Alfa Romeo Giulietta vs Renault Duster

What's the difference?

So much right and some things not quite right – the Giulietta has the Alfa Romeo mix of highs and lows which the brand is famous for. There’s no mistaking that this is a unique and sexy looking car, with the practicality of a five-door hatch plus impressive handling and performance.  More heart than head decision here though it seems, but romantic Alfa enthusiasts should adore it.

The Renault Duster looks set to put the French carmaker back on the map here in Australia.

While there will likely be general appeal thanks to its cool looks, it holds special appeal for us off-road enthusiasts as a new, cost-affective option that’s filled to the brim with character and charisma.

While it may not be perfect, it also doesn’t matter. In fact, this makes me like the Duster even more.

The manual AWD feels like the purest and most correct way to experience the Duster as it’s so smile-inducing. However, this isn’t to discredit the automatic FWD version as it’s arguably more liveable day-to-day.

Pick your poison. You’re bound to love it no matter which way you go.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Alfa Romeo couldn't design a boring car even if it was handed a picture of a Toyota Camry and told to copy it or else. The Giulietta is no exception.

There's the deep 'V' grille shared with the new Giulia sedan and 4C sports cars that make up the current Alfa model line-up. There's the bug-eye headlights with pretty inset LEDs and the chiselled bonnet, a side profile which looks like that of a mini Porsche Cayenne and a cute-but-tough bottom with its elegant taillights and twin exhausts.

The latest update brought a honeycomb mesh grille and a slightly different design to the headlight and LED foglight surrounds. The tail pipes were also given a styling tweak, so too were the alloy wheels.

Despite its coupe looks it's actually a five-door hatch with ‘hidden' handles for the rear doors.

The cabin saw new materials and finishes added. The Veloce had the Alfa Romeo logo stitched into the integrated headrests, shiny sports pedals, and lashings of faux carbon fibre trim on the doors and dash.

You can tell a Veloce from the outside by the red Brembo brake calipers behind the front wheels, 18-inch alloys, its chunkier exhaust tips poking out of the diffuser, red pin-striping to the front and rear bumpers, and the black window surrounds.

Okay, how big or small is it? Here's some dimensions for you. The Guilietta is 4351mm long, 1798mm wide, 1465mm tall and the Veloce with its sports suspension is 9mm lower than the others with 102mm of ground clearance.

Compared to say a Mazda3 hatch the Giulietta is 109mm shorter end-to-end and only 3mm wider. But if you're considering an Giulietta why are you looking at the Mazda3 anyway? That would be sensible - Like comparing Cancer Council hats to top hats.

When you see a Renault Duster parked up or on the road, you’ll instantly be able to tell what it is.

This small SUV is essentially a rebadged Dacia for international markets and the design changes are minimal.

The most noticeable departure is the front grille has ‘Renault’ badging written out instead of a Dacia badge. It’s a departure from any other current Renault model on offer locally and gives the car a tough, unique presence.

There are also Y-shaped LED daytime running lights that look cool and modern.

Depending on the Duster version you opt for, the lower section of the front bumper looks different. All-wheel drive (AWD) versions sit higher to improve the approach angle and ground clearance.

Around the side there’s plenty of plastic cladding to drive home that this is a tough all-terrain machine and not your everyday crossover. I prefer it to the glossy and chrome accents on rival SUVs as it's no-nonsense.

The black body cladding around the wheel arches and along the door sills is recycled and has a fleck throughout it. There’s also a recycled icon near the side mirrors which is a touch too on the nose for my liking.

Towards the rear there are angular haunches that make the Duster look tough, as well as hidden rear door handles on the C-pillar.

At the back there are even more angles that make the Duster stand out. The most obvious is the triangular tail-lights which look funky and cool.

There’s little else to note about the rear design besides a subtle Renault badge and Duster written out on the bottom of the tailgate. I appreciate how clean the rear is because some carmakers can go over the top with badging.

Inside, the Duster defies its budget roots with a high-tech and modern-presenting design. The Y-shaped air vents continue the motif from the headlights, while the 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system is mounted prominently on the dash and is smartly tilted towards the driver.

