Manufacturer Dacia Dokker in the driving report
03.08.2012
No, the D acia Dokker is not a cheap version of the Renault Kangoo. They shake their heads vehemently at Dacia. Your panel van only uses parts of the group brother, but is based on the platform of the Logan - that angular notchback four-door that stirred up the market for cheap new cars in 2005. And that is related to the Renault Clio. Nevertheless, the question arises of the better purchase; after all, Dacia belongs to the Renault group. The idea of secondary use is obvious. But the Romanian daughter is increasingly breaking away from its mother, completing the range of small and affordable but very clever models.
The latest example and fifth series is the Dacia Dokker, an even more spacious alternative to the Logan Station wagon. The name should be understood as a tribute to the English dock workers. The latter could cliché be described as robust, coarse and gripping. This is what the new Dacia stands for.
Dacia Dokker swallows euro pallets
The box shape of the Dacia Dokker shows that it is strictly value-oriented. When fully seated, the trunk volume is 800 liters; if you fold the back seat against the front seats, it can even be up to 3,000 liters. The right rear sliding door is standard from the basic version, on both sides from the Ambience equipment line. Then the backrests of the rear seats can also be folded down in a 60:40 ratio.
What Dacia is particularly proud of: When the rear seat is folded down, the Dacia Dokker Euro pallets lengthways. And he can load up to 603 kilograms. Double doors with a ratio of 1: 2 allow access to the rear compartment even in tight parking spaces; they can be locked in two positions.
What is noticeable negatively: The shelf in the trunk of the Dacia Dokker is so slippery that unsecured cargo slides through the area even when cornering moderately. And the cover roller blind must be operated extremely gently, otherwise it will fall out of its anchoring. In these examples you can see just as quickly as in the very simple interior,where savings were made - and why the appropriate surcharge for a Renault Kangoo can be worthwhile.
1.5-liter direct injection engine sufficiently powerful and cultivated
Currently only the calculation of the basic variant with the 83 hp 1.6-liter gasoline engine is fixed: 8,990 euros. The most popular demand, however, is for the 75 hp diesel, which will raise the price well into the five-digit range. On its first exit, the 1.5-liter direct injection engine showed itself to be sufficiently powerful and cultivated thanks to the maximum torque applied early.
The comfort of the panel van is astonishing anyway. The rear axle with independent suspension from the Kangoo even cushions rough unevenness properly and only gets out of step with short bumps in rapid succession. The Dacia Dokker is also adequately insulated against background noises such as roaring and is therefore actually suitable as a long-haul vehicle.
The air conditioning can only be ordered from the middle equipment line Ambiance, the navigation system from the highest, called Lauréate. It is still worth considering, because it costs just 430 euros including a seven-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, USB and jack interface and worked reliably during our first trip.
Three-year guarantee up to 100,000 kilometers for The Dacia Dokker
On the other hand, power steering, ABS and ESP are standard for all variants of the Dacia Dokker, as are front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger and three Isofix fastening systems for child seats on the back seat. Another thing that speaks for the Dokker: Dacia offers a three-year guarantee, up to a maximum of 100,000 kilometers.
There is a two-seater delivery van variant called the Dacia Dokker Van for craftsmen and small businesses and a wheelchair-accessible version for the disabled. The largest target group, however, is likely to be families with a small budget who would prefer a new car instead of a used one - but who do not want to afford a Renault Kangoo (from 15,190 euros), for example be a French panel van - it is definitely a cheaper alternative.
