A FORMER colleague who rang asking for advice on buying a new car to replace her ageing classic Mini knew exactly what she wanted – and didn’t want.

“I don’t need air conditioning, electric windows, or a sunroof. Basically I want a dog kennel on wheels.”

Good luck with that, I thought quietly to myself, as even bargain basement cars now come equipped with everything from onboard computers to iPod connectors, whether you want them or not.

But the ability to pay for only what you really value on a car and keep prices rock-bottom was recognised by Romanian firm Dacia as a route to sales success, helping to turn it into the IKEA of the car-making world.

Dacia’s first model since being taken over by the Renault Group in 1999 was the Logan saloon, selling for just 5,000 euros in Romania.

Soaring demand for its cars across Europe and North Africa – left-hand-drive naturally – has made Dacia the fastest-growing automotive brand in Europe for eight years in a row, which is why the UK and Ireland have had to wait so long for right-hand-drive cars to be produced.

Now the range has arrived in the UK with the Sandero supermini, Sandero Stepway crossover from May, the five-seater estate Logan MCV and the Duster off-roader.

The Indian-built Duster, which is priced from £8,995, delivers a family-sized sports utility vehicle, in both 4x4 and front-wheel-drive versions, for less than most superminis. Even the air-conditioned, top-of-the-range Lauréate model tested here costs less than the cheapest version of the Ford Focus and its muscly, flared wheelarched package is packed with surprises.

First and foremost, the Duster is astonishingly well built. The interior might have its share of hard plastic surfaces, but they are livened up with satin chrome trim, piano black finishes and crucially there are no bangs, squeaks or rattles.

Steering is nicely weighted and the ride is surprisingly quiet and smooth, erring on the side of comfort rather than pin-point handling, which is just fine as that suits the character of the car perfectly.

Power came from a 1.5-litre diesel engine, delivering 110 horsepower, through a slick, six-speed manual gearbox, which is clearly geared for economy.

The first gear on the 4x4 test model has an especially short ratio that helps with hill starts, steep descents and towing. Work the gearbox hard and the car will cruise happily, and effortlessly, at motorway speeds.

Affordable, robust and versatile, even entry-level models come with everything from front and side airbags, electric front windows and roof bars, to steering wheel height adjustment, and anti-lock brakes. The test model added the likes of alloy wheels, remote radio controls, and onboard computer.

Dacia keeps its costs down by building every model on the same platform, sharing many parts, including engines and transmissions, with other Dacia and Renault-Nissan alliance vehicles and keeping it simple with limited paint colours and options.

So what did my former colleague, Helen, in her hunt for a mobile dog kennel, decide to buy in the end? She didn’t. She came up with an even less costly solution and opted to spend more than £2,000 returning her Mini into sparkling as-new condition.

Auto facts Dacia Duster Lauréate 1.5 dCi 110

  • Price: £15,295
  • Insurance group: 10 (1-50)
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 53.3mpg
  • Top speed: 104mph
  • Length: 431.5cm/170in
  • Width: 182.2cm/71.7in
  • Luggage capacity: 14.4 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 11 gallons/50 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 137g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles