Tough battle for Duster

SMART NEW RENAULT: THIRD GENERATION ISN'T AS CLEAR-CUT AS ITS PREDECESSOR

- Mark Jones

I have always had a soft spot for Renault's Duster. It offered a decent amount of spec, sufficient urge and brilliant fuel consumption from its turbodiesel powerplant, and great all-round value for money.

Therefore, I was looking forward to my drive in the all-new model, but as with everything in life, as time moves on, things change, and not always for the better, and this was my experience with the latest Duster.

I will start with the good and the subjective. I really like the styling of the new Duster. It is somewhat unique in a market of generic Chinese-looking SUVs.

It's also probably just butch enough with its flared wheel arches, cladding, skid plates, and 217mm ground clearance to be taken seriously as an SUV that can do more than tackle only dirt roads.

I didn't. I only did dirt roads, but the guys at the Duster's media launch were flying up and down sand dunes in the Western Cape to prove how capable the vehicle is when away from the city.

The four-wheel-drive Duster 1.2T Zen you see here offers Renault's latest Terrain Control system with five modes: Eco, Auto, Snow, Mud/Snow and Off-Road.