Duster Cleaned Up and Refined

Renault: Retaining Most of Its No-Nonsense Roots

- Mark Jones

The Renault Duster has always been a bit of a dark horse. One of those vehicles that quietly built a cult following while everybody was chasing Japanese and German nameplates. The Duster was never flashy, never premium, and quite honestly nobody cared. It just worked. It was the rough-edged SUV you could actually afford.

Now, in 2025, the Duster has cleaned up and grown into something that's more refined, while retaining most of its no-nonsense roots. But the pricing has jumped up too and put the Duster into territory that is overflowing with choice. This said, what is the Duster like to drive?

The derivative I spent a week with was the model in the middle of the range, in terms of price, but the top of the range in terms of spec, Intens EDC 4x2. The Zen 4x4 MT costs more but offers a lower level of spec.

If you need, or want, 4x4 capability, then this is the compromise that must be made.