THE DaciaDusterarrived back in 2012 and it is now better than ever and possibly the best value SUV on the market.

I got behind the wheel of theDusterfor the first time at Gleneagles in Scotland all those years ago and it impressed on and off the road.

It cost less than £10,000 then and it made such an impact that members of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers - including myself - voted it Scottish Car of the Year.

Daciais now a subsidiary of French manufacturerRenaultand theDusternow costs considerably more and is not as basic but it still offers huge value for money.

Powered by a range of tried and testedRenaultengines, a second generation model arrived in 2018 and it was given another facelift in 2021 to keep it fresh and yet anotherupdate just last year.

It may look pretty much the same but every panel is new and it has better interior trim and more tech.

The entry level model can still be purchased for under £15,000 and for that you will be pushed to buy a supermini.

TheDustercomes with a range of petrol or diesel engines and in two or four-wheel-drive with manual or automatic gearboxes.

I sampled the 2WD version in mid-range Journey trim which came in at £19,795. Special paint added an additional £650.

There is stacks of room inside for four adults to travel in comfort and five for shorter journeys. The cabin is not flashy but it does have everything you need and feels built to last.

TheDustersits on aRenaultClio platform and the car came with the 1.0-litre, three cylinder petrol unit which produces 90bhp. You can also opt for a choice of two 1.3-litre petrol units or a 1.5 diesel.

It takes a sedate 13.1 seconds to reach 62mph before going on to a top speed of 103. That will be enough for most buyers who will enjoy getting value for money rather than speed.

If you regularly carry a full load of people and luggage you might want to choose one of the larger power plants but in normal day to day use this version will have enough grunt for most buyers if you make good use of the six-speed manual gearbox.

You get lots of kit in this Journey model and all the controls and dials are user friendly. There is a central touchscreen which looks a bit dated but it does work well.

Automatic air conditioning is standard and you also get heated front seats, electric front and rear windows, keyless entry, a DAB radio, alloy wheels, roof bars and dark glass on the rear windows.

Lots of safety and security features are also fitted, including hill start assist, a multiview camera, blindspot warning, rear parking sensors and reverse camera and cruise control with a speed limiter.

Boot space is also excellent with a flat 475 litre space which can be increased by folding the 60/40 split rear seats.

TheDusterhandles well and offers lots of grip. It is agile in town and easy to park while it cruises nicely at motorway speeds and only feels pushed when it hits steep hills.

TheDusterhas an ECO mode and stop/start tech and the claimed combined MPG is 45.6 but I reckon I got much more than that over a week of mixed driving.