New Dacia Duster Commercial launched with £13,995 price tag
Despite having a facelift and a slight price hike, this is still one of the cheapest vans on the market
Traders and van lovers alike will be happy to see that Dacia has given its Duster Commercial a facelift and new trim levels.
In doing so, the no-nonsense van (it trades back seats for storage space) gets a slight price hike but continues to be one of the cheapest commercial vehicles on the market, with prices starting at just £13,995. Which looks like a right old bargain.
Admittedly, that price excludes VAT because commercial vehicle buyers don't have to pay tax on van purchases if they're buying for business. If a private buyer wanted a Dacia Commercial (we totally get it), the price starts from £16,794. Still a lot of car - or van - for the money.
Either way, the 2022 Commercial gets a raft of changes. Firstly, it wears Dacia's new badge, unveiled earlier this year, which appears front and centre. While 'Dacia' is written across the boot.
There are two trims available: the 'Essential', and the 'Expression'. The Essential (£13,995, excluding VAT) comes with the all-new rear Y-shaped LED lights, 16-inch steel wheels and a DAB Radio.
The Expression (£18,145, also excluding VAT) comes with the new eight-inch infotainment system, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You'll also get the luxury of a leather steering wheel and upgraded seats – because who said van life couldn't include some plushness?
The Expression also has a handy rear-view camera, parking sensors and hill descent control, giving you great value for money.
One smart improvement is the addition of dark privacy glass on the rear windows, to keep your tools and equipment out of sight.
The Duster Commercial's performance is unchanged, meaning it can hold 1,623 litres of equipment (that's more than three times the boot space of a typical mid-sized hatchback) and carry a maximum payload of 503kg.
There are three different engines available, with the 1.0-litre petrol engine producing 90hp, the 1.3-litre petrol producing 150hp, and the 1.5-litre diesel engine producing 115hp.
Once again, we doff our cap to Dacia for creating another affordable and functional vehicle. If only we needed a van...
By George Boulton