Dacia Duster included in list of best 4x4 and off-road cars of 2023

The Dacia Duster SUV produced in Mioveni, Romania, has been included by British auto magazine Autocar in a ranking of the best 4x4 and off-road vehicles of 2023. The low price and offroad capabilities make the Duster the tenth-best 4x4 and off-road car of the year.

The Duster was placed alongside heavyweight names in the off-road industry such as the Land Rover Defender, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz G Class, and the newly launched Ineos Grenadier. While these vehicles are known as the best-equipped for off-road driving on rough terrain, and come with correspondingly high prices due to their advanced technology, the Duster is considered more of a road-oriented SUV, and few consider its off-road capabilities. Importantly, only the all-wheel drive (AWD) models are capable of navigating difficult terrain.

The Dacia Duster is in tenth place among the best 4x4 and off-road vehicles.

“It's not as cheap as it was (there's no all-wheel-drive entry-level Access version now) but a whisker under GBP 21,000 for the Expression dCi 115 4x4 is still cracking value, regardless of vehicle type (you'll struggle to get a similarly specified supermini for that amount these days),” says Autocar in the description of the Duster.

“The trick four-wheel drive system allows you to choose the front drive for the road, an Auto mode that quickly engages the rear axle when it detects wheelspin or Lock that sets the torque split at 50:50 for the best off-road traction. There's also a shorter first gear for climbing steep slopes and hill descent control for scrabbling down the other side. Oh, and the infotainment system features a compass and altimeter, so you know where you're going and whether you're about to topple over,” the entry says.

What’s more, “the Duster's best off-road attributes are decent ground clearance and a relatively low curb weight, allowing it to tiptoe over some obstacles that would sink heavyweight rivals,” the ranking adds, cited by Profit.ro.

The Duster is “far more modern and composed than its predecessor,” with accurate steering, good body control, and more than enough grip. Bumps and potholes can be tackled “with a rare confidence” with a Duster, the article says, and while it handles itself offroad, the car feels at home on the road.

According to Autocar, the best 4x4 car of 2023 is the Land Rover Defender, the latest generation of a model that has represented the symbol of off-road vehicles for decades. In second place is another symbol, the American Jeep Wrangler, a car designed for rugged terrain. The Toyota Land Cruiser is in third, followed by the Merceds-Benz G-Class and the Land Rover Discovery.