On the inside, the Duster gets sportier. The interior now carries a darker theme, with black upholstery and red accents. There has been a change of material used, no doubt in response to the suggestions of many. The earlier quality of plastic just didn’t cut it for a segment-dominating crossover, and with this new car, it seems that Renault have addressed the issue. The soft touch plastic feels a lot better, and sticks to the theme well. The cabin, thankfully, still feels just as airy, and there is no shortage of space for most needs.
The room up front is ample. The seats are quite comfortable, but thigh support for tall occupants is a bit of a concern. At the rear too, there is enough room, but the middle seat is best saved for a child. The architecture puts the rear a-c vents in the centre, using up the leg room in the middle. The boot floor is higher, and thus the usable volume is now 410 litres. Still enough for most needs. If you want to pack your bicycle in there, you probably could, especially if you fold down the rear seat. That said, there’s just one seat back to fold down, as the rear isn’t split-folding; something they can consider doing in the future maybe, take that practical aspect up a notch.
That’s good and all, but how is it where it matters? You don’t buy a 4×4 to go shopping in the rain now, do you? (Do you?) Either way, it’s a reassuring feeling knowing you have all wheels powered. Where the regular Duster has a cup-holder ahead of the gear lever, there is now a 4×4 drive selector knob, with ‘2WD’, ‘Auto’ and a ‘Lock on/off’ returning flick option to let you lock or unlock the differentials. It’s got the goods. Furthermore, there’s traction control added to the mix for that added bit of safety.
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