Best for: Value
Is it an estate? Is it an MPV? Is it an SUV? It does have seven seats and a mildly raised ride height, but we reckon the Dacia Jogger is an estate – and a really good one too.
Given the rampant rise in the cost of living that we’ve experienced in the past few years, the Jogger is particularly welcome. It offers all the space and utility you need, including a genuinely usable third row of seats, for significantly less money than most standard hatchbacks.
And it’s not as if Jogger drivers have to give up a lot of creature comforts. Yes, the plastics are hard and there’s no plush leather on the seats, but Dacia has grown very adept at brightening up its interiors with a strip of fabric here and a bit of faux knurled aluminium there without breaking the bank.
Go for one of the still very reasonably priced higher trims and you get heated seats, cruise control and sat-nav, as well as a touchscreen infotainment system that works more logically than a lot of fancier systems.
The 1.0-litre petrol engine is no powerhouse, but thanks to the snappy six-speed manual gearbox, it gets out of its own way well enough.
If you must have an automatic transmission, the Jogger Hybrid is the one to go for, and it returns very impressive fuel economy.
The Jogger rides well on its soft suspension but has enough inherent balance to still be enjoyable on a twisty road. Some might scoff at the one-star Euro NCAP safety rating, but the Jogger protects still its occupants perfectly well in a crash. It was instead marked down for the absence of some active safety systems, but those can be less of a help than a hindrance on some cars, so it’s not the biggest loss.
The Jogger offers lots of space for relatively little money in what is quite a cheery and pleasant package. It’s the opposite of a luxury car, but it’s hard not to like.
