While other manufacturers are abandoning people movers for crossovers, Dacia is sticking with the more space-efficient body style and adding a dash of SUV styling for good measure.
The new Jogger will effectively replace up to three models in the Dacia range, the Dokker, Lodgy, and Logan MCV.
Measuring 4.5m long and riding on a 2.9m wheelbase, the Jogger is around the same size as the Lodgy people mover.
It will be available with either five or seven seats. Dacia claims the seven-seat variant’s split-folding second and third rows can be arranged in up to 60 configurations.
With all seats in play, the Jogger has 213L of boot space. This grows to 712L when the third row is down, and 1819L with both the second and third row folded down.
At launch there will be two engines offered. The 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol has 82kW of power and 200Nm of torque, and is fitted with a six-speed manual.
There’s also a 75kW dual-fuel engine capable of automatically switching between a 40L LPG tank and a 50L petrol tank. When run completely to empty, the Jogger Bi-Fuel has a range of 1000km under the WLTP standard.
In 2023 the range will be joined by a 1.6-litre hybrid drivetrain, which features a 1.2kWh battery pack, clutchless transmission, and two electric motors.
While Dacia hasn’t provided any further details about the hybrid, it seems as though the Jogger will use same system as the Renault Arkana and Clio hybrids.
Stylistically, the Jogger misses out on the company’s new logo and corporate grille, but does have a more dynamic design than the blobby Lodgy.
In addition to the Jogger’s crossover-influenced design, the new people mover has a 200mm ride height.
There’s also a limited edition Extreme variant with even more pronounced off-roader styling, including front and rear faux bash plates, different protective door strips, and black alloy wheels, shark fin antenna, wing mirrors and roof rails.
Top-spec models come with blind-spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, parking sensors, a reversing camera, a six-speaker audio system, and an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.
Based on the same “low specification” version of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-B platform, the Jogger will begin hitting driveways across Europe from early 2022.
At present there are no official plans to bring Dacia to Australia.
