Dacia Duster Comfort

With 4x4 now an option on the all-new Duster, Ed Coles finds himself with a good opportunity to give it a proper off-road test at his local shoot

- Ed Coles

My curiosity was piqued when I heard we would be putting the new second-generation Duster through its paces. Dacia, Renault’s budget, no-frills brand, has added a 4x4 option to the popular Duster range, which potentially could be right up our street.

It was pelting down when I took delivery of the Duster Comfort dCi 115 4x4, so rather than my normal initial routine of looking underneath, I opted to take shelter inside.

The first revelation is that there are actually one or two frills in here, and it doesn’t scream ‘budget vehicle’, either. A central touchscreen controls the DAB radio, satnav and Apple CarPlay. All the other little extras such as hill descent and a parking camera are also present and correct.

You could be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in something more high end. While you are surrounded by plastic, it certainly doesn’t cheapen the experience, and overall the new interior is rather smart inside.

My eye was drawn to the electronically controlled 4x4 settings. There is 2wd, auto and 4wd available, with a diff-lock function as well.

With the rain easing offI ventured outside for a look underneath the Duster. Fortunately, I remembered to bring my trusty old feed bag to lie on. Underneath there’s not too much to talk about other than a great wedge of plastic.