After spending some time behind the wheel, however, you start to notice a lot of the Duster’s finishes inside are hard, scratchy plastics. It’s most noticeable on the dashboard.

Depending on which version you opt for, the door armrests are also finished in hard plastic. The top-spec Techno gets a softer padding on top, however.

While there is a lot of hard plastics, it’s nowhere near as noticeable as a Suzuki Jimny.

Beautiful things tend to favour form over function. The Giuletta tries to do both and succeeds…but also fails in places.

Successes first: despite its coupe looks it's actually a five-door hatch with ‘hidden' handles for the rear doors placed up at window level near the C-pillar. So good is the two-door disguise that our photographer climbed into the back seat through the front door.

Rear legroom is a bit tight back there and at 191cm I can sit behind my driving position but I'd hate for me to be sitting behind me because my knees are digging hard into the seat back.

Headroom isn't much chop either and I literally can't sit in the back seat and hold my head high – a combination of that sloping roofline and the optional double sunroof reduces the head space.

A major practicality fail is the lack of storage throughout the cabin.

Ordering drive-thru is possibly out of the question.

My wife's phone kept mysteriously appearing in the footwell every time we left it in the glove box, like there was a tear in the time-space fabric, but then we realised it was slipping through a gap.

There's no centre armrest storage bin in the front – actually there's no centre armrest. There is a pop-up hidey-hole on the dash but with only enough room for a pair of sunglasses.

The two cup holders in the front are small. It's safe to say that unless you have somebody with hands at the ready, ordering drive-thru is possibly out of the question.

Or if you have long arms and can reach the fold down armrest in the back there are two decent sized cup holders along with a small storage space. There are no bottle holders any of the doors, but there is fortunately room for a phone and wallet because there isn't space for them anywhere else.

But wait, the Giulietta is saved from a total storage fail by a large-for-the-class 350-litre boot. That's 70 litres bigger than a Toyota Corolla's and only 14 litres less than the Mazda3.  We could fit the pram, the shopping and the rest of the gear which goes with a military operation such as a trip to the park with a toddler in there.

In terms of practicality, this is one small SUV that punches above its weight.

Up front both the seats are manually adjustable, which is expected at this price point. There’s nothing wrong with this as they still allow you to find your desired seating position.

The entry-level Evolution comes with cloth upholstery which feels nice to touch and allows for decent breathability, whereas the top-spec Techno has a premium textile that almost feels like neoprene (wetsuit material). I’m thankful there’s no leather upholstery option in this car because it wouldn’t suit its character.

Ahead of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which feels more premium than you’d expect. It feels lovely in the hand and is complimented by the squared-off shape.

Another reason why I like this steering wheel is it offers a generous amount of tilt and reach adjustment. This means people of all different sizes and statures will be able to find a comfortable driving position.

There’s a nice smattering of physical buttons on the steering wheel for critical things like the cruise control and changing the content on the digital instrument cluster, though if you want to change the volume or track, you need to interact with the stubby stalk behind the steering wheel.

This is a classic Renault quirk that’s been in a number of its cars for years. It takes a bit to get your head around, but once you do it’s second nature.

Behind the steering wheel is a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster which looks a little small in its housing. Clear analogue dials for the rev counter and speedometer would have been better and likely more timeless.

As standard, however, there’s a big digital speedometer readout that’s easy to read, as well as a few layout styles and informative pages to cycle through.

I wish the digital rev counter was featured on more of the page layouts and it also had more numbers denoting the rev counter markings, rather than simple lines. This is particularly annoying in the manual.

Moving across, the 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system is clear and bright. It also helps that the native interface is simple and easy to navigate.

There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the line-up which is fantastic to see and almost expected now. Complimenting this is a standard wireless phone charger at the base of the centre tunnel.

Additionally, if you opt for the Techno, you get a phone mount on the dashboard. I still haven’t decided whether this is helpful or not given there’s already wireless phone mirroring and the phone mount doesn’t provide charge as standard.

