When you give a car a name like ‘Jogger’ then you are guaranteed to get a few good headlines in reviews. The Dacia Jogger was named AA Car of the Year two years ago and one tabloid headline read: ‘Jogger runs away with title’.
I drove the car when it was launched at the end of 2022 and recently tested the new Hybrid version, which was very frugal. With a full tank of petrol I was told that I had over 800km range and believe me the needle was very slow to move.
I like cars that have their own individual name, like Jogger. Sometimes people can get a little confused with numbers, e.g. Renault 4, Mercedes 220, BMW 5 series etc.
The attraction of the Jogger is that it’s a seven seater, but naturally there is not much boot space when all seven seats are in use. This is the first seven seater I have driven where the third row of seats are slightly higher than the second row. Only a few millimetres higher, but enough for the third row passengers to get a better view of the road ahead and their surroundings.
Dacia is owned by Renault and I was reminded of that when using the key fob. When you walk away from the car you get a ‘beep’ telling you the car is locked. And then you go back to the car the doors unlock, once the fob is in our pocket or handbag.
January 2013 saw the first registrations for Dacia in Ireland with the Sandero and Duster, followed by the Stepway in March and the Logan MCV in September that year. In 2016 Dacia registered its 10,000th vehicle in Ireland just three years after its first.
This is Dacia’s first seven-seater and at the Irish launch back in May 2022 the company also introduced their new logo and branding.
Inside, there is an neat infotainment screen on the dash. Black was the dominant interior colour, but there was a touch of grey on the seats and a white roofline certainly brightens the interior décor.
The hybrid technology means no room for spare wheel, but I thought that Dacia might have slotted a spare wheel underneath the car.
There are very few automatic touches in the Jogger, e.g. you have to open and close the huge boot door with your hand, but no problem once the door is clean!
When the Dacia range was introduced to Ireland 13 years ago it was described as being shocking affordable, it still is. Prices for the TCe 110 version of the Jogger start at €25,040, while the price of the HEV 145 version that I drove, came to €33,285. I drove a very discreet Cedar Green coloured car. Road tax is only €100.
Dacia described the Jogger as ‘the family car that adapts to suit your needs.’ And with up to 60 configurations that is true. It’s not luxurious, but where else can you get a decent seven-seater car for around €25K? Most seven-seaters these days are in the form of expensive SUVs, but Dacia is bucking that trend with the Jogger.
The only slight problem is the low Euro NCAP ratings where the Jogger got only one star out of a possible five in the ratings. To keep the costs down, the Jogger comes without some of the more advanced safety features like lane keeping assist.
