Th crossover that made competitors stop laughing at Dacia jokes

This year marks a decade in Israel for one of the most interesting brands in the automotive industry. Dacia, once a source of ridicule when it was still a state-owned Romanian manufacturer producing the world’s worst Renault 12, was acquired by Renault in 1999 and turned into its low-cost brand. In 2015, Dacia returned to Israel after a long hiatus since the "You Can 88" fiasco and the jokes about the car with holes in the roof (for the donkey who bought it).

Competitors who were used to selling customers strong, large, and well-equipped cars to make as much profit as possible initially dismissed Renault’s idea. A new low-cost car? Anyone wanting to save money could buy a used car.

But Renault pulled proven, older components from the spare parts warehouse, designed a car that would also be cheap to produce, and launched a series of simple, reliable, and genuinely affordable models. At first, they were bought only in Eastern Europe, but gradually, wealthier Western markets could not resist the price tag—just like switching to Ryanair flights and shopping at Lidl.

Once Dacia also launched a series of crossovers, sales gained momentum. In recent years, its Sandero Stepway has been the best-selling car in Europe, outselling the Volkswagen Golf and every Renault model. Only in 2023 did the Sandero lose its title to the Tesla Model Y, which comes from a completely different world, but Elon Musk annoyed enough people on the continent for the Sandero to reclaim the title in 2024. It also leads European sales again this year. Competitors stopped underestimating the brand; Citroën and Fiat launched their own series to compete with Dacia, and Dacia itself began eyeing higher and more profitable market segments.

The Bigster we are driving today is the result: A crossover the size of the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, hybrid and automatic, with equipment Dacia never imagined offering, such as an electric tailgate, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, and even adaptive cruise control. Its price starts at NIS 170,000 and climbs to NIS 185,000 in the version including all three features, while the hybrid Sportage and Tucson start at NIS 195–200,000.

So the car is relatively cheap. The question is whether it’s also good.

In the high-trim version we drove, all the features competitors include in models costing over NIS 200,000 are present. But it’s disappointing to see savings here: The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable, but only for the backrest and height. Moving it forward and backward—more useful for families with drivers of different heights—is manual.

The seating position is high, seats are comfortable and soft. Rear passengers enjoy ample legroom and headroom and even USB ports.

The trunk, with a volume of 488 liters in the hybrid (510 liters in the gasoline version without a rear battery), is large and comes with a cover. On one hand, the electric tailgate is a rare feature for a hybrid, and there is even a spare wheel. On the other hand, it still has a classic Dacia touch with the wiper mounted visibly on the left side of the trunk.

Expression Plus (from NIS 175,000) adds front parking sensors and a smart key.

Journey (NIS 185,000) upgrades to 18-inch alloy wheels and, as mentioned, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, electric tailgate, wireless phone charging, a 10.1-inch digital dashboard, and upgraded upholstery.

Performance is good, and the powertrain is quiet. You won’t have trouble overtaking even with the whole family on board, but the Korean rivals, with 230 hp, are more agile.

Fuel consumption was less impressive: During the launch drive abroad, the Bigster approached the manufacturer’s claimed 21.7 km/l. But over three days of driving in Israel, in a car with 500 km on the odometer and driving mostly at traffic pace, we only achieved 14 km/l. You can control the battery charging rate by shifting the gear lever to B mode, which charges the battery faster.

Dacia has taken a big step forward here, while managing to maintain the value-for-money it promises. The Bigster is a spacious and very practical crossover, with unique design and character. The attractive price comes with trade-offs, however, in material quality and safety. Hopefully, other manufacturers will stop competing over “who has the bigger multimedia screen” and will bring us more cars like this—cars that remember the goal is not to impress the neighbors, but to serve our driving needs at an affordable price.