Laureate 1.5 dCi 90 5dr Estate

Compares well with cars twice its price

Some initial impressions:
Engine: willing and pulls readily.
Gearbox: absolutely delightful change. Fairly high-geared which will mean good motorway cruising, but top gear is really for 55+ so on country roads spends a lot of time in 3rd and 4th gear.
Steering: Excellent feel and very pleasant to use
Lights: good and with excellent headlight adjustment
Comfort: excellent. Driver's seat, which is common to some other Dacia models is absolutely brilliant in terms of simple but effective height adjustment
Mirrors: absolutely amazing, because they're not all that large. Extremely effective, though.
Satnav/Media Centre etc.: Good and remarkably intuitive. Remote radio controls are the best I've seen. Negative point: no DAB.
Roof rails and bars: Seem remarkably solid -- much better than expected
General stowage: OK, though would have liked a change tray or compartment
Parking sensors: They work, but they're not as good as top of the range ones on some much more expensive cars
Nifty little recess in the glovebox for the locking nut tool
Of course there's the bizarre omission of the tailgate from the central locking system and the need for a key to open the tailgate or use of the lever at the driver's door.
Overall, however, it gives the feeling of a vastly more expensive car. My other car is 2.5 times the price of this top-of-range Dacia -- yet apart from size, they're comparable in very many ways. And the more expensive car hasn't got the speed limiter that the Dacia has!
Heating + ventilation + A/C controls: Excellent and completely intuitive.

UPDATE AFTER A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP

What's gone wrong in 13 months?
1. Luggage compartment light not connected -- missed on PDI
2. Loose clip causing rattle -- missed on PDI
No other faults

Gripes
1. Tailgate operating system a nuisance
2. It would have been nice to have a water temperature gauge

Positive features discovered
1. The radio actually covers Long Wave and can therefore receive Radio 4 Long Wave
2. The OE roof bars really are excellent. I had thought they were a rather expensive extra, but in point of fact they're excellent quality and well designed. Worth the money.

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