Milan, Italy. mobile.bg team from the event site.
The Romanian brand Dacia once again ignited the automotive space with the premiere of the all-new Dacia Striker, and the mobile.bg team was at the event site, from where we tell you the hot details about this new model. The bold and multifunctional Striker model is 4.62 meters long and is designed to attack the crowded C-segment, standing shoulder to shoulder with the larger Bigster crossover. The model name was not chosen by chance – it symbolizes a direct hit in the top ten and an ambition for total market domination. And among all other merits, the starting price of under 25,000 euros promises to turn the Striker into a nightmare, both for traditional competitors from the Old Continent and for newly hatched Chinese contenders, offering an unprecedented ratio between price, quality and practicality.
The most interesting thing is that the bold concept of this already serial version unites the best of three completely different automotive worlds. On the one hand, the Dacia Striker has the adventurous spirit and high seating position typical of SUV models, supported by a solid ground clearance of 200 mm. On the other - it borrows the intelligent interior space and comfort of the classic station wagon. Last but not least, the silhouette is designed with the aerodynamics and low roof (height of just 1.53 m) of an elegant sedan, providing a drag coefficient of just 0.29.
Exterior
As for the exterior appearance of the model, Dacia designer David Duran told us about it himself. Without hesitation, we must say that the vision immediately catches the eye with its dynamic architecture, divided into two levels by a clearly defined shoulder line. Above it, the shapes are fluid, aerodynamic and clean, while below it the musculature becomes vertical and distinctly off-road oriented with massive plastic protections made of the innovative unpainted Starkle® material. For the first time here we also see the brand's new T-shaped light signature, located in the four corners of the body, which flows into a glossy black grille with the Dacia emblem.
Interior
The interior welcomes passengers with a horizontally oriented three-level dashboard, which literally envelops the driver and passengers. The big technological surprise is the LightVisio digital instrument panel, which uses optical reflection to project the most important information as a floating 3D image in the air. The center of the multimedia is a 10.1-inch touch screen with intelligent real-time navigation Media Nav Live and premium three-dimensional sound from Arkamys with six speakers. Practicality has been elevated to a cult status thanks to the modular YouClip system with up to 9 points for attaching various accessories around the cabin.
The luggage space is among the best in its class with its impressive volume of 600 liters, equipped with the smart Easy Fold system for folding the seats in one movement from the trunk. For the first time, the brand introduces a three-component floor on two levels with a double-sided coating, as well as automatic contactless opening of the fifth door Easy Trunk Opening, which is activated when the owner stands behind the car. And another interesting thing: The huge (1.2 meters) panoramic glass roof with multilayer thermal protection floods the cabin with natural light, providing perfect acoustic insulation in combination with the thicker glass.
The brand also boasted that the environmental footprint has been drastically reduced, with over 32% of the materials used in the car coming from the circular economy, including a record 47 kg of recycled plastic for the brand. In line with modern green trends, you won't find a single gram of genuine leather or chrome in the cabin, but it still looks stylish.
Engines and Technology
Safety is also of utmost importance, and according to the brand's experts, in this model it has been raised to the highest European level according to the GSR2 standard, offering adaptive cruise control, automatic braking in urban conditions and lane keeping, easily controlled via the personal My Safety button.
Under the hood, the Dacia Striker offers a rich palette of four hybrid drives, led by the mild hybrid-G 140 version. It combines the brand's traditional dual-fuel system of gasoline and propane-butane (LPG) with 48V mild hybrid technology, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 10%.
For lovers of automatic transmissions, the Striker Hybrid 155 has been prepared, relying on a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated engine and two clutchless electric motors, which allows up to 80% all-electric driving in urban conditions.
The real icing on the cake, however, is the Striker Hybrid 150 4x4 modification. It has a 1.2-liter turbo engine with 140 horsepower on the front axle and a fully independent 23 kW electric motor on the rear axle, providing serious torque on difficult terrain. The system has five driving modes (Auto, Eco, Snow, Mud/Sand, Off-Road) and automatic control when descending steep slopes, and the interesting thing is that the two-wheel drive is automatically turned off at high speed on the highway for maximum economy.
Conclusion
The model range is structured extremely simply in four well-known equipment levels: the basic Essential, the balanced Expression, the adventurous Extreme and the luxurious Journey. Each version is aimed at a different type of customer, with the top-end Extreme and Journey versions being offered at completely identical prices, giving the right to choose between off-road character or maximum comfort for a long journey, as well as many impressive extras from the YouClip system.
After these initial impressions of the model, we can say that the Dacia Striker undoubtedly has huge potential to rewrite the rules in its segment, proving that practicality and modern technology do not necessarily have to cost a fortune. Check out the video we shot with the main highlights of the Striker.