DACIA announced itself in the UK with the bargain basement £5,995 Sandero hatchback and now it’s looking to take those needing more by surprise.

Before we get onto money and value, the Logan MCV – that’s Maximum Capacity Vehicle – is a car with a lot going for it.

Despite a not-very-sexy name, the Logan is a big estate car with plenty of appeal.

The boot is huge – 573 litres with seats up and 1,518 with seats down. It’s cavernous, to be honest.

Inside, there’s plenty of space to transport five adults in comfort.

How much for honest, practical motoring? A mere £6,995.

That’ll get you the base car, with a 1.2 engine and all the basics you’d expect and not a lot else – not even a stereo.

But, for a fiver less than seven grand, you’ve got a very capable, big car.

The value continues when you move up the range and it’s actually quite a challenge to top £11,000.

I drove the top-spec Laureate, which comes in at a heady £9,795 with the excellent 898cc, three-cylinder TCe petrol engine. More on that in a moment.

For barely the price of a base model Fiesta, you get hill start assist, electric front windows, cruise control, Bluetooth and USB. A few extras, like rear parking sensors, are low-cost options if you so desire. Even leather is only £600.

The car I tested added the touchscreen Medianav system, which is a must at just £250 extra.

It’s basic, almost to a cartoonish extent, but the upside is that it’s incredibly simple to use and does everything you need it to with no fuss. I’ve been left frustrated by far more expensive systems, but not by this.

Now, that three-cylinder engine.

The important thing is, if you happen to be a badge snob, that it’s a Renault-Nissan lump and doesn’t bother disguising it. I tried it in the new Clio and in the Sandero and it’s excellent.

I did wonder whether it would be enough to haul along the substantial frame of the Logan, but I needn’t have.

It is still peppy and willing and far more powerful than you’d imagine, yet returns high-40s mpg in the real world. The clutch and gearbox are beautifully light too.

I know from trying Renaults that the diesel engine is equally as good – and gets to the all-important 99g/km of CO2 with a claimed 74 mpg – and it goes pretty much without saying that you’re best off staying clear of the non-turbo 1.2 engine, which is, frankly, old hat now.

Plump for the turbo petrol or diesel and you won’t be disappointed.

Aesthetically the Logan isn’t exactly pretty, but it has a solid, purposeful look about it. Interior quality is sound, if not luxurious, and everything is where you want it and does what it is designed to do without complication or fuss.

It is near-impossible to fault the Logan – it does everything it sets out to do with aplomb.

If Dacia brought accessibility to those looking for a new hatchback, they have surely done the same here for families that need enough space to go on holiday.

Keep it up, Dacia.

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/dacia.