Renault Duster Oroch: Not new but facelift destined for South Africa

With the wraps having come off of the facelift Renault Duster last month, the long-delayed Duster Oroch bakkie – slated to arrive on local shores next year – has made its spy-shot debut by undergoing testing in Brazil.

A model that has been under speculation for the local market ever since its South American unveiling in 2015, and which was initially planned for unveiling this year, the Mentiras Automotivas Instagram page has captured what appears to be the facelift Oroch on the street of Curitiba wearing comparatively thin layers of black-and-white masking on the bonnet, front facia, down the rear panels and on the roof rails.

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Seemingly representing a mid-life enhancement rather being an all-new model believed until now, motor1.com Brazil reports that the tweaks will in fact be modelled on those of the updated first-generation Duster, which continues to be sold in select South Americans markets as well as in India.

Supporting the online publication’s claims are the headlights that eschew the facelift Duster’s Y-pattern LEDs and comments by Renault Argentina’s marketing manager, Marcelo De Carlo, to Autoblog Argentina earlier this month that the Oroch won’t feature the same changes as the European-spec Duster.

What is expected to be carried over from the revised second generation Duster though, which only touched down in certain South American markets this year, is the Daimler co-developed 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine in place of the dated normally aspirated 2.0-litre.

Producing between 66 kW and 110 kW in the Old Continent Duster, the unit will be powered-up to a reported 125 kW for use in the Oroch with a CVT set to replace the 2.0-litre’s four-speed automatic. Some markets will also continue to offer the familiar 1.5 dCi turbodiesel hooked to a six-speed manual ‘box.

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According to the motor1.com report, the Duster Oroch will go on sale in 2022 with production once again taking place at Renault’s São José dos Pinhais plant located not far from Curitiba.

Poised to take on the segment-leading Fiat Toro and the incoming all-new Chevrolet Montana, better known locally as the Opel/Chevrolet Corsa Utility and later the Chevrolet Utility, a clearer picture of the South African market Oroch will emerge once the South American derivative makes its official debut.