Renault Duster is an SUV or a crossover?

There are several articles on my channel about my current car, which is the Renault Duster. In these articles, I shared my impressions and experience of operating this car, compared it with other cars that I owned, and assessed the off-road potential of the Duster. Sometimes I even called it an SUV, and readers corrected me in the comments: they say Duster is not an SUV, but rather a crossover! And then I seriously thought: is Renault Duster an SUV? Or is it a crossover? What other cars will be “relatives” of the Duster? Let's find out!

Renault Duster is an SUV!?

First, let's find a general definition of an SUV, and then try this definition on a Duster. SUV, in my opinion, is a cross-country vehicle designed to drive both on public roads and on rough terrain, i.e. off the roads. Hence the name – SUV. To drive off-road, such a car must have certain qualities: high ground clearance, large angles of entry and exit, a short base, a frame for the overall rigidity of the vehicle, large suspension travels and non-split axles to ensure wheel grip on uneven ground, a high-torque engine that lowers nearby and a set of locks in the transmission. And a sign of a real SUVis exactly the real, “iron” locks, and not their electronic imitation.

Does the Duster fit this description? As you can see – no! Duster has no frame, body rigidity is not enough for serious off-road. Even on a regular diagonal, the body “leads”, the doors begin to open poorly. This is verified by our own experience. The suspension travels are small, the car has a fully independent suspension, at least on the all-wheel drive version. Locks on Renault Duster are only electronic, no “iron” locks are installed from the factory. But on the other hand, the Duster has a relatively short base, high ground clearance, not bad exit and entry angles, and some kind of all-wheel drive! Then what is it? Crossover?

Not! Renault Duster is a crossover!?

What distinguishes a crossover from a conventional car and from SUVs? Again, I will express my purely subjective opinion that a crossover today is an ordinary car, but with slightly better geometric cross-country parameters. ALL! Today, crossovers are called cars that are not even equipped with all-wheel drive! Slightly higher ground clearance, plastic lining on the wheel arches and doors and everything! You have a crossover! Lots of examples! Many Chinese cars, the same Renault Sandero, etc. About 15-20 years ago, for many years I owned VAZ “nines”. Even this car by today's standards can be safely called a crossover!

Yes, of course, many cars with all-wheel drive fall under the description of crossovers. I have had a Mazda CX7 for many years. This is definitely a crossover! Even on bad roads it was hard to drive it, and even off-road poking around is a one-way road …

Well, okay, in this article I'm considering Duster. So can it be called a crossover? I think quite. But! In my opinion Duster is much more than just a crossover. The presence of all-wheel drive with the possibility of forced locking of the clutch and electronic imitations of wheel locks, a kind of lowering in cars with manual transmission and energy-intensive suspension allow the owner of this car not only to drive onto a curb in a cramped yard, but also sometimes (including the head) drive where they can drive only SUVs.

What is it – Renault Duster !?

If Renault Duster is not an SUV and has outgrown crossovers, then what is it? In my opinion , Renault Duster is an SUV! Yes Yes! This car allows you to drive equally comfortably at any time of the year both on city roads, a country highway, and on muddy country roads.

On my Duster, I went to the sea for 2 thousand kilometers and to the nearest forest along forest paths. How many of these crossovers are presented today in the current automotive market? It turns out not so much, but they cost much more than the Duster! Under the description of the all-terrain vehicle, it is quite possible to include modern all-wheel drive crossovers with air suspension. For example, Land Rover Discovery, Range Rovers, Tuareg, Audi Q7, BMW, Mercedes, etc. Good company for the Duster? Is not it?

Do you agree with my opinion? Write in the comments!