Duster given a dab of ooh-la-la

New eye-candy include trendy new seat and door panel fabric, a more macho radiator grille, new roof bars with Duster name etched into the aluminium insets, body-coloured rear view side mirrors and sporty new alloy wheels.

Also new across the range are rear parking senses and a seven-inch MediaNav touch screen. Leather is now also available as an option on the Dynamique variants.

Renault Duster's model line-up remains unchanged with a choice of two specifications with either petrol or diesel engines. The two petrol models, Expression and Dynamique, produce 75kW and 145Nm, while two Dynamique diesels churn out 89kW and 240Nm.

The Duster is only available with manual transmissions (five gears for the petrol models and six gears for the diesel versions). The top of the range diesel Dynamique 4 WD has a 2-4 transmission.

Both versions trot along quite willingly and will happily cruise at the maximum legal speed with four occupants and luggage aboard although steep inclines can be a touch challenging.

When the spruced up Duster versions were introduced to the Media recently I drove both petrol and diesel models on a return trip between OR Tambo and Parys in the Free State and was pleasantly surprised by the relatively small SUV's comfortable cabin space, ride quality and finish.

The compact Frenchy also felt impressively steady on sandy and rough gravel roads even though we pushed along quite enthusiastically at times. (When I drove the original Duster at its first South African appearance two years ago I liked the confidence it showed and the agility and ease with which it handled a tight and challenging off-road course.)

This time round our drive took the form of an economy run on busy motorways, back roads and stretches of farm roads with carefully monitored fuel usage under controlled circumstances and a few of the results were not far off Renault's claimed consumption figures (although our journey was mostly on open roads and at unrealistically low speeds at times).

Renault says it has tweaked the diesel-powered Dynamique 4x2 so that it outperforms its predecessor by delivering 4.8 litres/100km vs 5.5 litres/100km. but then fuel consumption figures claimed by carmakers are achieved in ideal laboratory conditions and sans factors such as stop-start traffic, wind, undulating roads and varying driving styles all of which can impact on day to day fuel consumption.

Overall the nicely dollied up Duster measures up well against opponents such as the Kia Soul, Ford EcoSport, Opel Mokka, Suzuki SX4 as well as its close family relative, the Captur.

The Duster models and prices (including a five-year/150 000km warranty and a three-year/45 000km service plan) are: