. Engine is a bit noisy when it is charging. Unless you get over 50mph it stays in too low a gear so revs a lot.

The wireless connection to android auto drops out occasionally as well. Most of the time it is good.

The built in sat nav needs an auto-light function, when it is night or day. As having to go into menu to change is not the best while driving.

I upgraded from the Jogger (hybrid) to the Bigster (hybrid) recently. I did this because of a number of improvements, and it is all as I hoped for. I love the panoramic roof and the improved sound system. Also the drive train is smoother and a little bit more powerful, which makes it better for the long journeys on the motorway. Furthermore, it is more quiet in the cabin due to better insulation. There is more space in the back seats area, and there is heating there as well. Great car, excellent value for money.