The Dacia Jogger is that rarest of things: a simple car that does the things you want very well. Also, if you want, you can sleep in it.
I receive a lot of emails and most of them are quite dull. If you are reading this, and also do a lot of work looking at the computer, I imagine you know what I am talking about. Emails upon emails. Agonising subject line after agonising subject line. What do all of these people want from me.
Thankfully the people at Dacia write interesting emails with intriguing subject lines. Hey James, they said. Do you want to sleep in our car, a Dacia Jogger? Sure I thought. I’ll sleep in a Dacia, I’ve been a bit bored of sleeping in my big comfortable house, so why not shake things up a bit.
You have seen Dacias because they are everywhere. I gave the Dacia Duster the much coveted Country Life Best Car You Can Buy for under £20,000 award earlier this year. You will see Dacias in town, you will see lots of them in the countryside. I was in Val D’Isere the other week, where lots of people have lots of money, and lots of people drove Dacias.
The rear is spacious but not too boxy. Credit: Luc Lacey
This is good. You want functionality and practicality to win over the minds (and maybe the hearts) of the discerning car buyer. The good people of the Alps know that a Dacia will start when it’s very cold and will not slide around when it snows.
And now you can also sleep in one, as I have learned.
The Sleep Pack, all folded away. The box is hollow, meaning you can put things in there if you would like to see out of the back. Credit: Luc Lacey
The Jogger is a seven-seat family mover that costs fewer than £20,000. It is effortlessly practical, easy to drive, economical and rugged in the right places. It is a bit dull, but it is a bit dull because it works and it works very well. Unlike in emails, dull things when it comes to cars are actually quite good.
Some more things that some might consider dull. The car is 4.5 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1.6 metres tall. Considering it can fit 7 people, this is actually surprisingly compact. A people mover that works well in the city and can fit through the Rotherhithe Tunnel.
It looks nice. Not too boxy, sweeping lines throughout and bits of rugged plastic here and there to give it an air of durability. Good details where details matter, leaving out any unnecessary decoration.
Nice rugged details are applied where required. Credit: Luc Lacey
Inside, much is the same. A good driving position and height, a more than functional infotainment system that works with Apple CarPlay and so on. Everything is where you expect it to be, and works how you expect it should. No excess frills and nothing too overwhelming.
Driving-wise, there’s no doubt that it’s a bit underpowered. The 1-litre engine I had produces 109hp and will shift you from standing to 60mph in about 11 seconds. But then again, who exactly are you trying to race in a Dacia Jogger? When it came to eating up miles on the motorway, the Jogger had more than enough grunt to get around. And it was surprisingly quiet too, which is usually an issue with big cars with small engines.
The interior. Nothing too exciting here, but everything is in the right spot, is easy to figure out and works. Credit: Luc Lacey
And you can sleep in it, if you decide that is a thing you want to do. That comes courtesy of Dacia’s in-house Sleep Pack, which turns the boot of the car into a compact mobile bedroom. This wooden contraption hoovers up quite a bit of boot space, but was alarmingly easy to use, so much so that the first time I tried to assemble it was in the evening after we’d arrived at a friend’s houseparty in the countryside, and my girlfriend and I are still talking to each other after putting it all up. Fold down some seats, unfold the structure, place the mattress pieces in the correct spots, block the windows with the helpfully provided blindfolds and away you go. The Sleep Pack is also hollow, which means you can stash any luggage within it; you will still lose a large amount of the boot area, but for two people there is more than enough space for bags for 2-3 nights.
The Sleep Pack deployed in the boot. Your choice as to how to decorate when the time comes. Credit: Luc Lacey
Was the car designed for the discerning millennial partygoer? Probably not, but it’s useful to have more than one string to one’s bow. We return to the question of practicality. It is eminently convenient to be able to just park up and get a good night’s sleep as and when you feel like it (or it is legal to do so). To have it in a car that boasts 49mpg, is very easy and comfortable to drive and is simple enough to park is the very essence of practicality. It is clever, it is useful and it is fun.
You can even create a larger empire out of the boot, should you so wish, as the Sleep Pack is designed to work in conjunction with a tent, meaning that a family of five is easily catered for.
The Sleep Pack in full ‘Empire’ mode, with the attached tent and changing area. Credit: Luc Lacey
In a world of endless clutter, confusion and distraction, what a relief it is to have a car that simply does the simple things well. Sleep Pack or no Sleep Pack, the Jogger is just a fantastic and simple family car at a very affordable price range. Whether you just want to use it for the school run, or to do a grand tour of the British Isles (and beyond), the Jogger caters for all. And, it gave me one of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.
Dacia Jogger: On The Road
- Price: From £18,295. Model driven was the Extreme TCe110, which costs £22,570
- MPG: 48.7
- Power: 109hp
- 0-62 mph: 11.2 secs
- CO2: 130g/km
- Top speed: 114mph
