Dacia makes very interesting cars, at a reasonable cost, like this Jogger that we have tested this week, which has everything an adventurous family needs, spaciousness, versatility of use, up to 7 seats, a taller body and a running cost of 6 euros/100km when using LPG. It is the all in one of Dacia.
Dacia has been making exactly the cars that the market demands for years, vehicles with a reasonable price but with the necessary elements to adapt to modern life. Cars with advanced security systems, with a more than acceptable connectivity, with a browser and, above all, with an interesting style. That is basically what the market demands.
If you are looking for a small B-segment car to move around the city agilely, the Romanian brand offers the very reasonable Sandero. If you are looking for a compact SUV, the answer is the Duster. And if we want a more family-type car, spacious and versatile, we have the Lodgy. What Dacia offers in all its models is utility, and equipment reduced to what is really important. There are help systems, there are reasonable engines, but there are no excesses. And that is his key that takes him to the highest positions in the market in Europe.
Inside, this Jogger provides a good quality finish, without frills, but with sufficient equipment.
Well, the new Jogger is the answer to those more adventurous families, who want a trendy car, with a country look, a little higher, with protections on the wheel arches and bars on the roof. But at the same time it is a normal car, not as big as an SUV, but with that greater height in the driving position and better visibility. Another important aspect, that being higher, and having an even higher ceiling, normal operations, such as adjusting child seats or loading the trunk, is very simple.
This Jogger is positioned halfway between an SUV and a family-type vehicle. Rather, I would define it as a true multipurpose, because it combines up to three very different concepts of car, minivan and family, but all under the prism of an SUV model. It is something that is very rare in the current market, and completely new if we add to all these factors that of a very tight price.
very different outside
The car offers a very different exterior appearance, but very pleasant due to that combination of styles, family, minivan and SUV, due to its greater ground clearance and its reinforcements in the wheel arches and in the front and rear parts. That is why it has that adventurous touch so sought after lately. And it also stands out for its great versatility of use.
The alternative for more adventurous families who want to spend little money and need a lot of space.
It can be purchased with five or seven seats, but always with the same bodywork, so the only thing that changes is the configuration of the seats. If we opt for this seven-seater variant, which is the one we have tested, it offers many possibilities of use.
Especially since the two in the third row can be folded, retracted, operations that are done very easily from the rear of the vehicle. But even the seats can also be removed from the car, independently, as long as we have a place to store them. The extraction is a fairly simple operation and they only weigh 10 kilos each. Therefore, this purchase of a seven-seat variant is an interesting option for people who have a garage. The extra cost that we will have to pay for this option will be around 1,000 euros, although the price varies depending on the finish.
People who buy one with seven seats can use it daily with five seats, the day it is necessary they can have seven seats, although the rear ones are quite fair. And if you need a car with two seats and a lot of cargo space, we can fold the second row to form a flat floor. So, the cargo plane is almost two meters.
no diesel version
At the level of its mechanics, we again find the rationality of this model. It is offered with two different options, in both cases gasoline, but there is no diesel variant, something that is surprising in a vehicle of this type. What there will be, in 2023, is a hybrid version with the mechanics used in Renault’s Captur and Clio
It is offered on the one hand with a 110-horsepower gasoline engine, but also with a gasoline and LPG option. In the latter case, the one we have tested on this occasion, is a bifuel type vehicle that allows the use of the aforementioned LPG or also gasoline. With the combination of both options, the car exceeds a thousand kilometers of autonomy. And it is that we have 50 liters of gasoline tank, in addition to another 22.5 kilos of LPG.
The 7-seater version offers maximum versatility of use and the extra cost is about a thousand euros.
Logically, it is much cheaper to use the car with LPG than with gasoline. According to the approved value, the Jogger consumes 4.4 kilos of LPG to travel 100 kilometres. The important fact to assess is the cost of LPG, which these days is around 1.20 euros per kg (0.65 €/litre and one kg is equivalent to 1.85 litres). In other words, doing 100 kilometers with this car in LPG mode costs approximately 5.3 euros, which can go up a bit if we drive less carefully, but it will always be around 6 euros.
€6/100km
If we run out of LPG, that is, when the car runs on gasoline, consumption shoots up to 6 liters of gasoline as a starting value, which with current fuel prices makes the figure easily exceed 12 euros for travel the same 100 kilometres. This means that the cost of using the Jogger with LPG is exactly half that with gasoline, at current prices. Refueling with LPG is somewhat more complex, especially since the number of service stations that have it is much smaller, about a thousand throughout Spain. But the reduced cost of use and that it has an “eco” label, are two insurmountable advantages in current times for this model and all those that use LPG.
In addition, the driver can choose at any time when using one option or another, using a button located on the console to the left of the steering wheel. The car has two fuel gauges, one for gasoline and the other for LPG. The Jogger range will be expanded in 2023 with a hybrid variant, using the “e-tech” mechanics already used by the Clio or the Captur.
Driving this vehicle is very reasonable. It is not a model that accelerates a lot, nor is it its objective, but what is sought is to be a car with the power to circulate with some agility, safely and at a very low cost. But above all very comfortable. In that sense, its very long wheelbase allows the car to sit very well on the asphalt. Its body sways, due to its size, but it is a stable model that conveys a sense of security.
Although its engine may seem somewhat underpowered, it moves the car freely. It has a six-speed manual transmission, there is no version with an automatic transmission, but this six-speed manual allows the vehicle to perform well. The position of the lever makes the handling of the change very pleasant. I was surprised by the good feel of the steering wheel, with good driving precision and that conveys a sense of control at all times.
The consumption that we have achieved during our test has been 8.9 liters circulating in LPG mode and driving as agile as possible, but without exceeding the limits. The important fact is that the average price of a liter of LPG today is 0.65 euros per liter, compared to more than two euros for the price of a liter of gasoline. Take your accounts and you will see how they turn out very well.
Gasoline and LPG
Switching from using LPG to petrol is made very easy as all you have to do is press a button on the left hand side, which lights up green when in LPG mode. This is a very interesting alternative that exploits the Dacia brand very well, leader in the Spanish market for this type of technology. In these LPG versions, the spare wheel is eliminated and the additional LPG tank is placed in its place.
This Jogger is a great bet from the brand of Romanian origin, which makes more interesting cars every day and with the best quality/price ratio on the market. In this case, it is an ideal vehicle for families with a more adventurous style who need space, versatility of use, a trunk and up to seven seats. People who want to do many kilometers with a very reasonable price. An ideal car, for example, for people who love bicycles.
Data sheet Dacia Jogger LPG
Gasoline engine: 3 cylinders in line
Maximum power: 100 hp
Displacement: 999cc
Fuel: gasoline and LPG
Top speed: 175km/h
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h, 13.0 seconds
Front-wheel drive
WLTP approved consumption in combined cycle 4.4 kg of LPG.
Dimensions (length/width/height), 4.57 x 1.78 x 1.64 meters
Trunk capacity: 520 litres.
Empty weight: 1,320 kg.
Price: from 19,550 euros.
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