Renault Duster vs Ford Ecosport

What's the difference?

The Renault Duster 4x4 Evolution (manual) is a driver’s car. Lots of fun for day-to-day duties and a real visceral experience if you like to have a few laughs on loose-dirt and gravel tracks. And it’s adequately capable for off-roading adventures. It also has more than its fair share of cheeky charm.

Obviously it’s not anywhere near the most capable off-road vehicle available. That’s not what it’s intended to be. But it’s one of the most fun to drive on- and off-road.

And for $36,490 (excluding on-road costs), you’ll still have cash enough for a set of all-terrain tyres and some accessories.

So, should you buy a base-model Ford EcoSport Ambiente? 

For the money it’s a great little daily commuter with an odd mix of dated trim and a great multimedia, but it’s definitely worth making room in your budget to investigate the Trend or Titanium grades.

Plus, it’s worth keeping in mind that many competitors now offer more comprehensive safety or more powerful drivetrains for not much more money.

From the outside, the Duster 4x4 Evolution has that special ‘something’ that draws your eye. It’s unassuming, yet somehow eye-catching.

It’s a chunky little AWD with ‘Renault’ across the front grille and its raised stance gives the Duster a rugged presence.

Hard angles and nifty touches, such as the concealed rear door handles on the C-pillar, add to its funky exterior.

The Duster’s interior continues the minimalist theme with hard plastic surfaces everywhere – including the dash and door armrests – and black and grey cloth upholstery, all amid a neat but uncluttered layout.

The 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen , angled slightly towards the driver, dominates up front and caps off what is an unpretentious, functional cabin.

The EcoSport has had a second refresh this year, simply removing the spare wheel from the back. According to Ford, this was due to consumers not liking the extra 12kg it added to the rear hatch. Fair enough. 

Personally though, I think it detracts from the EcoSport’s look, the rear spare was a cheeky stab at small soft-roaders of the ‘90s. 

The lack of a spare also makes the side-swinging door a bit pointless now (it also swings the wrong way, toward the kerb instead of away from it, due to its European design origins) and just gives the rear three-quarter another anonymous SUV look.

Aside from that the EcoSport has come a long way styling-wise. 

It has ditched the weird hatchback grille it used to have, instead employing a tough-looking single plastic grille insert, bringing it stylistically in line with larger Ford SUVs like the Everest and Escape. Plus, the plastic guards on the underside give it a fun off-roader look.

Importantly, it strays far enough from its Fiesta underpinnings to look like something new entirely, unlike the Holden Trax, which simply looks like a Holden Cruze on stilts…

Inside, it maintains a little too much of that last-generation Fiesta look. The dash juts too far into the cabin, feeling as though it reduces space, and there is an abundance of terrible plastics and hardly aesthetic textures across the entire cockpit.

The seat trim is some el-cheapo nylon material, but at least it will be easy to clean.

A saving grace is the slick-looking multimedia interface, but it looks so much newer than its surroundings its obvious Ford has simply tacked this on as part of a facelift. Thankfully, unlike some other current Fords, the volume, fan-speed and temperature controls are all dials instead of buttons.

The touchscreen itself, as with most new Ford products, is a pleasure to use and not difficult to navigate. The Apple CarPlay connectivity didn’t throw me any lag or problems.

In terms of interior trim, the Honda HR-V is still the target to beat in this segment, but the EcoSport shapes up pretty well compared to the Trax and ASX with their tiny media screens and equally average interior materials.

The interior in Evolution trim matches the Duster’s no-nonsense adventure-focussed approach. It’s spartan but user-friendly.

The front seats are manually adjustable and the cloth upholstery looks like it’s hard-wearing and likely able to cope with the utter messiness of life.

I had trouble getting my phone to work via the 10.1-inch multimedia unit, but otherwise I have few complaints about the system as it’s easy enough to operate. There’s a wireless-charging pad below the screen. There are also two USB-C charging ports up front and two for rear-seat passengers, as well as two 12-volt sockets one in the front and another in the rear cargo area.

There is a mix of physical buttons and on-screen controls to operate various in-cabin functions, such as air-con.

For storage there is a glove box, a deep centre console, two cupholders, and a small shelf for your pocket clutter.

The second-row seats are roomy enough for two adults or three teens across the row and while passengers there have access to two USB-C charging ports and air vents, there’s no fold-down centre armrest.

The rear cargo area is accessed via a manual tailgate and is claimed to offer 358 litres of cargo volume when the rear seat is in use and 1424 litres when the second-row seat is stowed away.

Payload in the Duster Evolution 4x4 is listed as 503kg. The cargo area has a light, cargo hooks and a 12V socket. This Duster has a 215/70 R16 spare stored underfloor.

Despite being based on a car as compact as the Fiesta (complete with aforementioned dash design that feels like it detracts from space), the EcoSport has a good amount of head and legroom in both seating rows.

