What to choose: Renault Duster or UAZ Patriot

An interesting comparison awaits us. Two completely different cars, offered at roughly the same price, and both with off-road capability.

Of course, even in this part, their characteristics differ greatly, not to mention others - dimensions, level of comfort and safety, equipment. So, get acquainted: the bestseller of recent years Renault Duster and an old acquaintance - the UAZ Patriot SUV.

Technical features of the models

To compare the technical characteristics of the models, we have chosen specimens with motors of different power, although their line of power units also has engines of the same amount of horsepower.

Exterior

The second generation Renault Duster has undergone a significant update, including the appearance. Now the French SUV looks more modern and attractive, without losing balance in all possible angles.

The largest number of changes is in the front, where a new radiator grille, head optics, and an overlay on a massive bumper have appeared. The profile view has become much more athletic thanks to the muscular wheel arches, and the stern also attracts the eye with its optics unit, large boot lid and stylish bumper.

In terms of appearance, the UAZ Patriot looks like a classic monumental jeep, although you can also find family features inherent only in it, in particular, a fine-mesh radiator grille with chrome edging.

So who looks better: Patriot or Duster? The Frenchman is more modern, but the domestic SUV has a look that will never go out of style. Draw your own conclusions.

Salon and trunk

If the first generation Duster was reproached for the budget of the interior, then the second generation definitely got rid of these accusations. And let the finishing materials not be called expensive, but they are quite solid even by European standards.

The salon is spacious, but the protruding floor tunnel will interfere with the rear passenger in the middle. 408 liters of luggage compartment for a SUV is a good indicator, but it can be increased to 1625 liters due to the folded back of the rear sofa.

After the modernization, which Patriot underwent in 2017, its interior also changed dramatically, and not only in terms of the organization of the internal space of the mile in terms of design - the quality of finishing materials became noticeably higher. As for the cargo-and-passenger characteristics of the SUV, they remained the same: the Patriot, compared to the Duster, has a luggage compartment volume by far - 650 liters, which can be increased to 1130 and even 2415 liters.

Engines and transmissions

For the Frenchman, the range of motors available for the Russian market includes three of the varieties:

• 1.6-liter 114-horsepower naturally aspirated;
• 2.0-liter 143-horsepower power unit;
• 1.5-liter turbodiesel with 109 horsepower.

The junior engine is mated to a six-speed mechanics, as well as an all-wheel drive transmission with a multi-plate clutch. The two-liter engine is supplied only with a six-speed automatic transmission, the diesel engine is supplied with a manual transmission.

The Patriot is equipped with a 2.7-liter engine, boosted to 135/150 horsepower. The transmission is a five-speed manual, a six-speed automatic and four-wheel drive with an electronically controlled transfer case.

So in terms of the power of the power plants, the confrontation between Renault Duster and UAZ Patriot turned out to be quite expected in favor of the domestic car.

Dynamics, fuel consumption

The Renault Duster turbo diesel accelerates the car to "hundreds" in 13.2 seconds at a maximum speed of 167 km / h. Average fuel consumption in the combined cycle is in the order of 5.3 liters / 100 km.

The 114-horsepower engine in the front-wheel drive version is characterized by indicators of 10.9 / 167 / 7.4, respectively, the version with all-wheel drive - 12.5 / 166 / 7.6.

Finally, we present the characteristics of a two-liter unit with a manual transmission (10.3 / 180 / 7.8) and an automatic transmission (11.5 / 174 / 8.7).

Compared to Renault Duster, the 135-horsepower UAZ Patriot engine demonstrates more modest performance: maximum speed - 150 km / h, average gas consumption - 12.7 liters. for 100 km.

Controllability and cross-country ability

UAZ Patriot keeps a good track when driving at high speed, the car's behavior is predictable when making high-speed maneuvers. There is almost no roll when cornering, the transmission functions reliably in all possible modes.

If we compare the UAZ Patriot and Renault Duster in terms of maneuverability, then the crossover clearly wins due to its lower mass. But the picture changes dramatically when it comes to the ability to overcome off-road. Despite the same ground clearance, Duster in this regard is a typical SUV, for which the top of the possibilities is urban obstacles such as curbs. It is already dangerous to move along a broken track on it, which cannot be said about a domestic SUV - it does not care about any type of road.

Security systems and assistants

In terms of the level of equipment with active safety systems, the question of which is better: Renault Duster or UAZ Patriot hardly has a specific and unequivocal answer. This set for a crossover is highly dependent on the configuration. For example, in the Acess modification, this is the driver's PB, as well as ABS / EBD / AFU. The top version adds a passenger cushion and the ability to adjust the front belts in height.

According to EuroNCAP, Renault Duster showed a very mediocre result in crash tests, which is unacceptable for a car that claims to be a family car.

UAZ Patriot is not far ahead in this regard: it has a poorer active safety system in the basic configuration (ABS / EBD), but the situation changes as the price rises: Traction Control System, Cornering Brake Control, Hydraulic Brake Assist and Hill Hold are added Control.

Since 2007, an energy-absorbing steering column has been installed on the SUV, which folds in the event of a frontal collision without consequences for the driver.

Service cost

According to this indicator, the cars are approximately equal, despite the fact that one of them is domestic. However, in terms of fuel consumption, the Patriot lags far behind, the intervals between maintenance are shorter (15 thousand km for normal operation and half as much for heavy operation). As for the cost of spare parts, here the advantage, if there is, is minimal - many parts for UAZ are imported.

Duster is much more economical in fuel, but it is expected to have more imported spare parts, despite the Russian assembly. The reliability of the suspension is far from ideal here, and in Russian conditions it has to be repaired often.

Options and prices

The starting equipment for Duster, Acess 2019, will cost the buyer 690 thousand rubles. For four-wheel drive, you will have to pay 120 thousand. At the same time, the owner of the car gets at his disposal a driver's airbag, a set of ABS / EBD / AFU, a power steering, an immobilizer - you can call such a car "empty". The top modification of Drive Plus 4WD already costs 1.123 million rubles and includes two frontal PB, cruise control, front power windows, heated and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, air conditioning, a remote engine start system, heated front seats, an adaptation package, and a modern audio system.

The basic SUV is equipped with a 135-horsepower engine and costs 790 thousand rubles.For this money, you will receive the same driver's airbag, ABS / EBD, electrically adjustable / heated exterior mirrors, power steering, a full package of power windows.

The rest of the configurations are equipped with 150-horsepower engines, the top-end version of the Patriot can be purchased for 1.268 million rubles. It includes, in addition to the above, ESP, TCS, CBC systems, Hydraulic Brake Assist and Hill Hold Control, one-zone climate control, heated leather steering wheel, cruise control, multimedia complex with 7-inch display, front / rear parking sensors, rear view camera.

What to choose: Renault Duster or UAZ Patriot

Duster can be bought by its modern appearance, suitability for driving in the city, relatively low fuel consumption. The car is much more maneuverable, it has an omnivorous suspension.

When choosing a UAZ Patriot, one should focus on its off-road characteristics - this is an ideal car for rural residents and for the northern regions of the country, where snow is present most of the year. And even if it is less reliable in operation and breaks down more often, this is compensated by more affordable spare parts and the simple implementation of almost any type of repair work.

In a word, despite belonging to the same price class, these are completely different cars, and their target audience is appropriate, so problems with the choice of "their" version are unlikely to arise here.