The Duster may just be the ‘jack of all trades’

When this writer was young – many, many moons ago – I used to be picky when it came to girlfriends.

They had to have attributes like being leggy, busty, pretty and – in matters of swapping sweat – bad.

Also, dumb enough to believe the particular line of subterfuge I was peddling at the time. These days my demands lean heavily towards them just being available. Back then, my motorcycle racing friends and I agreed on our idea of the perfect woman.

She would be the one who, apart from loving motorsport, would get down and dirty on the first date. Later, she would also prove to be demure, well behaved and suitable for introduction to your parents.

None of us ever met such a woman. But, even at my age, there are compensations. Just the other day, I met a vehicle that was happy to get down and dirty with me on our first date.

And later she turned out to be incredibly docile, helpful, smooth, efficient and frugal. I speak of the new Renault Duster Dynamique 4×4. During its official launch two months ago, a large part of the day’s activities constituted getting down and dirty.

In order to demonstrate the new Duster’s all-wheel drive abilities, Renault allowed us to play silly buggers in a massive off-road driving facility. We drove the vehicles up and down steep, slippery slopes, along huge dongas at unbelievably skew angles and over huge boulders.

The Duster performed all of the above without problems or complaints and I reported that she was great at traversing rough stuff. Two weeks ago, The Citizen Motoring got a Duster 4×4 to test and the rules of engagement changed. See, these days test vehicles must be handled with soft hands on account of damage to them being incredibly expensive to fix. Getting down and dirty with the Duster again was out of the question. So, I engaged the second part of the equation.

The Duster was driven with due circumspection on the daily commute between my home in Alberton and my place of work in Industria West. Come to think of it, that would be pretty much what the vehicle’s intended buyers will do with them.

Again, the Renault fulfilled everything asked of it. Just a recap – the Duster 4×4 is powered by a 1 461cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine, that produces 80kW of power at 4 000rpm and 260Nm of torque at 1 750rpm. The above goes to the wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Under normal road conditions, the Duster is front-wheel driven. You can put it in Automatic mode, where an electronic brain figures when it needs traction on the rear wheels as well and passes it on. That apart, you can put it in lock mode, where it turns into a 4×4 all-terrain vehicle of note.

The Duster’s looks would be a matter of personal taste and I am not qualified to comment on artistic subjects. The photographs herewith should suffice to let you make up your own mind. What I did like was the way Renault managed to hide a ground clearance of 21cm plus approach and departure angles of over 30 degrees in what looks like a very ordinary family SUV. Also, the spoked aluminum 16- inch wheels, in 215/65R16 rubber.

Brakes are discs all round, with ABS and emergency brake assistance, where the car figures you are not slowing down in time, and applies the brakes full-scale. Safety wise, there are front and side airbags, blind spot warning and a reverse camera that made squeezing into tight parking spots a doddle. Inside, the Duster 4×4 has everything that can click, bang, flicker or call Donald Trump direct. It has, for younger folk who understand these things, a seven-inch touchscreen that activates a navigation system, radio, Androit and Apple CarPlay, audio streaming, Bluetooth connectivity and 4×4 information, There is space for five adults, automatic air conditioning and electric windows all round, while boot space is an impressive 478 litres.

With a Tare mass of 1 320kg, the Duster’s 80kW does not make it a race car by any means, but the torque comes through to render an easy, smooth drive at low revs. That is why this writer loves diesel engines – one of my guilty pleasures at a time when many really clever motoring scribes are crucifying oil burners. The gearbox is a joy to use, with the gears well spaced and the stick movements slick. Old people like myself should enjoy manual gearboxes while manufacturers still make them.

Renault claim a top speed of 168km/h for the Duster, plus a 0 to 100 km/h time of 12.5 seconds, and we believe them. But, this vehicle is about space, comfort and utility, while enjoying the knowledge that you could, if you so wish, tackle very real offroad terrain on a Saturday afternoon.

The Renault Duster 1,5 dCi Dynamique 4×4 will set you back R327 900. It comes with a fiveyear/150 000km mechanical warranty, a six-year anti-corrosion warranty, and a three-year/45 000km service plan

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