# ARO 10

The ARO 10 was an off-road vehicle produced by ARO and manufactured in Romania from 1980 to 2006. It shares auto-parts with Dacia 1300, from engine to front axle, and was inspired by the Renault Rodeo and Citroën Méhari.
The ARO 24 Series got a "little brother" in 1980, the ARO 10 Series. While the ARO-24 can be classified as mid-size SUVs, the ARO 10 is about the size of a Jeep Wrangler. It was produced in many body trims, equipped with seven different engines (both gas and Diesel), and came in both 4x2 and 4x4 versions. The ARO 10 was also sold as the Dacia Duster in the United Kingdom and Dacia 10 in some international markets. A model derived from the ARO 10, named ARO Spartana, was also produced starting 1997. The last evolution of ARO 10, produced from 1999, was called ARO 10 Super, had a slight design revamp and was built on ARO 24 Series chassis. The vehicle was available to many exports markets, and in the United Kingdom it was available as the Dacia Duster, up until 2006, when it was discontinued. The Duster name was later used on another SUV that in some way replaced the previous model.

## First generation (1980)

In addition to being sold as the "Dacia Duster" in the United Kingdom and a few other markets, the car received several different names in Italy: Local company Ali Ciemme (ACM) assembled the ARO 10 there in the 1980s and sold it as the "Aro Super Ischia" with the 1.4-liter Renault petrol engine license built by Dacia. When fitted with Volkswagen's 1.6-liter petrol or diesel engines it was sold as the Aro Enduro x4, from 1987 until 1989. A turbodiesel was presented at the end of 1988. Sales volumes of Italian-assembled cars were not very large, reaching 2500 examples in 1987 and 1800 cars in 1988. Volkswagen-engined cars had 28 percent Romanian parts content, with the remainder being Italian and German. The Volkswagen-engined versions also received a stronger differential, to handle the additional torque.

### Engines

| Name | Capacity | Type | Power | Torque |
| 1.3 Petrol | 1289 cc | Dacia | 54 hp (40 kW) at 5250 rpm | 89 N⋅m (66 lb⋅ft) at 4000 rpm |
| 1.4 Petrol | 1397 cc | Dacia | 62 PS (46 kW) at 5500 rpm | 100 N⋅m (74 lb⋅ft) at 3300 rpm |
| 1.6 Petrol | 1557 cc | Dacia | 72 PS (53 kW) at 5000 rpm | 122 N⋅m (90 lb⋅ft) at 2500 rpm |
| 1.6 Petrol | 1595 cc | VW | 75 PS (55 kW) at 5000 rpm | 125 N⋅m (92 lb⋅ft) at 2500 rpm |
| 1.6 Petrol | 1598 cc | Daewoo | 105 PS (77 kW) at 5800 rpm | 145 N⋅m (107 lb⋅ft) at 3400 rpm |
| 1.6 Diesel | 1588 cc | VW | 54 PS (40 kW) at 4800 rpm | 100 N⋅m (74 lb⋅ft) at 2300-2900 rpm |
| 1.9 Diesel | 1905 cc | Peugeot | 68 PS (50 kW) at 4600 rpm | 120 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 2000 rpm |
| 1.9 Diesel | 1870 cc | Renault | 64 PS (47 kW) at 4500 rpm | 121 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 2250 rpm |
| 1.9 Diesel | 1870cc | Renault | 92 PS (68 kW) at 4250 rpm | 175 N⋅m (129 lb⋅ft) at 2250 rpm |

## Spartana

| Name | Capacity | Power | Type | Torque |
| 1.2 Petrol | 1239 cc | Renault | 54 hp (40 kW) at 5300 rpm | 90 N⋅m (66 lb⋅ft) at 2800 rpm |
| 1.4 Petrol | 1397 cc | Dacia | 62 hp (46 kW) at 5500 rpm | 100 N⋅m (74 lb⋅ft) at 3300 rpm |
| 1.6 Petrol | 1557 cc | Dacia | 72 hp (54 kW) at 5000 rpm | 122 N⋅m (90 lb⋅ft) at 2500 rpm |
| 1.6 Petrol | 1598 cc | Daewoo | 105 hp (78 kW) at 5800 rpm | 145 N⋅m (107 lb⋅ft) at 3400 rpm |
| 1.9 Diesel | 1870 cc | Renault | 64 hp (48 kW) at 4500 rpm | 121 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 2250 rpm |
| 1.9 Diesel | 1870 cc | Renault | 92 hp (69 kW) at 4250 rpm | 175 N⋅m (129 lb⋅ft) at 2250 rpm |

## Versions
### Sport Utility Vehicles

* ARO 10.1 2-door Convertible
* ARO 10.4 3-door
* ARO 10 Spartana
* ARO 11.4 5-door

### Light Commercial Vehicles

* ARO 10.6 Regular Cab Pick-up
* ARO 11.9 Double Cab Pick-up
Other Versions: 10.0, 10.2, 10.3, 10.5, 10.9.

## Gallery

* ARO 10 (1980–1991)
* ARO 10 (1992–1999)
* ARO 10 in Lavelanet Canton of Foix arrondissement, Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, France
* ARO 10 rear view
* ARO 10 Super (1999–06)
* ARO 10.6 Drop Side
* ARO 11.4
* ARO 11.4