1994 DACIA 1.6L 5MT FWD (72 HP)

Vehicle Overview

It was another refresh for the old Dacia 1310, which was a sort of updated version for the even older Renault 12, built under license by the Romanian automaker since 1969.

While Romania was still struggling to get back on its feet after almost half a decade of the communist regime, Dacia offered the cheapest car on the market: the 1310. It was not on par with any other Western European vehicle, but it could provide cheap transportation for five and was easy to repair and cheap to maintain. Yet, the automaker tried to find a way to improve it before launching a new model, which was already in an advanced development stage.

For the 1994 model, the 1310 received new rectangular headlights with vertical, corner-mounted blinkers. Instead of the older, slatted grille, the 1994 model got a completely new one, with a mesh grille surrounded by a body-color rim. Yet, the plastic bumper was still unpainted, and the carmaker didn’t even offer an option for a color other than black. The same went with the exposed door handles fitted with push buttons and the door mirrors.

Inside, the automaker added a few upgrades. For starters, the front seats received new, adjustable plastic headrests. In addition, the dashboard sported a new design with a center stack extended downwards that sported a new ventilation system that was more efficient than its predecessor. In addition, a dealer-installed radio-cassette player was on the options list. Yet, the car still featured manual adjustments for everything and no power windows.

But the most significant change was under the hood, where the automaker offered an option for a naturally-aspirated, fuel-injected powerplant. Even if it was a single-point injection system, that was much better than the Solex carburetor used before. Yet, that version was still available as a base model.