A good friend of mine bought a Dacia Logan MCV (the estate) a few years ago. We were so impressed that we bought one ourselves when we found out we were expecting DD, and one of our parents has gone and bought another one since on the basis of our recommendation and experience. All three of us are very happy with them, all bought from new.
They are not the most up to date or stylish cars on the market: the savings have to come from somewhere, but they use tried and trusted Renault mechanicals, are designed to be both very robust and easy to repair (they obviously have to deal with Romania's bumpy/dirt roads, but a lot get sold in India and Africa too). The dashboard is clearly derived from the last Renault Clio, as are many of the engines, but it all works well enough. A lot of them are used as minicabs all over the UK, which gives you some idea of the kind of abuse they can take.
The Logan has a decent size cabin given its Clio underpinnings, and a colossal boot: it is actually bigger in terms of volume than the boot in a Volvo V60. We've got a rear-facing Isofix seat and a six-footer sitting in the passenger seat in front of it regularly without complaint.
Ours has done 10,000 miles without missing a beat, although a pipe came loose in the washer jet which had to be fixed under warranty. Our relative had a minor problem with the dashboard light for the tyre pressure warning developing a mind of its own, also fixed under warranty. We both have the 90hp 1.5 litre dCi diesel version which gives more than enough power - it flies, actually, as long as it's in the right gear. It has surprised one or two BMW drivers! It's not the most flexible engine ever, and the high gearing means that you can get caught out in too high a gear compared to most other cars on the road. Something that a Fiesta could do in third gear really needs second in the Logan, for example. But you get used to it. This engine, by the way, is a version of the one that powers not only most Renaults, but various Nissans (including the Qashqai) and the Mercedes A-class. We get 60 mpg or so driving around town, well over 75 mpg on longer runs.
We've got the top end model with LG sat nav, DAB radio, bluetooth etc. It's a bit incongruous in such a plasticky car, but it all works well. To cope with those exports to Africa and India it has an absolutely ferocious airconditioner too.
My friend has the 0.9 litre TCe petrol. It's good - also powerful enough at 90hp and she's happy with the fuel economy although it's not going to be as good as the diesel. But, it's a gruff and unrefined engine - it sounds like a bag of gravel in a blender. The diesel is noticeably smoother and quieter.
By all accounts avoid the 1.2 petrol - less powerful and thirstier than the 0.9.
We like its anonymity - it doesn't attract attention in car parks etc - as well as its practicality. It also has a fairly high ground clearance, which we like as we regularly use an unsurfaced road which our saloon car doesn't tolerate as much. Good for speed bumps too. We've taken four adults with luggage on a 400 mile road trip and it barely broke sweat. We really cannot think of any negatives apart from occasional sneers from people who don't know better.