By Jonathan Crouch

Dacia's Jogger aims to blend the sensible virtues of an estate car with the usefulness of a compact seven-seat MPV and the style of an SUV. All at affordable pricing that will see you doing a double take. It gets modern engineering tech too.

Almost all Joggers are going to be sold in TCe 110 form, with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol turbo unit that produces 108bhp and nearly all of its maximum 200Nm pulling power from just 1,700rpm. It's mated to 6-speed manual transmission. The alternative to this unit will eventually be a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid powerplant with a dual electric motor and 1.2 kWh battery set-up borrowed from the Renault Clio supermini. Dacia expects the Jogger Hybrid to be able to run up to 80% of its time on electricity in urban driving.

Across the range, under the skin sits the stiffer, more sophisticated Renault CMF-B platform lately introduced into Dacia's Sandero hatch. Don't expect this to deliver particularly engaging handling dynamics; this car isn't intended for that kind of driving. But it'll be easy to use in town, thanks to a light electrically powered steering system that requires little effort to turn at low speeds. There's an 11.7-metre kerb-to-kerb turning circle.

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The Jogger is the longest model Dacia makes, measuring 4.5m thanks to the 30cm wheelbase increase it enjoys over its Sandero hatch stablemate. You'll spot the visual SUV vibe here - 200mm of ground clearance, modular roof bars and scuff plates see to that. And disguise the fact that from the B-pillar forwards, everything is pretty much the same as a Sandero. There is though, a 40mm step up at the rear to offer the additional height and width needed for the extra seating row. Under the skin lies a modern Renault CMF-B platform.

Inside, there's quite a modern dashboard, embellished with fabric finishes. Infotainment is based around an 8-inch centre monitor with smartphone mirroring. Access to the second row is easy thanks to the 2.9-metre wheelbase, with wide-opening doors and reasonable knee room; you could seat a couple of adults there reasonably. The rear-most chairs are obviously only for kids and reaching them requires a little bit of athleticism.

With these extra pews in place, the boot volume is only up to 213-litres, so you won't fit in more than a few shopping bags with all the rows in place. These additional pews don't slide or fold into the floor, so when you're not using them and you need extra boot space, you have to take them out (fortunately, they only weigh 10kg each), freeing up as much as 712-litres of space. If you need more room, the middle row seats roll forward and split 60:40. Maximum carrying capacity is 1819-litres.

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We can't help thinking that the Jogger is Dacia's most appealing car to date. There's some of the practicality of a compact MPV for family trips, an extra seating row so the kids can bring friends home from school and a bit of SUV vibe so you'll feel happy parking it at the gym. Yes, it's unremarkable inside, but the cabins of modern Dacias no longer shout 'budget brand' so loudly.

Plus, most of the kit you really need is available - and a price tag thousand below what you'll pay for a 7-seater from another brand. The Jogger is in many ways just about everything a modern affordable family estate ought to be. And if that's not enough of a recommendation for you, we're not quite sure what is.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR:  Dacia Jogger

PRICES: £17,145-£23,395 – on the road

CATEGORY: ESTATE-SMALL / MPV – MID 7-SEAT

INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-14

CO2 EMISSIONS: 132g/km (WLTP)

PERFORMANCE: {TCe 110] 0-62mph 11.2s / Max Speed 114mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: {TCe 110} (combined) 47.9 mpg

BOOT CAPACITY: [litres] 160-1,819

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width 4547/1848/1632 mm

WHO TO SEE:  Lookers Dacia Stockport

St. Marys Way, Stockport SK1 4AW

Tel. 0161 333 3366

For further details, contact information or to take this car for a test drive, click here.