Is the Dacia Duster a good alternative to a Renault Scenic?

We love Renault cars, have owned seven of them and have always enjoyed great reliability and good service. Our Modus is due to be replaced next year so I went to my local showroom this week to look at possible replacements and saw the Dacia Duster. At about half the price of a Scenic I couldn't believe the price of £8995 for the basic model and £11,495 for the diesel 2WD version. What's the catch? Or is this a genuine bargain, and if so should I consider the petrol or diesel version? We travel about 14,000 miles a year with lots of long journeys to Wales, Holland and the North. I was considering another Scenic to accommodate a large dog and wheelchair, but the Duster ticked all the right boxes for space.

Asked on 22 September 2012 by HW, Somerton

Answered by Honest John
The basic model has no electric windows, no spare wheel, no aircon and no radio. The catch is that to get that stuff, you have to go to the diesel 2WD Laureate version at £12,995. But, if you don't want any of it, fine. There are rumours that the base model Dacia Sandero, also coming in January, and also without any goodies, will be £5995.
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