Dacia Jogger, with 7 seats and low price, enters hot compact SUV segment

NICE, France -- The new Dacia Jogger compact crossover is expected to fill some big shoes at Renault Group's low-cost Romanian brand: It will replace three models in Dacia's lineup, and it represents an important entry into one of Europe's most profitable and fastest-growing segments.

The Jogger's key selling points, however, are that it can seat seven people -- a feature available almost exclusively in larger SUVs and minivans -- and do so at an "unbeatable" price, Dacia says. 

Orders open in March for the Jogger, which starts at 14,990 euros for the five-seat version, and 15,750 euros for the seven-seat version. Prices top out at 19,650 euros for the SL Extreme+ version with gasoline engine.

The brand has revamped its lineup in the past two years, introducing a new generation of the Sandero small car based on a modern Renault-Nissan Alliance architecture, and ending sales of the Logan MCV station wagon and Lodgy minivan. The Dokker compact passenger van moved to Renault brand as the Express commercial van.  

Dacia does not call the Jogger a crossover or SUV but rather a "family car with an off-road feel," saying it combines the best attributes of a station wagon, minivan and SUV. 

As such, the Jogger will replace the Logan MCV, Lodgy and Dokker in Dacia's lineup. Dacia officials on a recent test event in France did not offer a sales target, but in previous years the three models have totaled well over 60,000 units in Europe.

With 200 mm of ground clearance and SUV styling cues such as black plastic cladding and roof bars, the Jogger has much in common with segment leaders such as the Volkswagen Tiguan and Peugeot 3008.

The Jogger is based on an extended version of the Renault-Nissan Alliance's CMF-B platform, used mainly for small cars such as the Renault Clio and Captur, Nissan Juke, as well as the Sandero and Logan. 

A key benefit of using a small-car platform is lower weight; at 1,200 kg the Jogger is 200 to 400 kg lighter that other compact SUVs. 

The five-seat Tiguan, for example, is 4509 mm long, while the Jogger is 4547 mm long. The two cars are the same height, at 1674 mm tall. Buyers can get seven seats in the new Tiguan Allspace, which is 200 mm longer than the Jogger -- but with a starting price of about 40,000 euros, it costs more than 20,000 euros more than the Jogger. 

Competition is fierce in the compact SUV segment, which was poised to be Europe's largest in 2021, helped by the chip shortage that led automakers to favor larger, more profitable models.

The Tiguan led the segment in 2021, with 161,308 sales, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, at 149,786, and the Peugeot 3008, at 140,568, according to figures from Dataforce. Lower-priced models in the segment include the Suzuki S-Cross, Skoda Karoq and Seat Ateca.

Dacia has kept prices low for the Jogger using a tried-and-true formula: A "design-to-cost" development process that uses proven technology and clever solutions from the Alliance's parts shelf; low production costs at its factory in Romania; and a pared-down list of versions and options.

Despite the low base price, Dacia executives say most buyers opt for the higher-trim versions, helping the brand reap hefty profit margins. That, plus the higher prices in general for compact cars compared with small cars, will keep margins healthy, Dacia says

"It's all the DNA of Dacia applied to the C-segment," a Dacia spokesman said of the Jogger. 

The Jogger has just two engine choices, neither of which are hybridized (a full-hybrid version is due in 2023). They include a less-expensive dual-fuel gasoline/LPG 1.0-liter engine with 100 hp, and the same engine without the LPG tank, with 110 hp. The dual-fuel system has a 50-liter gasoline tank and a 40-liter LPG tank, and offers about 1,000 km of range, with lower LPG prices as an incentive. 

Only a six-speed manual transmission is offered; hybrid models will have an automatic.

Inside, the Jogger has much in common with the new Sandero, including more soft-touch material, especially on the dashboard, and a simple multimedia interface that connects easily to Apple Car Play or Android Auto.

The three rows of seats are staggered in height, theater style, so rear passengers have better views. The roofline kicks up after the B pillar, making the rear side windows larger than the front ones. 

Other features carried over from the Sandero include roof bars that swing in to form crossbars for mounting bike, ski or luggage racks; and steel "flex wheels" designed to resemble more expensive spoked alloy wheels.