Dacia Jogger

This is a slightly different hybrid to the 1.6-litre 140hp unit originally used in the Jogger.

As with the previous powerplant, it has to be had as an auto, but now combines a 109hp 1.8-litre four cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors (a 50hp motor and a high-voltage starter/generator), a slightly larger 230V 1.4kWh battery (up from 1.2kWh before) and an automatic electric gearbox with four gears for the ICE engine and two others for the electric motor.

As before, Dacia expects the Jogger Hybrid to be able to run up to 80% of its time on electricity in urban driving and it offers 155hp and 62mph from rest in 9s en route to 111mph.

There's 200mm of ground clearance and the Jogger will tow up to 1,200kg. The Jogger sits on a relatively modern Renault CMF-B platform that's fine for purpose but not stiff enough to deliver particularly engaging handling dynamics; this car isn't intended for that kind of driving.

But it'll be easy to use in town, thanks to a light electrically powered steering system that requires little effort to turn at low speeds.

There's an 11.7-metre kerb-to-kerb turning circle.

There's more camera safety kit than used to be on Dacias.

This one gets an Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS).

And can be fitted with Blind Spot Warning, which illuminates an LED light within the door mirror to warn the driver if another vehicle may be concealed from view.

Apart from the badge work, there's nothing to mark this Hybrid version out from its more conventional showroom stablemate.

This improved Jogger is set apart by new headlights with a fresh LED headlight signature featuring an inverted 'T' that's connected to the revised grille by a line of pixel-like dots.

At the rear, the LED tail lamps have a smarter pixel design, the vertical lights an extension of the tailgate window.

Dacia has added new protections on the wheel arches, lower body and fog lights in its patented 'Starkle' material - a kind of recycleable dark plastic.

And there are fresh wheel designs. Otherwise, all is as before.

The Jogger is still the longest model Dacia makes, measuring 4.5m thanks to the 30cm wheelbase increase it enjoys over its Sandero hatch stablemate.

You'll spot the visual SUV vibe here - 200mm of ground clearance, modular roof bars and scuff plates see to that.

And disguise the fact that from the B-pillar forwards, everything is pretty much the same as a Sandero.

There is though, a 40mm step up at the rear to offer the additional height and width needed for the extra seating row.

Under the skin lies a modern Renault CMF-B platform. Inside, Dacia has made a few subtle updates to this improved model.

There are smarter, more durable fabrics on the seats, the dashboard and the doors.

And the redesigned dashboard vents feature an inverted 'T' design, matching the smarter exterior light signature.

There's also a revised steering wheel.

And an updated multimedia system with a 10-inch screen (up from 8-inches).

A fresh interface design has been added for the 7-inch digital instrument display. As before, access to the second row is easy thanks to the 2.9-metre wheelbase, with wide-opening doors and reasonable knee room; you could seat a couple of adults there reasonably.

The rear-most chairs are obviously only for kids and reaching them requires a little bit of athleticism.

With these extra pews in place, the boot volume (which is unaffected by the hybrid drivetrain) is only up to 213-litres, so you won't fit in more than a few shopping bags with all the rows in place.

These additional pews don't slide or fold into the floor, so when you're not using them and you need extra boot space, you have to take them out (fortunately, they only weigh 10kg each), freeing up as much as 712-litres of space.

If you need more room, the middle row seats roll forward and split 60:40.

Maximum carrying capacity is 1819-litres.

So how much are you going to end up paying? Well Hybrid 155 customers pay from just over £23,000 for the base 'Expression' version.

Which is quite a step up (over£3,000) from the ordinary TCe 110 petrol engine version but still makes this by quite a stretch the cheapest seven-seater on sale in the UK.

Most customers will probably stick with that base 'Expression' model.

For another £1,300, the top 'Extreme' variant at the top of the range features more off road-orientated styling, with additional black body cladding around the wheel arches and bumpers.

Plus it gets front and rear skid plates and 16-inch wheels. Depending on the trim level you choose, infotainment will be taken care of by the brand's 'Media Control' system (working with an improved app).

You get a 10-inch 'Media Display' screen, which offers wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'; and can also be upgraded to 'Media Nav Live' nav-equipped status, where it'll be paired with an Arkamys 6-speaker 3D Sound System.

Other features new to Jogger include a wireless 'phone charger, auto high beam headlights, a multi-view camera and power-folding mirrors. The 'YouClip' attachments we first saw on the Spring EV now make an appearance on the Jogger, a simple, ingenious system for securing a wide range of dedicated accessories at key points around the passenger compartment in a practical and robust way.

There are three YouClip anchor points: one on the dashboard, one at the back of the central console, and another inside the tailgate.

These anchor points can be used for a tablet holder, storage pouch, phone holder or a coat hanger - and you can buy a 'YouClip' accessory attachments for a glasses case and a shopping bag. The Jogger also really needed a safety upgrade; it's had it, with new driving aids meeting the latest European safety standards: including better automatic emergency braking (city/highway with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and motorbike detection) and driver attention alert.

Making life easier for customers, Dacia has added an ingenious 'My Safety' button, providing easy access to the driver's preferred ADAS configuration.

You'd expect a decent step forward in efficiency figures with this Hybrid 155 variant - and you get it.

Combined cycle fuel economy is rated at 61mpg (up from 56.5mpg with the old 140 model), which should give you a decent driving range from the 50-litre tank.

The CO2 reading is 104g/km (up from 112g/km previously).

To give you a point of comparison, the conventional 1.0-litre TCe 110 version manages 47mpg on the combined cycle and 136g/km.

We do wonder though, whether quite a few customers wouldn't be just as well off with the kind of LPG set-up that the brand offers in other markets with its smaller Sandero with a much lighter premium over the conventional engine.

Dacia says that it has no intention of offering that to Jogger folk.

Insurance is group 15E. On to the warranty.

Dacia offers an industry standard 3-year/60,000 miles guarantee from the showroom, backed by three years or 60,000 miles of roadside assistance.

For a little more, you can extend the cover by two years or you can up the period covered to a Kia-equalling 7 years and 100,000 miles.

Service intervals are every year or every 12,000 miles and since most Renault dealers look after Dacias too, you shouldn't be too far from a specialist workshop.

It also helps that there's a timing chain that'll last as long as the engine.

Dacia offers a choice of pre-paid servicing schemes covering you for either two years and 24,000 miles or three years and 36,000 miles.

We still think the Jogger makes most sense in its cheaper entry-level petrol form, but if you've a little more in the budget, then this improved Hybrid version makes a good case for itself.

With fuel economy figures proving that there really is no need to buy a diesel these days.

Plus there's the advantage here of an automatic gearbox to replace the notchy 5-speeder you must have on the base version. Otherwise, the pluses and minuses here are the same as those we gave you when we tested the Jogger in its simplest form.

You won't get cutting-edge safety here or pin-sharp driving dynamics.

But we'd contend that in both these areas, this Dacia is probably a better bet than the kind of four or five year-old family 7-seat SUV you'd get for the same money.

Here, you're getting yourself a new car for the same outlay.

And in the case of the Jogger Hybrid, a surprisingly sophisticated one.