A rare new car bargain
Sprightly 1.0-litre petrol engine with a hybrid on its way
Removable third row of seats
It's clear where costs have been cut in terms of refinement
Third row of seats only really for occasional use
Questionable safety record
The Dacia Jogger is an antidote to the increasingly expensive world we live in. While your energy bills may be rocketing, fuel prices increasing and the weekly food shop now costing well into three figures, the Dacia Jogger is a brand new seven-seater you can buy for just £14,999 – or £196 a month.
It's basically an estate version of the Dacia Sandero, with an extended platform providing space (just about) for seven seats. Chuck in a slightly raised ride height and a stepped roofline, and it's also borderline family SUV territory.
There's nothing else quite like it on the market, but you could well be looking at it alongside conventional estate cars like the Skoda Octavia Estate or maybe the electric MG 5 EV. With its sub-£15,000 starting price, though, you're perhaps more likely to be considering this an alternative to a four-year-old Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer or Vauxhall Zafira.
The Dacia Jogger line-up is refreshingly simple. You get the choice of just three trim levels: Essential, Comfort and Extreme SE. There's one engine, for now – a peppy little 1.0-litre that's paired exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox. Dacia's also expected to launch its first hybrid model in the Jogger, but that won't happen for a year or two yet.
The majority of buyers will go for the mid-level Dacia Jogger Comfort, which comes with 16-inch Flex wheels (they look like alloys but aren't), clever modular roof bars, climate control and an eight-inch media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It certainly feels like a budget option inside, where you'll find tough plastics, old-fashioned rotary knobs for the climate control (not necessarily a bad thing...) and – on Comfort and Extreme SE models – the aforementioned eight-inch infotainment system tacked onto the dash like an afterthought.
It's spacious, though, with room for adults in the second row of seats and enthusiastic children in the third row. You don't get a lot of boot space with all seven seats in use but, fortunately, the two seats in the boot are extremely lightweight and can be removed entirely without much hassle. We'd suggest doing this on a semi-permanent basis – if you need a true seven-seater, look elsewhere.
With a kerb weight of just over 1200kg, the Dacia Jogger's little 1.0-litre engine moves it along quite happily (or it does when the car's not bursting with passengers, anyway). It's quite noisy and unrefined compared to something like a Volkswagen Golf Estate, but there have to be compromises somewhere.
That light weight means it feels agile enough on the open roads, although the steering's light and it does crash a little over broken road surfaces. We suspect it might settle down a bit when fully loaded, but it certainly doesn't sway around in the corners as much as you might expect a car like this to.
We like the Dacia Jogger. It's a refreshingly affordable new car that goes against the fad for premium-badged SUVs. It's impossible to overemphasise how remarkably good value it is – it's a seven-seat estate car for the price of a pretty basic Ford Fiesta. But it has other talents, too, including impressive versatility and an eager 1.0-litre petrol engine. Sure, there are a few hard plastics in the cabin and a bit more soundproofing wouldn't have gone amiss, but the Jogger's a genuine new car bargain.
While the Dacia Jogger is quite innovative in many ways, it's actually quite ordinary inside. It looks and feels just like a Dacia Sandero, which means it's a functional rather than fancy affair.
Still, the Dacia Jogger will appeal to buyers who don't want all the latest technology and fancy (read: irritating) touch-sensitive climate control buttons. The most basic Dacia Jogger Essential doesn't even come with an infotainment screen – it's got a phone holder instead.
Dacia Jogger Comfort and Extreme SE models come with an eight-inch media system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while the latter also comes with built-in nav.
It's just a very easy cabin to get used to. The seats are supportive, although don't expect things like electric adjustment or lumbar support. You do sit higher than in a regular hatchback, although you're not going to be towering over other motorists.
There are a few highlights which mean the Jogger's cabin isn't too drab an affair. We like the fabric running along the width of the dash, for example, and the angular air vents are a neat touch.
It's quite cleverly packaged, so it feels surprisingly spacious for its relatively compact footprint. You get a lengthy wheelbase, which means the wheels are pushed out to each corner so that they don't intrude on interior space. You also get a stepped roof which means there's loads of headroom inside.
Certainly, space in the front is more than adequate. You don't get a high seating position (like in an SUV alternative like the Skoda Karoq), but there's enough room for a pair of adults without any awkward elbow bashing. Large wide windows and that stepped roof means it doesn't feel claustrophobic in the second row of seats, either, although adults will find their knees brushing the front seats.
The third row of seats are only really for occasional use. With them, there's just 212 litres of boot space. Simply getting into them requires a fair amount of agility - kids will embrace the challenge, no doubt, but adults will struggle.
Fortunately, the rear-most seats are surprisingly lightweight and easily lifted out. You can't buy a five-seat Dacia Jogger in the UK, but we suspect many buyers will store the back seats away in the garage most of the time. With them removed, there's 699 litres of boot space available, which is even more than a Skoda Octavia Estate. Access is easy, too, thanks to a low loading lip and a wide boot opening.
One feature of note is the clever modular roof rails which, with the help of an Allen key can be turned into a full roof rack capable of carrying up to 80kg (ideal for fixing a roof box when the car's full up with passengers). These are standard on Dacia Jogger Comfort and Extreme SE models.
The Dacia Jogger rides pretty well thanks to its standard-fit 16-inch wheels and supple suspension. Sure, it's not got the most sophisticated ride, but it's certainly no less comfortable than van-based people carrier alternatives.
The Dacia Jogger is so versatile that it's easy to forget that it's actually got a smaller footprint than a Ford Focus Estate, which helps when you need to tackle a narrow lane or congested car park. Rear parking sensors are standard across the range, while Comfort and Extreme SE models also come with them at the front as well as a reversing camera. If you've got a tight driveway, the Dacia Jogger is a much better option than a traditional people carrier like the Volkswagen Touran.
A light clutch pedal and light steering also help around town, while the manual gearbox is easy enough to use. Out of town, the Dacia Jogger isn't exactly a sharp handler, but there's plenty of grip available and it doesn't feel like a boat in the corners. It's a shame that Dacia doesn't offer the Jogger with four-wheel drive, although that would be extra expense and complexity that few buyers would really want.
For now, the Dacia Jogger is available with just one engine: a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine badged the TCe 110. With 110PS and 200Nm of torque, you might think this'd be a little lacking in a car the size of the Jogger, but it isn't. Not really.
The Dacia Jogger weighs just 1205kg, which is barely any more than the latest Mazda MX-5. That helps with progress, although we can't vouch how sprightly the Jogger will seem when fully loaded with passengers.
All Dacia Joggers come with a six-speed manual gearbox. This is precise enough to use, while a light clutch pedal helps. If you want an automatic, you'll have to wait for the upcoming Dacia Jogger Hybrid.
Model tested: Dacia Jogger 1.0 TCe Comfort
Engine: 1.0-litre petrol
Gearbox: six-speed manual
Power/torque: 109PS/200Nm
Combined fuel economy: 49.6mpg
CO2 emissions: 132g/km
Price from: £14,995
As tested: £17,190
Prices start from £14,995 for a new Dacia Jogger Essential TCe 100. The mid-range Dacia Jogger Comfort is £16,595 while the top-spec Dacia Jogger Extreme SE is £17,395.
The new Dacia Jogger is built at the company’s Mioveni plant in Romania. The plant, covering an area of 288 hectares and employing more than 10,000 people, has been operating since 1968, coming under Renault Group ownership in 1999. The plant exports 86% of its production to countries around the world.
Yes, the Dacia Jogger is now on sale in the UK with prices starting from £14,995.