Dacia launches a petrol / LPG dual-fuel engine

Few vehicles in the UK have been adapted to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG for short). Arguably it deserves to be more popular, given some of the fuel’s benefits.

For instance, LPG is around half the cost of either petrol or diesel and, with over 1,400 filling stations across the country, availability shouldn’t be an issue. Admittedly, fuel economy is worse, but CO2 emissions are lower.

Is there any pent-up demand here for factory-built LPG cars (as opposed to aftermarket conversions)? Dacia clearly thinks so, because the Romanian brand has just introduced a turbocharged 1.0 litre Bi-Fuel engine option for the Sandero, Sandero Stepway, Logan MCV, Logan MCV Stepway and Duster.

Dacia Duster Comfort (2020) Front

Owners will notice three differences: a separate LPG filler, a steel LPG tank where the spare wheel usually lives, and a dashboard switch to instantly swap between petrol and LPG.

To illustrate how changing fuels affects efficiency, the Sandero Essential TCe 100 Bi-Fuel officially achieves 49.6 mpg (5.7 l/100km) with 128 g/km of CO2 when burning petrol, or 39.8 mpg (7.1 l/100km) with 116 g/km in LPG mode.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Duster Prestige TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 4x2 records 42.8 mpg (6.6 l/100km) with 149 g/km using petrol, or 34.0 mpg (8.3 l/100km) with 133 g/km running on LPG.

Compared to their existing TCe 90 / TCe 100 petrol-only equivalents, the Bi-Fuel variants cost an extra £400. Consequently, on-the-road starting prices are:
  • Sandero Essential TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £9,095
  • Sandero Comfort TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £10,095
  • Sandero Stepway Essential TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £10,295
  • Sandero Stepway Comfort TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £11,295
  • Sandero Stepway SE Twenty TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £11,695
  • Logan MCV Essential TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £10,595
  • Logan MCV Comfort TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £11,595
  • Logan MCV Stepway Comfort TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £12,795
  • Logan MCV Stepway SE Twenty TCe 100 Bi-Fuel – £13,195
  • Duster Essential TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 4x2 – £12,895
  • Duster Comfort TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 4x2 – £14,395
  • Duster SE Twenty TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 4x2 – £15,045
  • Duster Prestige TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 4x2 – £15,595
Related post:
Dacia SE Twenty special editions unveiled

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