Dapper new Duster powers its way into SA

The numbers don’t lie: In South Africa alone, 8000 Dusters have left Renault showrooms in under two years, and 1 out every 5 B segment SUV’s sold, is a Duster. The reason behind its success? It’s a family vehicle, offering real value for money, rugged good looks, and an industry-leading 5 year/ 150 000 km warranty. Renault would have its work cut out, to improve this winner.

Instead of changing too drastically, the Duster retains its boxy shape, with the addition of a few more outdoorsy-looking features. The roof rails (with ‘Duster’ lettering on the aluminium inserts ) are chunkier, while the front end has been refreshed to look neater, and more determined. There’s less chrome, resulting in a nose that looks more suited to tackling rough terrain, while the jeweled headlamps say that this SUV can be glamorous too. Skid plates add even more rugged flair, and the mirror caps match the new darker alloys. All in all, the new Duster looks tougher and more masculine, but sexy, like Bradley Cooper or Idris Elba between shaves!

Regardless of the general consensus that the outgoing Duster is “pretty awesome”, there were some complaints about interior build quality and finishes not being upmarket enough, and even though I liked the previous Duster, the absence of a leather seat option would have prevented me from buying one. As a mom of two young kids, I’ve seen the damage an innocent milk spill can do – you may not see the stain, but getting rid of the smell can take forever. And heaven forbid a kid getting motion sickness! But because the French car manufacturers are very family-orientated, they’ve added a leather seat option to all Dynamique-variants. Our olive green metallic Duster had dark grey leather seats that looked and felt sophisticated (Good thinking, Renault, black would have made the cabin too sombre.) The cabin looks great in general, with patterned fabric in the doors and glossy piano black door handles, and a re-designed instrument cluster. The dashboard is two-tone grey and black plastic, with Renault’s 7-inch Medianav touch screen (with TomTom navigation) in the lower centre, standard on Dynamique variants. At times it’s difficult to see what’s going on on-screen, and Renault should perhaps have angled it more towards the driver. The high seating position is perhaps to blame for this. 

There will still be only two engine choices in the new Duster line-up: The trusty, naturally aspirated 1.6 litre K4M, as well as the 1.5dCi (turbodiesel) K9K THP engine, which has been tweaked. It was frugal to begin with, but it’s now even stingier, and it emits less Co2 as well. (It’s Euro 5 compliant, instead of Euro 4 as before.) There’s also a 0.7 litre difference in the amount of diesel used. To prove just how easy on diesel this engine is, local media took part in an Economy Run, and drove the Duster 1.5 dCi 4 x 2 across various terrains in Gauteng and the Free State. With sealed fuel caps, we were given a time in which to complete every leg, but we had to be as light-footed as possible to prevent our average from rising. At the end of every leg, a marshal would record our time, and we’d continue on our way. Air-conditioning would impact our fuel usage, and open windows would increase drag. We had no choice but to sweat it out on the lovely leather seats while trying to make our way through billows of dirt, constantly monitoring the instant fuel economy on the trip-computer with eagle-eyes. My navigator and I got stuck behind a few slow-moving trucks which made us lose precious minutes (not to mention loss of momentum and energy by having to apply the brakes!) and gain some penalties. But even though we didn’t win, we still managed an average of 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres. The champs attained 5.07 litres per 100 km, and the lead-foot award went to the boys who just wanted to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, and gunned it all the way there. Still, they only used a mere 6.7 litres per 100 km!

At the business presentation earlier that morning, my jaw dropped when the pricing was revealed. A new Duster hardly costs more, regardless of its added new accessories, such as rear parking sensors and cruise control, across all variants.

PRICES

Duster 1.6 EXPRESSION 4x2 (75kW petrol)	: R215 900
Duster 1.6 DYNAMIQUE 4x2 (75kW petrol)	: R233 900
Duster 1.5 DCI DYNAMIQUE 4x2 (80kW diesel)	: R254 900
Duster 1.5 DCI DYNAMIQUE 4x2 (80kW diesel)	: R269 900

All Dusters are now sourced from the Pitesti plant in Romania, for quicker turn-around time and quality purposes. With all the new body kit, a spacious, quality cabin and a highly attractive price tag, the new Duster is set to conquer SUV world.

All Dusters come standard with a 5-year/150 000km mechanical warranty, a 3-year/45 000km service plan (with service intervals at 15 000km intervals) and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. On sale from September 2015.