What’s hot?
- There’s a simple honesty to the way the Duster looks, feels and drives. Luxurious, it isn’t, but it’s workmanlike…and it works.
- Good performance and all-round refinement from the Renault-based 1.5 turbodiesel, arguably the best engine to have in the Duster.
- It’s frugal: 56.5mpg combined economy, with 61.4mpg extra urban and 49.6mpg urban is not to be sneezed at.
- The chunky five-door Duster body is big on space, in both front and back, offering decent room for five with luggage.
- Handles and rides keenly despite some body roll and mild understeer when driven with zest. Soft, long travel suspension effective in ironing out the worst of the bumps.
- Tough, practical (almost wash-out) interior is something fascinating in this age of premium, kit-laden SUVs…
- £0 VED in the first year, then £105 per annum thereafter.
- Low insurance costs, group 11.
- High ground clearance and short body overhangs: useful when you venture off-road.
What’s not?
- There are three trim levels on Duster: Access, Ambiance and Laureate, but base versions are eye-poppingly spartan in terms of spec.
- The Duster scores three stars in Euro NCAP crash tests whereas the likes of a Mazda CX-5 scores five. There are driver and front passenger airbags and side airbags as standard but no curtain air bags at all.
- Comfort and noise/refinement levels, overall, a notch below the modern SUV norm, as perhaps is inevitable given the Duster’s price positioning.
- Just two engines on offer: 1.6 petrol and 1.5 TDI, and no auto option at all.
- If you want niceties such as sat nav and cruise control, you’ve bought the wrong car.
