It looks bloody cool when it’s finally up, but getting there was the biggest faff of my life. Happy camping!
Final update
Cars are remarkable things. Over the past four months, I’ve travelled some 8000 miles on four wheels, completing a wide array of different journeys on various surfaces, and some other tasks besides.
This has included lugging five adults around the country; helping to transport an assortment of non-specific stuff for my parents’ 100-mile house move; driving up steep coastal hillsides and clambering over rocky off-road terrain; and getting a good night’s sleep in the boot atop a fold-out mattress.
Notably, I completed this wide variety of tasks in the same car, my Dacia Duster, and it was excellent at all of them – and on top of my efforts, Matt Prior took it on a European excursion.
When you boil all this down, the plucky SUV (ours costs £26,700) has proven to be one of the mightiest and most adaptable members of the Autocar fleet in recent times – and that’s at any price point.
As I write this, the keys to the Duster – christened Diego by my wife – have just been handed back to Dacia, and I sit here feeling like a close family member has moved out.
I honestly mean it when I say I’m feeling genuinely sad right now. So let’s reminisce. Firstly, what a looker it was. Compared with the car it replaced, only Will Poulter has had a better glow-up (The Bear fans, you know what I mean).
That high beltline, raised pro le and long bonnet (all of which you can see while driving) all contribute to a raw ruggedness. My compliments to Dacia design boss David Durand. Right now, only the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender 110 better it, to my eyes.
But looks aren’t everything: a car also has to be good to live with day to day. The Duster and I spent a lot of time together, much of it commuting. I usually find my 135-mile round trip from home to the office is something of a baptism by fire for most of the cars we have on test, and this time was no different.