When it comes to the need to assess the quality and level of terrain of an SUV, the best terrain is rich in a variety of roads of different complexity. The roads of the Southern Carpathians are just such, there are also stone plots, ditches and large pits, and anything, sections of any level of complexity. Driving through such territories is not only a mass of emotions, but also a great way to test any SUV for strength, to understand what it can do. Renault Duster Car did not become an exception, he excellently overcomes any obstacles.

Appearance of the new Renault Duster

The pale green color in the presented catalog is called “Khaki”, a similar color is perfect for this car, the body of Duster looks very impressive in this color, especially in the top configuration, with massive roof rails, black wheels. The updated Duster looks even more brutal, it got a chrome strip at the place where a simple radiator grille used to be, changes also affected the air intake grilles, they found a more compressed, cellular pattern that saves from falling stones much more effectively.

The headlights are now four-section, with an interesting geometry of the light elements, as well as running lights. Manufacturers refused to use xenon and LEDs, but this had no effect on the visual component, everything looks stylish, red lightning looks particularly new and unusual. Of course, these lights are not the most economical in terms of energy consumption, but much cheaper than the same xenon.

Judging by the statements of the manufacturer, the new Renault Duster could become even steeper, with the creation there were a lot of bright and interesting ideas, judging by the projects that were presented at the Renault Technical Center, Dustr is capable of creating anything they want. But for the current modernization they decided to choose a low-key version, close to the original one. The reason for this was the requirements of the Russian office of the company, it was necessary to preserve the geometric body characteristics, because for them Duster did not lag behind such cars as, for example, Land Rover Freelander and Chevrolet Niva. And because the clearance is equal to 210 mm and the huge angles of exit and entry were maintained. In general, almost everything related to the Renault Duster is the work of Russian engineers, everything that was done was done almost without the participation of the Romanian brand representatives. In general, the slightly modified appearance of the car even more than before emphasizes its wayward and moderately dynamic character.

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What's new in Duster electronics

For example, the key of the new Duster now has three buttons. Two buttons are used for opening and closing doors, the third one is responsible for remote start, this is convenient because you can warm up the car in advance, but you should not be afraid of theft, the engine immediately stalls when you open the door, as well as when you try to move the car.

What is interesting, with the used MediaNav media system, it is possible to program the start time, and also, it is possible to program five warm-up cycles of ten minutes each. The cost of this option is about 5,000 rubles (for the Expression package), in the third Privilege package this option is already standard, pre-installed, and the windscreen is installed in this package. But it should be noted that all this concerns gasoline engines, and this is quite easily explained, because adapting a heater to a diesel engine is rather problematic, and therefore costly. As you know, all the functions one way or another connected with the heating never hurt, especially in the conditions of our country.

Changes in the cabin and interior Duster

The updated interior of Duster 2015-2017 is distinguished by black lacquer, beautiful design-trimmed door panels, updated front seats. In the simple configurations of the chair without lateral support, and the convenience of the new seats did not increase, after a few hours of driving the back is still tired.

The console now looks more respectable, but everything is also inconvenient to read information from it. The problem is that its screen looks at the handbrake, and therefore to see what is shown, you have to strain, which distracts from the road, and therefore makes the trip less safe. The interface remains the same, the speed of work is also quite decent. Now there is an opportunity to receive information about traffic jams (thanks to RDS - TMC radio channels), though, in fact, this function is useless, because everyone has been using more convenient services for a long time, in the end, in our time there are no people who would not have a smartphone. Useful innovation can be called a rearview camera.

The new instrument panel is also a pleasant upgrade, its design was borrowed from Fluence (three wells, dials are highlighted in a pleasant white color).

For rear passengers, there is much less change, in fact it is a 12 volt socket and ceiling light. From minor but pleasant changes, it is possible to call all the windows now with illuminated buttons, the gas tank cover now opens with a lever located in the cabin (and not as before, it was necessary to open it with a special stopper that hung on the ignition key), and the changes also affected the steering wheel - now the steering wheel has become more prominent, with the classic location of the horn button, in rich trim levels it is equipped with the ability to control the cruise control.

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Engine and gearbox options

Now the engine has a volume of 1.6 liters (114 hp, 156 Nm), exactly the same engine stands on the Nissan Tiida, the Duster will have such an engine only in the starting configuration and only with the MCP (five-speed in the version with front driven, and six with full).

The old two-liter engine has a phase distribution system. And so now 143 hp, and not 135, as before. Now it is possible to slow down revolutions up to 1000 rev / min. The arrows on the instrument panel show the best moments for switching. In general, the motor can and began to work faster, but still there is not much point in trying to go beyond 4500 rpm.

In Eco mode, the trip seems rather boring, in general this function is rather a trend, especially it is unsuccessful in tandem with the old four-speed automatic gearbox. Given that we must pay tribute to the box works fine, and tested by time, just in this mode, overclocking becomes incredibly sluggish. Otherwise, overclocking is the case when it comes to a six-speed manual gearbox, it is much easier to create a dynamic control here.

An excellent option is the 1.5-liter diesel engine, although Duster has such a rare story. A car with such a diesel engine will cost 25,000 rubles more than the same, but only with a gasoline engine. The diesel engine allows a long period to keep overdrive, and has a fairly economical fuel consumption. Both the box and the clutch need careful use. This motor was previously installed on all Renault models of the European assembly.

Renault Duster off road

Although, as it is known, the most effective in off-road conditions are just diesel engines. Since in the Southern Carpathians there are roads of all levels of difficulty, the most popular transport among tourists is an SUV. Here, no one deliberately and in advance picks up routes, go where their transport is able to pass. The off-road Renault Duster, even with its standard, standard tires, the Amtel Cruise 4x4 can smash through almost any road inconvenience. This model of tires copes with the dirt, while driving on an asphalt road wheels do not create noise in the cabin. What should be avoided when driving, so it is hanging the wheels, the ESP system can not cope if everything happens, for example, on a significant bias. But in most cases, Duster tenaciously and aggressively moves toward the goal. The only thing that can restrain the Duster, and make it look like a sedan, is the automatic transmission. With the mechanics, things are much better, her first gear is short, which means in a sense, can replace the lower. In addition, the automatic transmission is not able to productively perform engine braking.

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The good news is that when updating this model range, the all-wheel drive transmission did not change, it is reliable and time-tested, has a lot of positive feedback. Four-wheel drive is in the configuration and with the box "automatic" and manual transmission. The diesel engine is placed on all equipment except the initial (base), and does not go in combination with automatic transmission.

Prices for the new Renault Duster

Those who want buy a new dusterIt will be nice to know that the car remained in the previous price frames. The simplest equipment will cost a little less than 600 thousand rubles. (although for the money there will be neither an air conditioner nor an audio system), the richest equipment with a two-liter engine and automatic transmission will cost a little more than 900 thousand rubles. And this means that even with all possible additional options, the buyer will not spend more than a million on the purchase of this car, therefore Renault Duster still remains the most advantageous offer among all compact crossovers on the market. Of course, it is up to the buyer, but the fact that in terms of price - quality is indisputable, the new Renault Duster is the car that deserves attention. And if you want advice, do not spare the money and still pay extra for the cool color "Khaki".