Unlike many newer cars, the Duster retains plenty of physical switchgear up front so key functions like the dual-zone climate control and drive modes.

In terms of storage up front there are two cupholders, a handy shelf for stowing things above the wireless charger, a big centre console box, as well as a deep glove box.

Moving to the second row there’s plenty of headroom, though legroom is minimal for adults above (183cm) six feet. You have to remember this is a small SUV so it’s actually not too bad.

The second-row bench seat is laid back, allowing you to get comfortable on longer drives. Two adults can easily fit back there, though pushing it to three would make it squishy.

Second-row amenities include air vents and two USB-C ports. There’s also a special connector on the back of the centre console which allows you to fit a wide range of optional 'YouClip' accessories. These include a cupholder, light or hook.

In the same vein, you can also add a phone or tablet holder to the back of the front-seat headrest. The configurability is to your heart’s content.

A downside of the second row, however, is there’s no fold-down centre armrest. This also means there are no rear cupholders as standard, which is disappointing.

At the back the entire Duster line-up has a manual tailgate, which is fine for the price point.

The boot space itself is decent as there’s no load lip, but if you’re wanting a larger space overall, it’s best to opt for the front-wheel drive (FWD) versions as they have 472L with the rear seats upright. AWD versions, on the other hand, have 358L with the rear seats up.

The Techno 4x2 in particular has a two-tier floor which allows you to stow things underneath the main boot floor, or you can create a partition to stop things moving around.

Boot-related amenities include a light, hooks and a 12V socket. There are also extra YouClip points, including one on the tailgate. This allows you to add extra lights or hooks.

As standard, all Duster variants get a full-size spare wheel, which is fantastic given this type of vehicle may be spending a lot of time out on the open road.

In Australia the 2026 Renault Duster is being offered in two trim levels with two powertrain options.

Pricing starts at $31,990, before on-road costs, for the Duster Evolution 4x2 automatic and extends to $37,990, before on-roads, for the Duster Techno 4x4 manual.

This is competitive pricing for the small SUV segment, especially when you consider the rugged and considerably smaller Suzuki Jimny costs similar.

As standard the Duster Evolution comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger, dual-zone climate control, an electric park brake, as well as black and grey cloth upholstery.

Stepping up to the Techno gets you larger 18-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, privacy glass, modular roof rails, keyless entry and walk-away locking, push-button start, a smartphone holder, as well as black and grey premium textile upholstery.

While the entire Duster line-up has LED low-beam headlights, the high-beams are only halogen, which is a disappointing cost-cutting move.

Despite this, there’s still plenty of standard equipment, even from the base Evolution trim.

If that’s not enough, however, you can further personalise your Duster with a wide range of optional accessories. There are clip-on cupholders, lights, hooks and tablet holders inside, as well as Rhino Rack and Thule accessories outside.

The Giulietta Veloce has a 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produce 177kW of power and 340Nm of torque. It's a great engine that lets loose a wonderful scream when pushed hard and the little grunts it makes when it changes gear when driving around normally sound like a giant enjoying his food.

The transmission is a dual-clutch auto which Alfa calls a TCT or twin-clutch transmission. I'm not a fan of them regardless of the brand of car they're in but the Alfa version is better than most of the others in its smoothness at lower speeds and decisiveness.

There's so much potential here for a great driving experience.

What about the Giulietta's reliability over time? This version of the car is less than two months old so we can only comment on what it offers as a brand-new vehicle, but you'll find good context in our used review of the earlier 2011-2014 Giulietta.

As noted earlier, the Renault Duster is offered with two different powertrains.

The most affordable option is a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produces 113kW of power and 270Nm of torque.

This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with drive sent to the front wheels only. It’s worth noting this is the same powertrain that propels the Renault Arkana and Captur, as well as certain entry-level Mercedes-Benz models.

Renault claims this version of the Duster can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.2 seconds.

The second powertrain option is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol with 48V mild-hybrid assistance which produces 96kW and 230Nm.

