Renault Duster test drive since 2012 SUV

Test drive by Renault Duster 1.6 4WD and Suzuki SX4 1.6 4WD: SUVs involuntarily

The rare owner of the crossovers of Renault Duster or Suzuki Esix-4 will decide to arrange such a test to his car: to drive the car into the sand and see how easy it is to get out of there. But we allowed ... After which we took one of the cars to the service.


With his appearance, Renault Duster set a difficult task for the car journalists - with whom to compare it? After all, the Frenchman, in fact, does not have direct competitors: the Niva and UAZs comparable in price are still serious SUVs, and the all-wheel drive crossovers of famous brands are almost twice as much. But the portal kolesa.ru nevertheless found the opponent Duster

The idea to compare the Renault Duster with the Japanese crossover threw the latter advertising poster: Suzuki SX4 with all -wheel drive from 649,000 rubles. Let at a discount, but still such a price allows you to directly compare two cars. Indeed, in addition to the similar value, both with the all -wheel drive, the engine of the same volume and mechanical gearbox connected through Wyescont, is it not competitors?

However, finding a test SX4 for the price announced in advertising was not easy. Not only do the St. Petersburg dealers keep cars on the test drive in the maximum configuration, and, as luck would have it, all with machine guns. And this is another price and a different nature of the behavior of the car. Salvation came unexpectedly: the suitable car was at the dealer in Petrozavodsk. And what is there to go? Four hundred and thirty kilometers there and the same back for a rabid dog, as they say, is not a hook. Let's hit the road!


The appearance of each of the cars is attractive in its own way. Despite the fact that the Suzuki SX4 has been hit for six years, its design can not be called outdated. In an elegant red suit with a contrasting-black cross-wweet, Suzuki really looks like a sort of jeep, but only until it stands next to Duster.


The Frenchman is stylistically easier, but more brutal and massive. Although some features of appearance visual deception. For example, Renault Duster seems noticeably higher than the SX4 both in order and growth. In fact, the difference between them in both cases is only two centimeters in favor of Renault.

You can drive in the capital of Karelia in a clean car only in dry weather, and even then not for long. Literally after a couple of hundred meters, almost nothing reminded that the cars had just left the sink. Moreover, Susuki was no longer lucky, he rode the second.


The dirt road on which cars are photographed one of the streets of the outskirts of Petrozavodsk. With the exception of the city center, most asphalt roads are also in a depressing state.


I have a jeep! At least, such a thought is trying to inspire Duster to a person who was behind his steering wheel. A 21 centimeter of the body raised above the ground, a wide threshold that has to be stepped over, lifting the leg, and a highly set chair really create a sense of presence precisely in the SUV, albeit small.

Suzuki SX4 is not trying to be anyone, according to the planting process - this is a classic car. However, a high door opening allows you to get into a salon with fewer manipulations with your own body. People of medium height will not even have to bend their heads.


There is no significant difference in the volume of internal space for passengers in cars. In both car and another car, four adults will easily be swayed. The legs of the fifth in both Suzuki and in Renault will interfere with the tunnel of the cardan shaft. SX4 is a little already, but not so much that it turns into a lack. And the most interesting thing is that the Japanese managed to allocate enough space from behind, losing to Duster in the length of the base as many as 17 centimeters.


In many ways, the sensation of space in the Japanese crossover is also created due to the larger number of arriving inside the light, especially through the huge frontal window. Aquarium glazing SX4 allows and noticeably better navigate in space, even despite the presence of a double front rack.


The convenience of remote control of the radio jaist under the steering wheel or buttons on it is an exclusively habit.

In addition, in the little things, the Japanese crossover relates more attentive to the inhabitants of the cabin: it has more convenient front seats due to better support of the lower back; Squatious pockets with cup holders in the doors of both front and rear passengers ...


... There are closing niches on the central panel; The microclimate control unit is more convenient; Yes, and in order to sit down, you need to habitually fit your palm to the steering wheel, and not convulsively look for a button at the end of the left lever. Suzuki SX4 is openly upset only by an abundance of cheap and hard plastic, from which, in general, the entire interior is made.


In terms of trunk, Suzuki Duster is not a competitor: four 16-inch wheels climb into a 410-liter volume of Renault with a margin. And the Hatchback 253-liter sx4 hold is enough exclusively for urban needs. In addition, the Frenchman underground has a full -size reserve, and the Japanese has only a dock.

But what both cars have a complete parity is in the technical part. Both Renault and Suzuki are equipped with gasoline 1.6-liter engines and mechanical gearboxes.

Despite the fact that Renault Duster loses only ten horsepower in power, he can’t keep up with SX4. However, the possibilities of a 102-horsepower engine are surprisingly enough to calmly maintain pace both in the city and on the highway. In terms of its riding characteristics, the starting engine of Duster liked the noticeably more expensive diesel. True, it upset the consumption of gasoline at the level of 11-12 liters in the city and 9-9.5 liters on the highway.


The lively engine of the Japanese, quickly spinning to the peak values \u200b\u200bof traction and power, actively carries forward a lighter Suzuki. The differences in temperament emphasize the completely different setting of transmission: the transmission of the six -speed mechanics of Duster Duster and make the gearbox lever actively work - to 60 km/h, a person behind the wheel of Suzuki is still on the second, and the driver of Renault had already switched to the fourth.


In the behavior on the road, some obvious advantages of one or another car have not been noticed. Both machines react stably and predictably to the deviation of the steering wheel and do not cause inconvenience in management. Unless, when maneuvering in a limited space, Suzuki has to make less effort to the steering wheel, and the SX4 Petrozavodsky pits swallows not much worse than Duster. But the audit of off -road virtues ended unexpectedly


The driver and passengers of Duster can immediately forget about clean trousers to wipe their wide thresholds regularly. But in Suzuki this problem is not so relevant.

