Verdict

The Jogger Hybrid isn’t the most effective Jogger to drive, and its increased worth level pushes the bounds of the bottom automotive’s worth proposition a bit too. However all of its key strengths – house, practicality, seven-seat flexibility and well-judged tools ranges – are unaffected by the electrification. So we’d say there’s nonetheless a spot for it within the line-up, for these taking part in a longer-term recreation that includes plenty of city driving (similar to a school-run taxi) and, sure, a concentrate on the quantity of automotive and package you’re getting for the cash. 

Dacia isn’t about to hurry electrification. It’s coming, in fact, however the value-oriented model doesn’t wish to get caught up within the rising prices of sticking batteries and electrical motors into every thing it makes. However the place it’s possible, it could occur – and that’s the case with the corporate’s first electrified mannequin, the Jogger Hybrid.

We have been fairly impressed with the efficiency-focused model of this oddball hatchback-cum-estate-cum-MPV (Dacia additionally tries to say that it’s obtained an SUV vibe, however we draw the road at that) once we tried it on in Portugal earlier this 12 months. Now it’s time to see how its mixture of seven-seat practicality with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, a pair of electrical motors and a 1.2kWh battery fares on British roads.

That technical make-up will probably be acquainted to anybody who’s already investigated the Clio or Captur hybrids from Dacia’s mum or dad agency Renault – however that shouldn’t come as a shock, since there was no approach the Romanian model was ever going to decide to an all-new powertrain with out another person already having paid for the majority of the event.

It’s a sneaky strategy, maybe, but additionally a intelligent one, as a result of it means this mannequin prices from £22,595. That’s comparatively costly by Jogger requirements – the vary begins from £18,295 – however sufficient to place this automotive just about into a category of 1 if you look past Dacia’s personal line-up. Toyota will promote you a hybrid-powered Corolla Touring Sports activities, in fact, however that’ll value you the thick finish of £10,000 extra and solely have 5 seats. And you’ll add an extra 10 grand to the invoice in order for you a full-sized seven-seat hybrid SUV. Total, Dacia reckons simply over one in three Joggers offered within the UK will probably be a Hybrid.

The corporate claims that the brand new arrival can run in pure-electric mode at speeds of as much as 43mph, and that if you happen to’re driving on the town, it’ll accept EV energy as much as 80 per cent of the time. There’s an computerized gearbox, in fact, and Dacia says the additional effectivity brings an official fuel-consumption determine of 56.5mpg and 112g/km of CO2 emissions. In efficiency phrases, the system produces 138bhp and 144Nm of torque – sufficient for a 0-62mph of 10.1 seconds.

The Hybrid 140 (to provide it its full title) is on the market solely with the highest two trim ranges within the Jogger vary. Expression brings nearly all the package you’d really want – entrance and rear parking sensors, a reversing digicam, computerized air-con, an eight-inch infotainment system with smartphone integration, and keyless entry. It will get natty wheel covers as a substitute of alloy wheels however as Dacia factors out, they’re cheaper to restore or substitute – and reality is, they nonetheless look fairly good.

Even so, Excessive is tipped to account for almost all of orders; it will get styling tweaks, navigation on the identical multimedia system, correct 16-inch alloy wheels, heated entrance seats and ‘Prolonged grip, a traction control-based system designed to let you take your Jogger barely additional off the overwhelmed monitor. That is additionally the one trim stage that permits you to spec Dacia’s fetching new ‘khaki’ paint job.

No matter which trim you select, all Jogger Hybrids get a seven-inch show within the instrument panel; it’s crisp sufficient and might present efficiency-related data, together with the present state of ‘energy circulation’, however it’s not likely exploited to the identical extent because the methods in rival manufacturers.

It’s a Jogger Expression we’re driving at this time and whereas we are able to perceive why prospects discover the Excessive interesting, with its bronze styling thrives and black-painted alloys, there’s a typical Dacia honesty to the Jogger Hybrid in its extra reasonably priced state. The inside has loads of blanked-off swap panels, however all the necessities are current within the cabin, and it feels each bit as comfy and, nicely, large in there because it does in conventionally powered Joggers.

The hybrid system locations the gearbox and each electrical motors up entrance, with the battery mounted in the direction of the rear of the automotive within the house usually occupied by the spare wheel. So that you lose scope for that piece of back-up, however nothing else; the second row stays a snug place for 2 adults, and as soon as they wriggle into the third row, they’ll discover themselves surprisingly nicely catered for in there as nicely. The boot capacities are unaffected too, at 212 litres with all three rows up, 699 litres with the third row folded down (it may be eliminated fully for much more house), and a whopping 2,085 litres when the automotive is configured in two-seat mode.

The on-road expertise isn’t fairly so reassuringly acquainted, thoughts. You slide the gearstick into D, draw back in EV mode (you must, as a result of the electrical motor takes the place of the clutch), and with smart throttle inputs the Jogger Hybrid is a doddle to drive easily and quietly round city. It’s when the engine cuts in – because it generally has to, to maintain the battery at a wise state of cost – that you just actually discover you’re in one thing extra advanced than an everyday Dacia. The system is nicely sufficient calibrated for there to not be any perceivable judder as petrol energy arrives, however there’s an unmistakable drone from underneath the bonnet – all of the extra noticeable, we’d say, for the spectacular silence that it interrupts.

On quicker routes the powertrain’s comings and goings are usually blocked out by wind noise and tyre roar, however there’s sufficient punch to maintain up with fast-moving site visitors. Whether or not that may nonetheless be the case with seven occupants and a few baggage is a matter for debate, although – and once we did push the throttle to the ground on steeper hills, the combustion engine was once more clearly audible because the software program raised its revs to take care of progress. 

The brake pedal really feel can be inconsistent, because the system clearly juggles between vitality recuperation and traditional discs and pads. In fact, it’s a complicated hybrid system however one which feels ever so barely much less polished in contrast with what you may discover on the most recent Kia or Toyota.

The remainder of the dynamic make-up hasn’t actually been affected by the addition of the (admittedly) small battery, however that’s a very good factor. The journey is surprisingly compliant on 16-inch wheels, the steering is mild however pleasingly constant and solely the worst highway surfaces get transmitted by to the cabin. It’s a well timed reminder of how a lot Dacia’s engineers have performed with a platform initially conceived for smaller superminis.

As for effectivity, we caught to the ‘Eco’ setting on a journey that took within the odd stretch of twin carriageway, loads of nation again roads and many 30mph villages, and we managed round 50mpg with out an excessive amount of effort. It was noticeable, too, that the automotive spent a lot of its time pootling by these small cities in zero-emissions EV mode, so we’ve little doubt {that a} larger proportion of city use would have the potential to spice up the financial system determine.

No matter this, although, the Jogger Hybrid is a automotive that’s solely actually more likely to develop into preferable to its stablemates after an hour or two of quantity crunching. Dacia’s pricing and finance offers proceed to leap round a bit, however on the time of writing, the identical £2,502 deposit on the identical Expression trim stage would yield you a month-to-month PCP charge of £249 on the common TCe, and £285 on the Hybrid 140. That’s almost £40 per 30 days extra for the Hybrid – and we’d suspect that even these driving extensively round city could be doing nicely to avoid wasting that kind of cash in petrol each 4 weeks.