Dacia Jogger long-term test: report 3

The Dacia Jogger is one of the cheapest seven-seaters you can buy, but how will it fare as a photographer's apprentice? We're living with one to find out...

Max Edleston

Published06 November 2023

The car Dacia Jogger 1.0 TCe 110 Extreme SE Run by Max Edleston, senior photographer

Why it’s here To show that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a spacious and practical seven-seater

Needs to be Capable of swallowing all of my luggage, comfortable over long distances and able to function as a mobile office when needed

Mileage 10,072 List price £22,595 Target Price £22,595 Price as tested £22,595 Test economy 41.6mpg Official economy 48.7mpg

6 November 2023 – Camping companion

If looks could kill, the one my partner shot at me when I announced we should make the most of the last days of summer by going wild camping would have stopped a raging bull in its tracks. Fortunately, I’d planned for this, and explained that with the help of my Dacia Jogger, I’d prepare everything and she wouldn’t have to lift a finger. The mood softened, and I knew I needed to get to work while the going was still good.

Step one was to turn the Jogger from a seven-seat car into a van, which meant removing its third row of seats entirely. Fortunately, this is easy to do, because once you’ve folded the seats down there’s a handy red toggle to pull to remove them. And while each seat isn’t especially light, they don’t take up much space in my garage.

With its third row removed, my Jogger has lots of space on board, but with a tent, an air mattress, a pump to blow up said mattress, two inflatable paddle boards, camping equipment and some chairs, I was going to need a little more room. Again, the handy Dacia was prepared, because its second row of seats can also be pulled down and forwards, forming a kind of bulkhead like you’d find in a van. And with just two remaining seats, the Jogger fitted all of our kit in with ease.

I definitely noticed the extra weight on board when joining the motorway, and needed to plan any overtakes more carefully than I otherwise would with a lighter load, but by and large the Jogger managed the long journey to our destination well, with a comfy ride which soaked up all but the worst lumps and bumps.

The campsite I’d chosen was nestled in the Welsh hillside, and to reach it we needed to travel along a rutted and muddy track. Fortunately, despite not having the ground clearance or four-wheel drive of some SUVs, my Jogger gamely plodded along, and soon we were parked up and ready to de-camp.

I put the Jogger to work once more, using my air pump plugged into the car’s 12V socket to blow up our tent, mattress and paddle boards. And with that, my promise to make going going camping as easy as possible was fulfilled. There were smiles all round, until my partner announced that she’d quite like to walk up that mountain in the distance. That mountain being Snowdon – the highest peak in Wales.

We returned from this epic hike utterly exhausted, but the Jogger had one last trick up its sleeve. I’ve noted before how its keyless entry system has been a bonus to me when my arms are full of photography gear, but it’s just as useful when you’re 90% sure the key is somewhere in your backpack, but are too exhausted to rummage through the contents to find it. Instead we simply walked up to the Jogger and got inside, feeling tired but grateful for this versatile people mover.

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