In this instalment of John Murdoch’s Drive Time, Johnpreviews the new Dacia Bigster SUV and discovers that Honda is bringing back the Prelude after a gap of more than 25 years.
Booming Dacia has announced that its Bigster – one of the most eagerly awaited cars to arrive this year – will be priced from just £24,995 on-the-road.
The roomy Bigster is tailored to the specific requirements of a steadily growing market.
With consumers looking for great value for money it offers buyers of larger family friendly cars the robust, well-equipped, vehicle that they have been longing for.
Bigster not only strongly reflects Dacia’s best value for money positioning, but offers distinctive design, great interior comfort and space, as well as all the essentials and technology expected by buyers in the segment.
Bigster will be available in the UK with three trim levels – Expression, Journey and Extreme.
Both top trims offer different equipment, but have complementary features, all for a similar price. The entire range comes in under £30,000 on-the-road.
All trim levels focus on day-to-day comfort with the benefit of Dacia’s famed clever thinking.
All versions are generously equipped with keyless entry, a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, dual zone automatic air conditioning, alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, Multiview camera, automatic wipers, Hill Start Assist, four YouClip attachment points and intelligent speed assist cruise control with speed limiter.
Bigster is compliant with the latest European safety standards, with a range of driving aids as standard on all trims.
These include advanced emergency braking, traffic sign recognition with speed alert, emergency stop signal, lane change alert, lane keep assist, driver attention warning and the emergency call system (eCall).
Expression trim, priced from £24,995 on-the-road, offers 17-inch diamond alloy wheels and a 40/20/40 split rear bench with easy fold functionality.
It features Dacia’s Media Display multimedia system with four speakers and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless connectivity.
Journey, aimed at buyers who want to travel in style, starts from £26,245 on-the road.
It gains 19-inch semi-diamond cut alloy wheels, bespoke Journey seating upholstery, front passenger seat lumbar support, and a powered tailgate.
Extreme, built for outdoor enthusiasts, is priced from £26,494 on-the-road.
It comes with 18-inch semi-diamond cut alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, modular roof bars, washable MicroCloud TEP upholstery and rubber mats as standard.
Both top trim levels gain a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, wireless phone charging, high beam assist, heated and electronically adjustable door mirrors and rear window privacy glass and can be specified with an optional two-tone black painted roof.
Buyers can choose from six paint colours, including Pearl Black, Cedar Green, Shadow Grey, Terracotta, Glacier White and the new Indigo Blue – exclusive to Bigster.
For the first time in the Dacia range, the TCe 140 powertrain combines a new-generation 1.2 litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 48V mild hybrid system, optimising driving pleasure and reducing average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The Bigster is the first model within Renault Group to offer the all-new hybrid 155 powertrain, mated to an automatic gearbox and available from the Expression trim level.
The TCe 130 4×4 is built to venture off the beaten track with an all-wheel drive system, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and a 48V mild hybrid system to maximise efficiency.
This powertrain is also available from the Expression trim level.
In further motoring developments, Honda has announced its new hybrid electric Prelude will arrive in Europe in the early part of 2026 and will debut innovative Honda S+ Shift technology.
The Honda S+ Shift will simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gear changes.
Following its debut 46 years ago, the original model was seen as a high-performance showcase of Honda’s cutting-edge technology across five generations until 2000.
Picking up where it left off, the new Prelude will offer a compelling blend of style and sophistication alongside an efficient hybrid powertrain.
Hans de Jaeger, senior vice president, Honda Motor Europe, said: “The Honda Prelude is an iconic nameplate, and this latest model promises to build on that heritage with our trademark hybrid performance and the latest dynamic technology.
“All with a view to not only delivering exceptional efficiency, but also the fun-to-drive performance for which this model is known.”
The new model is the sixth generation of the Prelude and its launch marks the continuation of Honda’s 25-year hybrid heritage, following the launch of the revolutionary Insight back in 1999.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.