Dacia may not be a brand that you are familiar with, but the Romanian outfit - owned by Renault - has ambitions of selling its cars in the UK. The first offering will come in the form of the Duster, which is a 4x4 (or 4x2), off-roader. The Duster is marketed as an economical and environmentally friendly off-roader, with the diesel 4x2 (that's two-wheel drive) version

According to Dacia, the Duster is the 'antidote' to the bad image associated with big off-roaders. This claim is due to the size of the car; comparable to that of a Renault Mégane, the Duster is definitely compact for an off-roader.

The exterior of the Duster features wide wheel arches, a chrome grille and lower bumper protection coupled with protective mouldings around the wheel arches. Buyers can opt for the 'Look Pack', which adds 16-inch alloys, roof bars, tinted rear windows and mirrors, sills, front and rear skid plates all covered in a chrome satin finish.

The Duster is available across Europe now, but it will be 2012 before we see the Dacia name in Britain.