The fact that the capabilities of Renault Duster as crossovers are higher than the average, we have already convinced twice: on the winter test of a two -liter machine and diesel on the summer. So it was the Frenchman who was the first to send the road to the editorial board. As expected, softened forest paths, small ditches and hills were given to Duster without problems.


In general, Suzuki SX4 did not lag behind him a single step. The only difference was that on Renault it is bold, and on the lower Suzuki you carefully carefully be caught by anything. After all, the Japanese loses not only in the clearance, but also exponentially.


If both crossovers are selected, then the muzzle for off -road driving is better for Renault. When moving from somewhere, SX4 strives to turn on the ground with a plastic lip.

It was decided to conduct the last test on the beach of Lake Onega: since at the end of November even in Karelia there is really no snow, then it will imitate sand.


The driving technique on a car on the shaky surfaces is known: the main thing is not to stop and move constantly on the traction, clearly feeling the moment, between the ability to put and stall. And then I want to tightly shake hands with the engineers who created the Renault Duster gearbox!

The ultra -short first gear imitating the reducing row allowed Duster, like a child, frolic in wet sand even without forced blocking the coupling. We dared so much that we specially drove deeper, stopping across the just rut. The transfer of the washer to Lock mode, the first ahead, the rear half meter ago, the first meter forward, the back half meters ago, the first and freedom. Duster triumphed triumphantly on the solid ground.

But what about Suzuki SX4? While the car was moving along the sand rut trodden by Duster, reaching the wheels to more or less solid soil, everything went well. But as soon as the wheels in the sand began to slip, the ESP system intervened, which immediately dropped the engine speed, intervened. And SX4 got up. After Duster's science and technology unreleased, we completely forgot about the electronic collar of Suzuki.

Well, the all -wheel drive scheme for cars is exactly the same, so once Renault got out of a fixed position, it should crawl out and Suzuki. Disconnect ESP, a clutch in a blocked state and SX4 began to dig even deeper, revealing an unpleasant feature.

It is almost impossible to move in a Japanese crossover. The passenger transmission and a high -speed engine instantly threw the tachometer arrow to the red zone, but the main long -term adhesion drive with the slurred border of the operation at the very top. Attempts to shift the reason even with the help of a pushing photographer led to the fact that it was necessary to catch the moment of touching from a place without slipping with a not completely squeezed clutch at 4000-4500 revolutions. Below Suzuki SX4 is just stalled.

Moreover, the locking of the coupling can be called a purely formal rigid connection with the simultaneous rotation of both axes does not occur. The torque is transferred forward or backward. I must say that the Duster's traculation sins with such dishonesty, but he has a pause in the distribution of traction significantly less.

After five minutes of unsuccessful attempts, when we were about to combine the cable and call for the aid of Duster, the transmission of the crane ceased to turn on to Suzuki.


The place of death Suzuki SX4. That the car does not survive without the consequences of leaving the sand trap, it became clear almost immediately on the second or third rocking in the cabin a preemptive smell appeared. But the fact that in just a couple of minutes the clutch will completely fail, we were unpleasantly surprised. As it turned out later, the clutch is one of the weak places in Suzuki SX4. Profile forums are full of complaints of owners about the fragility of this mechanism.


In general, the Karelian journey led to the conclusion that we suspected even before the test to call Suzuki SX4 a crossover, only on an advertising poster. Despite the presence of a 19-centimeter clearance and four leading wheels with a clutch lock, SX4 is a comfortable and nimble, but ordinary car with an excellent review and, in my opinion, an interesting appearance. The presence of all -wheel drive in the absence of the adaptation of other units of the machine will allow the driver only a little confidently to feel, for example, on a snowy highway or a courtyard poorly cleaned in winter. For a resident of the city, these advanced opportunities will be quite enough.

But Renault Duster once again proved his versatility. Yes, he is not so ergonomic, loses in equipment and leisurely. But the amazing balance of urban and off -road qualities at hand of an experienced driver allows the French crossover to become a car for almost all occasions.

The cost of Renault Duster and Suzuki SX4 in the Russian market
The French crossover with a 1.6 gasoline engine and all -wheel drive is offered in three trim levels: Authentique, Expression and Privilege.

The basic version is frankly empty - ABS, a driver’s pillow, a hydraulic booster and an immobilizer. In the options of the radio, religions on the roof and the color of metallic. But the cost is extremely attractive from 499,000 rubles.

A little comfort will add a second level of equipment. The front windows will appear, the central castle with DU, and the radio will become a standard equipment. But the list of options in which the air conditioner, additional airbags, and parking sensors, and heating of the seats will be noticeably expanded. The price is from 542,000 rubles.

The third equipment will already include a lot of the above. And also allow you to order options such as the ESP stabilization system, the navigation system, and alloy wheels. The price is from 604,000 rubles.

The Renault Duster 1.6 4WD Privilege test with additional options pulled 652,000 rubles.

Suzuki SX4 with all -wheel drive two fixed GL and GLX configurations. But both are quite self -sufficient.

The first will be ABS, a pair of frontal airbags, air conditioning, radio, heating seats, a full electric package and an on -board computer. The price is 699,000 rubles. (At a discount on the action of 649,000 rubles).

The second performance is pampering with the presence of an ESP stabilization system, six airbags, climate control, alloy disks, spoilage headlights, unlucky access to the salon and metallic color. The price is 749,000 rubles. (At a discount on the promotion of 699,000 rubles.)

The Suzuki SX4 1.6 4WD test car was just a GLX.
 

Source: Wheel magazine [November 2012]