Before you open your wallet

According to the specs

Fuel Diesel

Engine 1 461 ℓ

Cylinders 4 in-line

Power 80 kW @ 4 000 rpm

Torque 250 Nm @ 1 750 rpm

Transmission 6-speed (automatic)

Drive chain Front wheel

Tare 1 224 kg

GVM 1 818 kg

GCM 3 018 kg

Load capacity 550 kg

Wading depth 350 mm

Towing ability for trailer with overrunbrakes Up to 1 200 kg (612 kg for a trailer without brakes)

Measurements 4 315 mm (l); 1 882 mm (w); 1 634 mm (h)

Wheelbase 2 673 mm

Track width 1 560 mm (in front); 1 567 mm (rear)

Ground clearance 205 mm

Fuel tank 50 ℓ

Price (new) From R299 900

Price (secondhand) The automatic Duster is brand new – we couldn’t find any secondhand models yet.

Fast facts

The tow bar This does not come as standard. The Kilber-Startrek tow bar on the test vehicle costs R6 836 extra (R1 573 labour included). It’s removable if you want to store it away or if you need to park your car in a tiny space and you need the extra 16 cm. The ball is 48 cm above the ground and you can lift it by 6 cm. You can fit a drop plate if you need to go lower or higher. Suspension McPhersons in front and flexible axle with coil springs n the rear. The tail dropped 2,5 cm with the Sherpa’s nose weight of 48 kg. What does the scale say? 1 619 kg with two people in the car, a full tank of fuel, and the Sherpa’s nose weight on the tow bar. The gross combination mass was 779 kg short of the allowed 3 018 kg. Interior With the seats adjusted quite high, a six-foot driver has a good four fingers above his or her head, but your left ankle presses uncomfortably against the panel. On the back seat a sixfooter has three fingers above his or her head and in front of the knees. For a small utility vehicle the boot is roomy: it’s 96 cm deep and runs all the way to the back of the back seats, at its narrowest its 1 m and 52 cm if you factor in the cover that fits over the boot. Speed Driving at a 100 km/h the speedometer reads 4 km/h faster than the 96 km/h indicated by a GPS. Fuel consumption The 7,4 ℓ/100 km (13,5 km/ℓ) will make a tower smile from ear to ear. It costs R615 to fill up the Duster (we paid R12,29/ℓ at the time of the test). With this you can tow comfortably from Pretoria to Durban, since the distance is 675 km. In city traffic (with a caravan or trailer) the consumption is around 5,5 ℓ/100 km (18 ℓ/km) – you’ll struggle to do any better than this. Compared to the 4x4 model that we tested a two years ago (with the same engine), the 4x4 was 30% heavier on fuel, but the caravan we towed was also three times heavier. Without something hitched to it, the automatic model is 20% lighter in city traffic than the 4x4. Finishes Mainly dark grey plastic panels that creates the impression that it’s solid and sturdy; the seats are covered in neat fabric. Extras Metallic paint R2 500 and leather seats R10 000.

Other models

1.6 Expression 4x2 R239 900; 1.6 Dynamique 4x2 R259 900; 1.5 dCi Dynamique 4x2 R279 900; 1.5 dCi Dynamique 4x4 R304 900 go! Drive & Camp says Renault limits the Duster’s towing speed to 80 km/h and the tyres must also be 0.2 bar firmer than usual.