New cars for 2012 - Part 3 - SUVs: Citroen - Dacia

Citroën C4 Aircross
What is it? SUV based on Mitsubishi ASX
Price from £18,000 (est)
On sale Spring

Citroen has taken its time to launch a rival to the Qashqai and Kuga, but its C4 Aircross will plug that gap in the range in late spring.

It’s based on the Mitsubishi ASX, but gets Citroën’s own 1.6-litre, 110bhp diesel engine. Front- and four-wheel drive will be offered.

The C4 Aircross is longer than a VW Tiguan, and roughly the same width. Its boot is smaller than the VW’ (442 litres compared with 470) but a full 80 litres larger than a Kuga’s.

No prices have been announced, but we’d expect entry-level editions to start at £18,000.

Dacia Duster
What is it? Compact SUV with supermini pricing
Price from £10,000 (est)
On sale Winter

We’ll get our first UK specs and prices for the Dacia Duster before the end of this year. It’s a no-frills SUV that promises vast space for the cash, and will be built in India by Renault’s Romanian budget sub-division (confusing, we know).

It’ll be available with a range of diesel engines (expect 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre units) and will get revised styling and a slightly more premium cabin than the version that’s proved a hit in continental Europe for over a year.

The biggest story is likely to be the pricing; sources have hinted that the Duster – a Nissan Qashqai-sized car, remember – will start at just under £10k. That’s nothing short of incredible.