Three months before its UK launch the new Dacia is Scottish Car of the Year (SCOTY) and The Sunday Times thinks it fifth best 4x4. A thousand have been ordered. It looks a bargain. I even thought of replacing my Nissan Terrano with one, when I saw it at the SCOTY awards. As a Life Member of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers I was not eligible to vote. No longer on the Scottish rota, I thought I might borrow one on road test.

No, said Dacia, only if you arrange your own insurance. We know you are over 75.

I have only once been refused a test car on account of age, a Porsche 911 Turbo so a certain caution was perhaps understandable. I said I had been road testing Porsches without incident since 1964 and the ban was quickly rescinded. I test drive Jaguars and Bentleys and Audis but Dacia seems to doubt I can handle its 1461cc and 0-60mph in 12.5sec. Even The Sunday Times thinks the build quality isn’t great. Should Dacias be sold to over-75s? If Dacia has such concern over its press cars, probably not.

I will carry on with my trusty Nissan (behind the Bentley, below).