Duster goes down TechRoad

Charl Bosch

With a reported 50% sales increase since debuting the second generation Duster in October last year, Renault has tweaked the existing model line-up to include a new derivative called the TechRoad.

Essentially the replacement for the two-wheel-drive Dynamqiue model offered until now, the TechRoad receives diamond-cut 17-inch alloy wheels with red centre caps, silver front and rear skidplates, chrome grille, satin silver roof rails and the Fusion Red paint option first seen on the recently revised Sandero Stepway Plus.

Inside, the interior’s differences are just as subtle with the inclusion of redesigned seats trimmed in better fabrics with red stitching and the upgraded seven-inch MediaNav touchscreen infotainment system that now comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. No changes to the standard specification list has been made.

Up front, Renault has also kept the TechRoad’s powertrain unchanged with the popular 1.5 dCi turbodiesel engine producing 66kW/210Nm when teamed to the six-speed manual gearbox, or 80kW/250Nm when paired to the optional six-speed EDC. Respective fuel consumption figures are rated at 5.1 L/100 km and 4.8 L/100 km.

A five-year/150 000 km warranty and three-year/45 000 km service plan are standard across the range, with the sole options being leather seats (R10 088) and metallic paint (R2 522). 1.6 Expression ...................................... R255 900 1.5 dCi TechRoad ................................... R293 900 1.5 dCi TechRoad EDC ............................ R327 900 1.5 dCi Dynamique 4x4 .......................... R327 900 1.5 dCi Prestige EDC ............................. R340 900