This is less powerful than the four-cylinder petrol but it’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with drive sent through an all-wheel drive system.

Renault claims the AWD Duster can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 11 seconds. That’s not very fast at all…

Claimed top speed for the entire Duster line-up in Australia is 200km/h.

Unfortunately there’s no automatic AWD Duster available globally yet so if you want to maximise your all-terrain capability, you’ll need to opt for this mild-hybrid manual powertrain option.

All versions of the Renault Duster have a braked towing capacity of 1500kg, though it’s worth noting the towball download limit is only 75kg. This could prove to be a hassle if you’ve got a towball-mounted bike rack and you put a hefty e-bike on it as this could easily send it over this threshold.

Alfa Romeo says you should see your Veloce drink at a rate of 6.8L/100km during combined driving, but the dash showed more than double that during mainly urban driving while  channelling  Enzo Ferrari.

Renault claims the four-cylinder, FWD Duster consumes 6.5L/100km, whereas the three-cylinder, AWD is claimed to consume 5.7L/100km, both on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle (ADR 81/02).

The former has a 50L fuel tank and requires a minimum of 91 RON regular unleaded petrol, while the latter has a slightly larger 55L fuel tank but requires higher quality 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

We didn’t get a chance to properly get as-tested fuel consumption figures during this initial first drive, but the FWD Duster has a theoretical range of 770km and the AWD Duster extends that to 965km.

There's so much potential here for a great driving experience such as the accurate and direct steering and great suspension which provides a comfortable ride and great handling, only for all to be let down by turbo lag which kills the responsiveness in the car.

Of the three steering modes: Dynamic, Natural and All Weather, the Dynamic setting was kept on almost always with the other two just feeling too lethargic.

The Giulietta is front-wheel drive and there's a lot of torque being sent to those wheels, but unlike a stack of Alfas in the past there's next to no torque steer. That said, our hill start test on a wet night saw those front wheels scrambling for traction as it accelerated up the slope. Cornering grip from the tyres is excellent, however.

There's some Alfa Romeo ergonomic issues in the cabin we've gotten used to over the years, but just because you're accustomed to something doesn't mean it's okay. For example, the cramped driver's footwell with the brake and accelerator pedals so close that it's easy to hit both at the same time.

Such is the intensity of the spray from both the window washer and the headlight washers it's like you're captaining a fishing trawler that's hit a massive wave at sea.

The indicator and wiper stalks are also so far from the steering wheel rim that they're almost out of reach – I don't think I have small hands, nobody's ever pointed them out or laughed at them.

And speaking of wipers, the Giulietta is obsessed with keeping itself clean. Pull the wiper stalk towards you to clean the windows and such is the intensity of the spray from both the window washer and the headlight washers it's like you're captaining a fishing trawler that's hit a massive wave at sea. Put the car into reverse and the rear wiper starts squirting and washing.

For Christmas I want Alfa to upgrade their media unit or bin it – the UConnect system disconnected my phone without prompting and isn't intuitive to use.

Depending on which version of the Duster you opt for, they’re rather different beasts. The most ‘normal’ version is the FWD auto.

This powertrain combination with the 1.3-litre turbo four-cylinder and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic immediately feels familiar if you’ve driven a current Arkana or Captur.

There’s enough power underfoot to get moving along briskly, though you won’t be breaking the land speed record anytime soon. There’s also a wealth of torque allowing the engine to feel like it’s not working hard.

It’s fun to listen to the turbo spool up during moderate acceleration, though the four-cylinder engine note doesn’t necessarily inspire you.

For the most part the seven-speed dual-clutch operates smoothly, though it can get caught out during low-speed manoeuvres. It’s also clearly tuned for economy as it likes to shift up to the next gear quickly.

The AWD Duster, on the other hand, is where the fun and true character of this quirky SUV shines. With the three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and the manual transmission, it’s far from the quickest vehicle out there. It’s faster than a Suzuki Jimny, though.

While progress may be relatively docile, the gruff three-cylinder engine note is addictive. There’s also plenty of torque on tap, so you don’t need to downshift to get things moving.

