DACIA'S £30,000 DEFENDER TO LAND IN UK NEXT YEAR

Family-sized 4x4 will be available in full-hybrid and mild-hybrid guises

- SAM PHILLIPS

The Bigster is Dacia's largest model yet and kick-starts the Romanian brand's ambitious plans to expand into the ultra-competitive C-segment market.

Claimed by Dacia to make the "C-SUV more affordable", the long awaited Bigster will sit above the technically related Duster crossover and is set to arrive next year at a sub-£30,000 price that will undercut key rivals such as the Skoda Kodiaq, Peugeot 5008 and Ford Kuga.

Positioned as a cut-price alternative to the Land Rover Defender, the Bigster comes with four-wheel drive, "genuine off-road capabilities" and a rugged exterior design that remains largely faithful to the concept first shown in 2021.

Protruding wheel arches, sharp-looking LED headlights and large, 19in alloy wheels endow the Bigster with a brawny appearance that's similar in vein to the recently overhauled Duster.