Quick overview
- Very keenly priced
- Roomy seven-seat cabin
- Good to drive
- No hybrid or EV option
- Cabin built down to a price
- Motorway refinement
Dacia has come to dominate the market for low-cost new cars and it’s easy to see why when it has models like the Jogger on its books. It offers superb value for money as it delivers seven-seat practicality for families with prices that top out at what you’d pay for a half decent supermini. The Dacia also makes a lot of used estate cars and SUVs look like they’re overpriced.
Yet it’s not all about price with the Dacia Jogger. Far from it, as the Dacia is a very roomy, versatile and easy to use family car. It has a lot of the MPV variability in its cabin layout that you don’t get with many SUVs, and it can be had in Extreme trim that offers a bit of the much desired off-road look and feel. As a seven-seater, the Jogger is the ideal car for those with bigger families or find themselves bringing the kids’ friends along at the weekend.
It's also worth saying that choosing the Dacia Jogger doesn’t mean compromising on driving qualities. The sole engine choice of a turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol motor might not satisfy those who want a hybrid or EV car, but the Renault-sourced motor is pleasingly peppy and doesn’t cost much to fuel or run. The Jogger also enjoyed good handling and comfort, though refinement at higher speeds is not on a par with rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf Estate or a Skoda Karoq.
However, you’ll pay a fair bit more for either of these cars to match the equipment of the top trim level of Jogger. It boasts all sorts of goodies, like heated front seats, reversing camera, and integrated sat-nav all for the price of an averagely specced VW Polo.
Infotainment, comfort and practicality
The Dacia Jogger’s front doors open wide to allow easy entry to the cabin, and the front seats are set at a height that makes stepping in very simple. Once sat in the driver’s seat, you’ll find every version has height adjustment, and the steering wheel moves for height and reach. Even so, the driving position might not suit everyone as you definitely feel sat on the car rather than in it. However, the benefit of this is excellent all-round vision for the driver, and all Joggers come with rear parking sensors. If you ignore the entry-level Essential trim, you also get front park sensors, reversing camera, and blind spot warning to make moving the Dacia around very safe and simple.
While the seat cushions are quite flat, they offer good comfort. There’s no lumbar adjustment on offer, or electric movement for the seats, but the top level Extreme SE does come with heated front chairs as standard. Every Dacia Jogger has some form of chilled air, either with manual or automatic air conditioning. This is operated by simple rotary controls for fan speed, direction and temperature in the centre console. Below them lies a large tray, and there’s the option of wireless phone charging in this space. Other storage is provided by large door bins and a lidded cubby between the front seats.
If you go for the base Essential version of the Jogger, there’s no infotainment screen, which is conspicuous by its absence. Instead, there’s a small lidded tray in the middle of the dash and you get a DAB radio with two speakers and Bluetooth connection. Move up to the Expression trim and you get an 8.0-inch infotainment screen that can mirror the apps on your smartphone through a cable connection, and there are two more speakers. In the Extreme SE model, there are six speakers in total, as well as an 8.0-inch touchscreen that works integrated sat-nav.
Move into the rear of the Dacia Jogger, and the middle row provides ample seating for three adults. There’s loads of head, leg and shoulder space, so you don’t have to race to get the best seat in the house. It’s also simple to fit a child seat thanks to Isofix mounts on the two outer chairs. There are also lift-up trays in the backs of the front seats, which are ideal for kids who want to draw or plays games on during a long journey.
The third row of seats can hold a couple of adults, while kids fit in with plenty of room to spare. However, this row does eat into boot capacity quite a lot, so you may prefer to fold this duo of seats up and forwards to free up a very generous 699-litres of space rather than the cramped 212-litres with all seven seats in use. Tumble the 60-40 split middle bench forward and you’re left with a vast 2085-litres of carrying capacity if you remove the third row of seats altogether.
2022 Dacia Jogger engines: how does it drive?
Dacia offers the Jogger with one engine only. There may be a few who would wish for a more powerful motor or a hybrid, but the sole 1.0-litre turbo petrol makes a good job of driving along this estate car cum MPV. It’s a perky performer as soon as you press on the accelerator pedal, pulling cleanly and willingly without any delay in its delivery. This makes the Jogger feel zippier than its official 0-62mph time of 11.2 seconds suggests. In town, especially, the Dacia feels spritely off the mark, though the six-speed manual gearbox has a slightly notchy action and is the only transmission choice.
On the motorway, the Jogger is stable and happily cruises with other traffic. There’s a little wind and road noise, but nothing to make it unpleasant on longer drives. The engine needs to be worked hard if you want to overtake slower traffic on country roads, but again it’s a willing partner, so you don’t feel the car is being unduly strained by this type of action.
In town, the Dacia Jogger’s higher set, SUV-like suspension travel means it has no concerns when you encounter speed humps. There’s no noise from the suspension and the Dacia makes light work of potholes and dimples to make you feel like you’re driving a car that cost considerably more than you’ve paid. The steering is also light and has a tight turning circle to make densely packed urban routes easy to navigate. From the driver’s seat, there’s good all-round vision in the Jogger and you also have rear parking sensors in every model. Go for the two higher trim levels and you also have a reversing camera included to make short shrift of slotting into tight parking spaces.
On faster roads, the Jogger’s suspension retains its composure, so there’s a little lean in corners but not so you’d register it or passengers would feel any need to complain. This feeds into the Dacia’s neat, undemanding handling skills, where there is plenty of grip at the front as you turn into bends and a calm, settled feel even on bumpy back roads. All in all, the Jogger is a comfortable, simple car to drive that is more than capable of carrying you and the family on holiday jaunts, and leave you ready to enjoy the day when you get there.
Value for money: how much does a 2022 Dacia Jogger cost to buy and run?
Dacia starts the Jogger range with the Essential model that costs from £16,645. To move up to the Expression model needs a further injection of £1300 thanks to its £17,945 list price, while the Extreme SE is the top-of-the-line Jogger with a ticket price of £18,745. Metallic paint is a £545 option for the Jogger, while a tow bar and bike rack are other options that may well appeal to customers for this car. Put the time into a little research and you should be able to save around £500 on the price of a new Jogger. If you’d rather look at nearly new models, you could save about £1000 for a car with little more than delivery mileage.
The entry point to the Jogger range is the aptly named Essential model that comes with 16-inch steel wheels, remote door locking, electric front windows, and rear parking sensors. It also has cloth upholstery, air conditioning, and hill start assist. Six airbags are included, as well as automatic emergency braking. Move up to the Expression and you gain rear privacy glass, body colour door handles, modular roof bars, and grey-painted skid plates front and back. The Expression also has a driver’s armrest, grey interior trim, cruise control, reversing camera, and blind spot warning. This trim also gains automatic wipers, heated door mirrors, keyless entry, and the 8.0-inch infotainment display. Pick the Extreme SE model and the infotainment is upgraded with a touchscreen and sat-nav, as well as six speakers. It also has its own seat upholstery design, trays for the middle row occupants, and 16-inch alloy wheels.
Although all three trim levels of the Dacia Jogger share the same engine, the Essential and Expression deliver combined fuel economy of 48.7mpg. This compares to the Extreme SE’s 47.8mpg, but this highest trim shares its 130g/km carbon dioxide emissions with the Essential model. The Expression emits 131g/km forcing it into a higher band for Vehicle Excise Duty so you pay £230 rather than the £190 for the other two versions. When it comes to insurance, the Jogger won’t drain your bank account as this Dacia sits in groups 13 to 14 depending on trim level.
Verdict: Should I buy a 2022 Dacia Jogger?
The Dacia Jogger could be viewed as simple transport, nothing more or less. However, that would be to do this car a considerable disservice. For some, it’s great value for money allied to affordable running costs all-round will be enough to convince them to choose the Jogger. For these drivers, the Jogger is simply a car that fulfils its role admirably without demanding anything from them. However, for those who want a car that’s well equipped and good to drive, the Jogger also works, especially if you opt for one of the two higher spec trim levels.
Another big selling point, in a literal sense, is the Jogger’s cabin. It’s got masses of space for people and luggage. It might not be as clever in the way the seats fold and move as some MPVs, but the sheer amount of room and seven seats as standard makes it a great choice. At this kind of price, it’s just very hard to pick fault with a car that works as well as the Jogger.
What could I buy instead of a 2022 Dacia Jogger?
Hyundai i30 Tourer
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Hyundai’s i30 Tourer is a small estate that sums up the company’s no-nonsense approach to family cars perfectly. It has lots of room for people and luggage in a cabin that can be varied for load space with ease. Quality is a given in modern Hyundais and the Tourer certainly feels made of higher grade materials than the Jogger, though you do pay more for this privilege. The i30 also offers a wider range of engines to pick from, as well as having the option of an automatic gearbox, and the Tourer is very well fitted out with standard luxury and safety kit.
SsangYong Korando
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The Korando from SsangYong is one of the few cars that can take on the Jogger on a value for money platform with confidence> It’s more expensive that the Dacia, but it does come packed with equipment and the engine range has more power and performance to deliver a decent driving experience. It doesn’t have the option of seven seats, but the Korando does have a roomy cabin and big boot, as well as plenty of safety kit to keep its occupants away from harm. If you don’t need the extra pair of seats of the Jogger, the Korando is worth a look.
Kia Proceed
If outright space is not your prime concern when choosing and estate car, but you still need some versatility in the load bay, then the Kia Proceed is an intriguing option. Its styling mixes coupe lines with those of an estate and comes up with something unique and attractive. Inside, the boot it bigger than the looks might suggest, so you don’t have to leave the dog at home every time you head out on a trip. The rest of the cabin is very classy, and the drive is more than up to a high standard. Kia’s pricing and equipment count are keen, and you get a seven-year warranty.