The manual selector feels chunky in the hand and the clutch biting point is easy to get your head around. Unlike some petrol-powered manual cars, this one’s hard to stall. Even if you do, once you put your foot back on the clutch, the car restarts automatically.

Where the AWD Duster gains extra character points is by having a 48V mild-hybrid system. It doesn’t do anything to drastically alter the driving experience apart from adding a tiny boost to acceleration and extending and smoothing the engine idle stop-start system.

During our launch drive program we had the opportunity to drive the front- and AWD Duster off the beaten path, as well. While you’d expect the latter to be good, the former surprised me in terms of just how far it could go. It’s clear the platform is set up for all-terrain capability, no matter the powertrain configuration.

For added peace of mind off-road, however, the AWD has a higher ground clearance (212mm vs 174mm), as well as a range of terrain modes, including a ‘Lock’ setting that splits torque evenly between the front and rear axles.

The AWD Duster is pretty unstoppable off-road. It’s not quite a Jimny tamer in terms of outright off-road-ability, but I estimate the Duster could do 80 per cent of what a Jimny could do.

While the Duster mightn’t be an outright off-road beast, it well and truly makes it up with on-road finesse. The most noticeable element is the suspension. It feels supple, balanced and controlled no matter the surface. Sure there’s some body roll in the bends, but this isn’t trying to be a sports car.

There are some differences between the front- and AWD Duster when it comes to the rear suspension. The former has a torsion beam set-up, while the latter has a multi-link arrangement. In practice, however, it’s hard to tell any difference between the two.

The steering is direct and on the lighter side which helps with manoeuvrability, though there’s a general lack of feel. It’s considerably better than the Jimny’s vague steering, though.

In terms of parking the Duster has a tight turning circle. Rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are standard in the Evolution, though the Techno adds front and side parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera.

The camera systems in this car are poor. They’re mushy-looking with poor resolution and horrible colour balance. It’d be great to see higher quality units installed, especially because the multimedia screen is so high-resolution.

Forward visibility from the driver’s seat is fantastic through the rather upright windscreen. You also get a good view of the muscular-looking bonnet.

Side visibility is great, which helps make checking blind spots easier, plus the rear envelope is sizable.

The safety systems in this car are largely easy to live with, though the lane-keep assist can grab at the steering wheel a bit too much on roads with tight lanes or poor lane markings.

Thankfully there’s a button on the dashboard that turns this, and any other safety system that annoys you off, so you can keep on motoring without safety nanny intrusion.

Lastly in terms of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the Duster is impressively quiet at low speeds. You can even travel at 60-80km/h along gravel roads and in the cabin it sounds like you’re on a sealed surface.

Once you get out on the open road at highway speeds there’s noticeable road and wind noise, but I’ve experienced much worse in small SUV rivals at a similar price point.

The Renault Duster hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP just yet, though the Dacia Duster did receive a three- out of five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2024.

As standard there are six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, driver attention alert, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Stepping up to the Techno gets you blind-spot monitoring, front and side parking sensors as well as a surround-view camera.

Notably absent from the entire line-up is rear cross-traffic alert, as well as adaptive cruise control. There’s only standard cruise control on offer.

There are two ISOFIX points, as well as three top-tether child seat anchorage points on the rear seat bench.

The Giulietta is covered by Alfa Romeo's three year/150,000km warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12month/15,000km intervals with a major service every two years. Alfa Romeo doesn't have capped price servicing but there is Mopar Vehicle Protection which customers can purchase with the vehicle for $1995.

The Renault Duster is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assistance.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 30,000km, which is mainstream for the commercial vehicle segment, but incredibly rare for a regular car. These long intervals are handy for those who travel long distances.

The first five services have capped pricing. All up these cost $2685 for FWD Dusters or $2475 for AWD Dusters. These average out to $537 and $495, respectively, per service.

Alternatively, you can purchase a five-year, pre-paid service plan for $2150 for FWD Dusters or $2100 for AWD Dusters. This is a saving of over $500, depending on the version, compared to pay-as-you-go.