There’s a new Dacia Duster Pickup, but it’s not as practical as you might think or wish.
Developed with Romanian coachbuilder Romturingia, sheet metal and structural changes are kept to an absolute minimum. As such, the new Pickup shares the same 4345mm length and 2658mm wheelbase as the SUV.
There’s a chopped roof, a flip down tailgate, and a barrier with a built-in window behind the rear seats. The rear side window has been replaced with a chunkier C-pillar with a piece of glossy black plastic to mimic the missing window.
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No doubt keeping the same wheelbase helps to keep development costs down, but it limits practicality. The tray measures 1050mm by 1000mm, and includes two metal rails with four anchoring rings. Maximum payload capacity is said to be 430kg.
While the Duster SUV seats five, the Pickup only accommodates four people, with the rear bench gaining a central arm rest.
Buyers can choose between a front-wheel 104kW hybrid, or an all-wheel drive variant with a 97kW mild-hybrid.
There are three trim levels to choose from, with available safety equipment extending to traffic sign recognition, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, and multiple external cameras.
The exterior palette includes seven colours: Sandstone, Lichen Kaki, Terracotta Brown, Glacier White, Schist Grey, Pearl Black and Cedar Green.
The Duster Pickup is only on sale in Romania, with Dacia dealers stocking the ute alongside the SUV. Prices start from €25,983 (A$46,100) before VAT. That’s considerably more than the base Duster SUV, which begins at €17,100 (A$30,300) inclusive of VAT.
This isn’t the first time the Duster has been offered as a ute. In 2016 the first-generation Duster was turned into the Renault Oroch dual-cab ute. Produced in Brazil and Columbia primarily for Latin America, the Oroch has a stretched wheelbase and longer body, and continues to be produced to this day.
Over in Europe Dacia teamed up with Romturingia to transform the second-generation Duster into a ute in 2020.
Unlike the latest version, this Pickup model sacrifices the rear seats to create a single-cab ute with a larger cargo tray, all with the same wheelbase and overall length as the donor vehicle.
Meanwhile, Dacia UK has also this week taken the wrap off the Cargo version of the Duster. This van conversion replaces the rear seats with a flat load area with lashing points, and a load cover. The rear windows have been blacked out, and there’s a mesh bulkhead to separate the two front seats from the cargo bay.
While the 430kg payload rating is the same as the Pickup, the Cargo has a load volume of 1149L. Buyers can choose between a front-wheel 116kW hybrid, or an all-wheel 97kW mild-hybrid.
Pricing starts from £22,995 (A$47,000) before VAT.
The passenger car or four-wheel drive van conversion is a niche that comes about due to UK regulations, which allow owners to pay lower annual taxes. They can also travel at the posted speed limit on motorways, whereas actual vans must travel 10mph under the posted limit.
Van conversions were once a moderately popular segment, with models including the Ford Fiesta Van, Vauxhaul Corsavan and Vauxhall Astravan doing brisk sales.
While passenger car conversions have largely disappeared, four-wheel drive vans still exist. The current Suzuki Jimny was sold as a commercial vehicle in order to skirt CO2 emissions rules for passenger cars, while Land Rover sells van variants of the Discovery and Defender, and Toyota launched the LandCruiser Commercial earlier this year.