Customer reviews for Dacia Bigster

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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.

I love the size, it feels big on the roads and I like that. The profile is quite slim which makes it easier to get into spots and the interior is plain and simple. What I asked for and the hybrid engine is mostly brilliant!

Sadly the tech and various other safety features aren’t up to scratch and actually have become a hindrance. The cruise control and parking sensors just don’t work well at all and have become slightly dangerous in certain situations I.e. the cruise control will stop working quite rapidly and jolt the breaks on while driving and in some situations the parking sensors have no idea where objects are. I have seen on an owners forum online this is an extremely common and recurring problem.

That being said, I do really like my Bigster. It’s really practical, the hybrid engine has saved me a lot of money in petrol although it can be very noisy when it’s charging the battery and that took some getting used to. it does feel fun to drive and enjoy it although I’m still (after 3 months) adapting to the size difference.

The performance of the 155 hybrid engine is very unreliable.

Switching from EV to petrol is haphazard and unpredictable.

Gear changes are slow and as a consequence the engine consistently over revs.

If you put the fan on or turn the temperature up on the car the motor noise is unnecessarily excessive and the only solution is to turn the radio up, which then causes speaker vibration.

I predominantly drive the car with all safety features turned off / no fan and no heating to encourage EV mode to kick in ... so more often than not ime cold but at least it's quiet.

Acceleration is slow and the engine roars until the gear changes finally happens making access onto motorways a precarious often challenging task.

I was really looking forward to owning the bigster but truly dislike driving it and feel embarrassed when I have to have passengers in the car due to the poor performance.

Ultimately i regret buying the car and would encourage people to think carefully before purchasing

Received the car and the wiring loom wasn’t connected so no sensors. The fuse box cover was also off when we picked it up. Why it arrived with us in such a condition is beyond me.

Weeks later the car went back in due to over revving - software update done.

Car returned and in days problem persisted. Went back in. Sat for three weeks with the dealership who tell us the computer says no problem and we now need to raise a complaint with Dacia.

We want to return the car but dealership refusing to accept it saying we have to raise a complaint with Dacia.

Car was returned to us three weeks ago and was running as normal but last week the problem presented yet again. The car is forcing its self to charge the battery until it it’s full and when it does so it is exceptionally loud and reverberates throughout.

The car is not as sold. It’s defunct. I would not recommend this vehicle at all. If I’d driven it in this state I’d never have purchased it.

The reverse camera is terrible, we have a 2016 Citroën C1 whose camera is infinitely better. The seatbelts disappear into the seat and are very difficult to get out, incredibly frustrating, have had to buy things to go around the seatbelts which improves it slightly. The volume control when using android auto often doesn't work, turning up navigation or phone call volume when trying to adjust music volume. We also have had a poor experience with the garage we bought it from, no after sales call which we were told we'd get. Generally disappointed at our second purchase of a Dacia and will probably move away from them next time.

I always research a new car and felt the Bigster offered a fantastic choice in terms of value, spec and, I thought, quality.

Took delivery of the car and, despite the hybrid engine being rather gruff when the petrol engine kicks in, the look, overall drive and general build were good.

But the faults in the first month; an electric window stopped working, it leaked through both offside doors and the unlocking of the car was haphazard when it should unlock via the smart key and proximity sensor.

So a decision was made to reject it and I no longer have it.

The question is unclear - is it the car, or the dealership? The car is lacking, the audio system is unreliable and "hit and miss" I realise it is a budget SUV, but event the rear door handles feel like they are flimsly and will break off after a while and the parcel shel whilst a good idea, isnt robust or easy to disconnect without have to use brut-force. I'm constantly having to re-programme my phone into the system as it dosent retain the details. Would I buy it again? at this stage - 3 months in - probably not.

Enjoy driving the car when all is working as it should - BUT:

- temporary loss of power after 2 weeks from purchase

- temporary disappearance of legal speed limit on dash & hence audible warning

- Radio may work/not work at all/stuck on muted volume, factory reset has not resolved problem, now needs to go in for the day/longer

- Yesterday after short stop, on restarting the engine brakes stuck on, after several switch offs & restarts OK

Disappointing for what has potential to be a very good car