Dacia Jogger review

Pros: Seven seats, value for money, comfort

Cons: No automatic yet, only one engine for now

The Dacia Jogger is the Dacia brand’s first ever seven seat family car. Dacia has become well established in Ireland with popular models such as the Sandero supermini and the Duster compact SUV, known for their affordability.

Now Dacia has expanded their range with the launch of the new Jogger. Priced from less than €25,000, the Jogger is now Ireland’s most affordable 7-seater, with three rows of seats inside.

The new Dacia Jogger looks like great value for money but is it any good?

Dacia Jogger Design

Dacia says the Jogger blends the practicality of an estate car with the spaciousness of an MPV and the styling of an SUV. The Jogger is now the longest model in the Dacia range at 4.5 metres. With a slightly elevated ride and rugged styling features like roof rails, plastic cladding around the wheel arches, and a skid plate at the front and rear, the Jogger has a practical and fashionable outdoors look.

LED headlights with Dacia’s signature Y-shaped LED daytime running lights come as standard. Entry models get just steel wheels, though mid-range Comfort models come with more attractive wheel covers. If you’re willing to spend a bit more on your Jogger, the top of the range Extreme SE is arguably the coolest Jogger of them all with 16” alloy wheels with a black finish, black door mirror caps, and unique Extreme SE badging and trim.

Dacia Jogger Interior

Inside the new Jogger has a latest generation Dacia interior that’s practical and functional. It looks modern and the controls are all easy to interact with. It’s not the last word in luxury; there are still plenty of hard plastics. But the Extreme SE has stylish fabric trim along the dashboard and arm rests in the front doors. Manual air conditioning and cruise control come as standard. But you’ll want to go up to the mid-range Comfort model for the 8-inch touchscreen with two USB ports and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also automatic air conditioning, reversing camera and keyless entry. The Extreme SE adds heated front seats and even wireless smartphone mirroring.

The high roof line and long wheelbase give plenty of headroom and legroom for rear passengers, while the rear doors open wide making access easier. The rear bench will seat three, with Isofix child seat fixtures on the outer two seats. Access to the third row of seats is simple because the second row of seats can split fold and tumble forward easily. Once seated in the third row, it’s actually very comfortable - even for adults. With all seven seats in place, the boot has just enough space for a few bags. The sill is low making it easy to load and unload the boot and there’s also a waterproof surface, perfect for the outdoors lifestyle. The two extra seats don't fold flat like in some rivals. They tumble forward or can even be removed completely, giving a huge 699 litres of space.

Dacia Jogger Performance & Drive

The Jogger is powered by a 1.0-litre three cylinder turbo petrol engine with 110 hp and comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox. There’s no automatic available right now but that will come next year with the arrival of a new hybrid with a bit more power. The Jogger is light so on the road it feels livelier than expected and it’s relatively efficient too. It’s hardly a driver’s car; the steering is quite light and there’s a bit of lean in corners. But it’s simple to drive and comfortable as well, which really matters for a family car.

The Jogger got just a 1-star rating in Euro NCAP safety tests out of a maximum of 5 stars. Keeping the cost down means that the Jogger does without some of the more advanced driver assistance features for example lane keeping assist. It was also scored down for missing seatbelt reminders in the third row of seats. 6 airbags come as standard and automatic emergency braking, while blind spot warning is standard on Comfort and above.

Dacia Jogger Pricing

The new Dacia Jogger goes on sale from €23,290, though pricing will go up by €900 from the 1st June. Comfort models offer more standard features and start from €25,090. The Extreme SE retails from €26,590 with more equipment and a sporty look.

Carzone Verdict

The Dacia Jogger offers amazing value for a seven-seat family car with so much space and versatility. It doesn’t have any direct rivals in the new car market. You would have to buy used to find an estate or MPV that would come close to matching the Jogger’s big boot or seven seats. It’s a budget car so there are some compromises, but not as many as what you might think. The Jogger enhances Dacia’s range into seven seaters and it offers so much it’s impossible to ignore.