Km/ h ( drag limited; claimed) 11.4

Seconds

VERDICT FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

The Duster may be the cheapest SUV on the market, but that SUV silhouette gives it added practicality, giving owners as much as 475L of luggage space with the rear seats up and up to 1,636L otherwise. You can place two large suitcases flat side by side without a problem. We reckon you can get a small sofa in there too. But do keep in mind that the loading lip is a little high and you may end up with many scratched patches.

Apart from the new touchscreen, there’s a radio with Arkamys 3D sound, which can play a decibel count high enough to make you deaf without breaking tonal clarity. It also comes with an inbuilt CD player that plays MP3S, USB ports and a Bluetooth interface to which we had no problem syncing our phone to.

Other promises of practicality come in the form of cruise control and a speed limiter, rear parking sensors to help you avoid fender benders and a rear view camera, if you prefer visuals. You also get an appreciable amount of safety features like driver and passenger airbags, emergency braking assistance, electronic stability control, and more importantly, ISOFIX mounting points for child seats on outboard rear seats.

What Renault has brought to the discerning consumer, is an honest, no- frills vehicle that provides an SUV stance, ample passenger and cargo space and just about enough power, all at a price that is low enough to include as part of your weekl y grocery shopping. And with Renault offering a 3- year/ 1,000,000km warranty with the Duster, the competition doesn’t even come close!