Dacia Jogger long-term test: report 7
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...
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 16,361 List price £22,595 Target Price £22,595 Price as tested £22,595 Test economy 44.4mpg Official economy 48.7mpg
31 January 2024 – Views on the view
My Dacia Jogger is a bit like a gardener’s greenhouse – not in the way that it stores heat, although the heater is wonderfully efficient, but rather because it contains a lot of glass. You see, because the Jogger is a large seven-seater with a fairly boxy shape, it has tall and wide windows which let lots of light into the interior.
All that glass also makes the Jogger easy to see out of, which is a boon at busy junctions when I’m waiting to join a faster road.
Of course, there’s only so much the human eye can see at any one time, so I’m also thankful for the army of sensors which keep an eye on the Jogger’s surroundings as I’m driving. The blind spot monitoring system, for example, helps to keep a lookout for cyclists and pedestrians when I’m traversing city streets, while on the motorway it’s helped to spot drivers who take too long to overtake in the outside lane.
The help continues when I’m parking up, because the Jogger’s reversing camera is more advanced than you might expect given its budget nature. The image that’s presented on the car’s infotainment screen is of a high enough resolution to see things clearly, and there are handy guide lines which move with the steering wheel to show me where I’m headed.
In fact, although every Jogger comes with rear parking sensors as standard, it’s worth stepping up to at least mid-range Expression trim for the peace of mind that parking camera brings – and that’s before you add in the other kit which comes with that trim, including rain-sensing windscreen wipers, heated, electrically adjustable door mirrors, and the blind spot monitoring system I mentioned earlier. My Extreme-trim car gets more besides, but also costs more to buy.
Your passengers get a good view out of the Jogger, too, especially in the middle row of seats, which are set rather higher than they are in some MPV rivals. That means you look out over the top of the driver, rather than being level with them, and I’ve found that gives me a better sense of what’s going on around the car – potentially useful if you regularly carry passengers who are prone to car sickness.
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