Renault Duster test drive since 2012 SUV

All photos of Renault Duster since 2012

Test drive by Renault Duster: more than 4x4

The Kolesa.ru portal continues to study the possibilities of the most affordable crossover of the Russian market. Having evaluated the behavior of the new Renault Duster in urban conditions, the portal observer decided to ask him the task more complicated and sent the car to where the wheel of a passenger car did not step, and the road had the status of the carriageway only formally.

4x4 for everyone! - So the advertising slogan Renault Duster sounds. And looking at the price list of the crossover, in which the century, this advertisement looks true. From 4x4, everything is clear: only five of the thirteen performances have a drive to the front axle. All the rest are all -wheel drive.

The possession of a full -fledged jeep with a full set of off -road attributes in the form of differential locks and lowering gears require certain knowledge and skills from the driver. Even a serious SUV, in inexperience, can be planted in the most harmless place, and if the operation in urban conditions is broken by a complex transmission.

Renault Duster is a crossover where we already managed to ride around the city, and its owner is permissible not to have the experience of the trophi raids. The full -wheel drive system is the simplest: in standard modes, Duster is a front -wheel drive (2WD mode), the back of the multi -disc friction clutch is connected, the same as on Nissan Murano. Such a system works in two algorithms: automatic (4WD Auto), connecting the rear wheels when slipping the front and throwing back to 50% torque, and in 4WD Lock mode, when the coupling is completely locked.

The lever of the 6-step transmission and the puck of the four-wheel drive

In theory, such a transmission does not promise any outstanding off-road opportunities to the car, since almost all classmates crossovers are equipped with similar systems. And the manufacturers themselves do not recommend to meddle on them into impassable dirt.

Working on the refinement of the Renault Duster, the engineers focused on cross -country ability. The 4WD Lock mode involves an off -road engine and standard electronics algorithm: ABS and, if any, ESP. In addition, the first transmission of a mechanical switching box is made very short and, in fact, replaces the lowering, allowing you to move in the vest.

Option thresholds interfere

The geometry of the body helps outside the roads: a lumen of 21 cm under the iron protection of the engine, the optimal shape of the bumper and short overhangs in the front and behind provide sufficiently large angles of entry and congress. The only extra detail is additionally installed chrome thresholds with which the test duster clung to the passage of bumps.

Small strokes of pendants are another factors that related to the Frenchman with crossovers. Although, in most cases of the operation of the car on light off -road, the lengths of the moves are enough to reach the wheels to the hard surface.

Another feature of Renault transmission is that in a blocked clutch mode, it is capable of working at a car speed of up to 80 km/h without overheating. This allows you to confidently move on a constant (!) Full -wheel drive, for example, on a slippery road without fear of flying off the highway in the next turn, and in a provoked sliding, it is easy to return the car to the desired trajectory.

Duster is clear in sliding ... ... and predict.

But driving on the verge of breaking is unlikely to enter the daily practice of dastrovodes. But the summer cottages for most French crossovers are most likely provided. Therefore, we went to the nearest village with suitable conditions to check the limit of the Renault off -road capabilities.

Note that the test car, which was put down in the studded Michelin tires, went to us with the most powerful two -liter engine with a capacity of 136 horsepower, a six -speed manual gearbox and, of course, all -wheel drive. By the way, it is such a version, according to dealers, is the greatest demand among Russians.

Renault Duster playfully drove through a snowy field along a icy deep rut, clearly trodden not by cars. An exceptionally high clearance helped him here, and I did not even have to bother the puck of all -wheel drive modes (it, by the way, is also Nissanovskaya here).

But turning onto the snow virgin lands, under which there was a melting sandy soil, the video operator and I were slightly nervous, because we had no shovel or the second car with a cable on the insurance.

Renault Duster overcame the first meters quite confidently, but exactly until that moment until he fell into the snow on the very hubs. The 4WD Auto mode in such a situation was not a comrade to the crossover. Connecting the rear wheels occurred with a noticeable pause, while the front was already managing to burst.

Auto mode in such a situation is almost useless

Forced blocking of the coupling, the back gear and shifting a few centimeters ago, the Frenchman already stuck it with all the wheels. Since the entire poor off -road potential was activated, further actions were reduced to breaking the rut and free space at least a meter in order to jump out of the unsteadings of the barrier. And after some time, under the victorious smell of a burnt clutch, Duster was free.

Psychologically, it helped that the French crossover never stalled capitally - so as not to move back or forward. The coupling also with honor withstood the load, not even trying to treacherously blink overheating with a light bulb.

Duster was able to get out of snow captivity on his own

The second time Duster was stuck by accident. I performed commands of the video operator and fell on a car in the snow. Yes, so that the left wheels completely disappeared in the winter roadside. Here I already had to work with my hands, digging snow under the threshold of Duster. And when the wheels again appeared a small move, Renault escaped confidently and from this captivity! Well done!

To overcome obstacles from the driver Renault Duster, no supernatural actions are required, except for control of the thrust of gas pedal. The only thing that prevented the swing from the snow from the snow was even faster than the unclear drive of the lever of the mechanical gearbox, which did not allow to quickly switch between the first and posterior gears. And the rest, the Renault Duster 4x4 can be safely attributed to the class of not even the SUVs, but the light SUVs, and really for everyone.