New Dacia Bigster 4x4 2025 review: the only off-roader you'll ever need

Verdict

Despite it being the flagship model, Dacia’s cost-cutting is still evident - yet it’s fine given the Bigster’s sub-£30k status. With the 4x4 you’ll notice a drop in efficiency so unless you’re regularly taking your Bigster onto the rough stuff, keep with the two-wheel-drive models. However, if you want a spacious SUV that has proper credentials off-road, then the Bigster 4x4 is hard to fault.

The Dacia Bigster is the most versatile car to date from Dacia. Along with being Dacia’s largest SUV, the Bigster comes with either mild-hybrid and full-hybrid engines, and an additional plug-in hybrid is expected in 2026. The only thing the Bigster hasn’t got covered for Dacia is seven-seat capacity, which keeps the Dacia Jogger MPV in a job at least. 

We’ve already driven the Bigster in its two-wheel-drive guises (the Hybrid 155 and the TCe 140), but given Dacia has tried hard to shift its image from that of a budget-focused brand to a more off-road adventuring car company, we thought it was about time to get behind the wheel of the Bigster 4x4. 

All-wheel-drive Bigsters are offered with just the one engine option, the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid TCe 130. Our car is also the ‘Extreme’ variant, possibly the most suitable trim for the Bigster regarding Dacia’s targeted brand identity. 

The Bigster range skips the Essential trim level other Dacias start with, and begins with Expression, which in 4x4 guise costs from £27,465. Then comes Journey, costing from £26,765 and finally the Extreme at £29,265 – £2,695 more expensive than a Duster Extreme with the same engine and all-wheel drive system. 

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It’s no surprise to learn that the Bigster and Duster share the same CMF platform. When we tested the Duster with this engine and all-wheel drive set up in 2024 we came away impressed with its off-road ability and the fact it didn’t diminish its on-road manners or usability too much. 

The TCe 130 mild-hybrid used in the Bigster 4x4 is the least powerful engine available in Dacia’s flagship SUV. It produces 128bhp and 230Nm of torque, and the Bigster 4x4 will eventually get to 62mph in 11.2 seconds (the two-wheel-drive TCe 140 and Hybrid 155 versions take 9.8 seconds and 9.7 seconds respectively).

However, the Bigster 4x4 doesn’t actually feel that slow on the road. Okay, you won’t be rewarded with thrilling straight-line pace but it’s only 0.2 seconds slower to 62mph than the smaller Dacia Duster 4x4, thanks to the Bigster weighing 1,428kg (just 38kg more than the Duster).

The engine is pretty smooth in its power delivery, too. You get the sense the turbocharger is doing a lot of heavy lifting, and the motor's a little more vocal than you might expect, but it’s responsive enough and doesn’t need to be thrashed to get the Bigster to shift. The six-speed manual is a known entity and just like in other Renault Group products we found the overall shift to be pleasant enough, although the clutch pedal remains spongy. 

This Extreme 4x4 version of the Bigster gets 18-inch wheels wrapped in all-season tyres as standard (as opposed to the 19-inch rims on the Journey) in keeping with the off-road focus of the Extreme. This is a good thing because during our drive of the Bigster Journey we experienced a bit of unwanted tyre roar at motorway speeds, but this wasn’t the case with the smaller wheels. There’s still some wind noise surrounding the door mirrors and a floaty sensation to the Bigster’s ride in the 4x4 model, but it coped with any potential tramlining exceptionally well. 

On the motorway, we almost matched Dacia’s claimed 46.3mpg with 44mpg without really trying. This dropped to 42.5mpg once we’d pottered around town for a bit, but those are impressive figures considering the size of the Bigster. However, against the claimed 52.3mpg of the TCe 140 and the whopping 60.1mpg of the Hybrid 155, you’ll have to think long and hard if you’re willing to forego efficiency for the extra capability of the 4x4. 

If you are in need of off-road ability at the expense of efficiency then the Bigster 4x4 has you covered. The numbers are impressive - its approach angle of 24 degrees and departure angle of 29 degrees (the maximum angles you can go up and down a hill without scuffing some bodywork), along with a ramp angle of 23.2 degrees are the best you’ll find this side of a Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class. The Bigster’s ground clearance is impressive too at 219mm, largely because it has no traditional transfer box for the four-wheel drive system lurking underneath. 

On all-terrain tyres, the Bigster 4x4 provided us with all the grip and off-road potential we could hope for during a mild journey down a rather derelict farm track. We got the sense that the Bigster’s light weight helped massively in this area, enabling it to scamper over ruts and potholes that would cause heavier and more expensive SUVs to flounder. 

While it’s not exclusive to the Extreme or the 4x4, the recycled material (called ‘Starkle’) that Dacia uses for the body cladding on the bumpers and wheelarches is a good idea, too. It’s able to take the punishment of hedge scratches or scuffs without much impact or cost, because it’s cheap and easy to replace. 

The Bigster 4x4 might be one of the cheapest C-segment SUVs out there, but it comes with various drive modes. There’s ‘Auto’ which automatically distributes torque between the two axles, depending on speed and grip levels. There’s also the self-explanatory ‘Snow’, ‘Mud and Sand’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Off-road’. A hill descent control also comes standard on the Extreme and works at up to 19mph, operating in all gears including reverse. There’s also an off-road readout on the infotainment screen that displays useful information such as your altitude, the slope or tilt of the car, plus that all-important gadget for proper adventurers, a compass.

Equipment levels as a whole are very solid in the Bigster 4x4 Extreme - although it is the second most-expensive Bigster you can buy after the Extreme and Journey trim levels with the Hybrid 155 engine. You can’t get a 4x4 version of the mid-spec Journey so compared to the Expression 4x4, the Extreme comes with a heated steering wheel, panoramic opening sunroof, tinted windows, a block two-tone roof, wireless phone charger, 10-inch driver’s display, heated front seats, integrated sat-nav on the 10.1-inch central touchscreen, an upgraded sound system, roof bars and 18-inch wheels instead of 17-inch. For an extra £1,800, all that seems like a worthwhile investment. 

What doesn’t look as good value are the YouClip extras. These nine plastic attachment points can be added throughout the interior individually with prices ranging from £10 to £41; they offer you extra storage spaces for smartphone holders, cupholders or even a removable lamp. They all felt quite flimsy to us and the smartphone holder placed on the dash rattled frequently. 

There’s loads of room inside the Bigster, as you’d expect given its size, and boot space is plentiful, too. The 4x4 comes with 629 litres with the rear seats up, which is 17 litres more than the full-hybrid models, but it’s down 48 litres on the two-wheel-drive mild-hybrid because of the all-wheel-drive system. 

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