In terms of storage, there’s a little trench under the air conditioning controls, two decently-sized cupholders in the centre console and what has to be one of the smallest storage boxes I’ve ever used under the armrest.

Rear passengers get… um… not much. There are no storage areas in the doors, no drop-down centre armrest and no air vents in the back of the centre console. They do get two ISOFIX points on the outer seats, though. At least in terms of dimensions, space is decent back there.

The EcoSport’s boot is large. As Ford provides measurements in SAE rather than VDA, it’s hard to compare number for number, but the boot is deep and tall with the seats up, and with them down there’s a nifty variable boot floor so you can level it out or take advantage of the extra depth.

CarsGuide colleague Matt Campbell points out in his latest range review, that one of the EcoSport's main selling points in other markets is that it can fit a whole washing machine in the boot.

The HR-V still aces this segment in terms of flexibility, but the EcoSport possesses one of the most useful boots in its class.

Oh, and the missing full-size spare wheel on the back? That's now gone entirely, replaced with an inflation kit under the boot floor. Don't blame Ford, blame the consumers.

We’ll start with one of the most appealing points of the EcoSport, and that’s price. Our Ambiente is the base-model and comes in at a total of $22,790 before on-roads.

That’s cheap. Especially when lined up against competitors, like the base automatic Holden Trax LS ($26,490), the automatic Mitsubishi ASX ES ($25,490), and the Honda HR-V VTi ($24,990).

It comes closest to the base-model Suzuki Vitara RT-S, which can be had in automatic form from $23,990.

Obviously cheapest doesn’t always mean best, and you’ll notice right off the bat items like the dorky 16-inch steel wheels with plastic hubcaps, cheap black plastic finishes on the door handles and wing-mirrors and bargain halogen headlamp fittings.

Better features for the price are the wing-mirror mounted indicators, new 6.5-inch multimedia touchscreen with DAB+, two USB ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a very welcome reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

Frustratingly, auto headlights are missing… a let down in any 2019 car.

The new touchscreen with Ford’s 'Sync 3' software is the most important value add for the base EcoSport, It’s way better than similar offerings in more expensive base-model competitors, although, unlike the Suzuki Vitara, does not offer sat-nav at this price.

One thing I’m not entirely sure of is why you wouldn’t simply stretch the extra $1700 to upgrade the EcoSport to the mid-spec Trend grade, as it scores a better turbocharged engine, alloy wheels, bigger 8.0-inch multimedia screen with sat-nav, ditches the dorky black plastic finish and adds a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Worth the money for sure.

The Duster 4x4 Evolution has a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system (producing 96kW at 4500rpm and 230Nm at 2250rpm) matched to a six-speed manual gearbox.

As I said earlier, a new small 4x4 SUV with off-road capability and a manual gearbox is refreshing.

This Duster has an all-wheel drive system and the little 1422kg SUV can do the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 11.94 seconds.

The EcoSport Ambiente is the only EcoSport in the range powered by a 1.5-litre non-turbo three-cylinder engine.

The Trend and Titanium levels get a more advanced 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo engine bearing Ford’s 'EcoBoost' branding.

On paper the 1.5-litre in our car is underpowered. It produces just 90kW/150Nm, comparing poorly to four-cylinder competitors like the Holden Trax with its 1.4-litre turbo (103kW/200Nm), the Mitsubishi ASX with its 2.0-litre non-turbo (110kW/197Nm) and Honda HR-V with its 1.8-litre non-turbo (105kW/172Nm).

In practice though, it’s not too bad. Quite a bit of the available torque arrives early, letting the EcoSport zip around city surroundings with ease. It’s only really out on open roads where you’ll feel the power fade away at higher revs.

All EcoSports have a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission and are front-wheel drive only in Australia.

Official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption is 5.7L/100km.

On test, we recorded 6.7L/100km but we did do a half-day of light off-roading.

This Duster 4x4 has a 55-litre fuel tank so, going by that on-test fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 820km out of a full tank.

The turbocharged 1.2-litre mild-hybrid three-cylinder engine requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

The bad news for the 1.5-litre three-cylinder is clearly in this department. 

Ford claims a not-great combined figure of 6.9L/100km, and after my mixed drive (freeways on the weekend, traffic during the week) I managed to add another 2.1 litres to that total, bringing my final number to 9.0L/100km.

An average score, considering you can extract better fuel figures from much bigger and more engaging engines. For comparison, I recently scored 8.0L/100km in the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo Suzuki Vitara.

All EcoSports have a 52-litre fuel tank, and happily drink base-grade 91 RON petrol.

My kids are learning to drive in a manual because I reckon being able to drive a manual vehicle remains an important skill to have. I only own manual cars at this point in time and it’s nice to see new cars with manual gearboxes haven’t been done away with just yet.

This all-wheel drive adventure machine is light at 1422kg and punchy, working through a turbocharged 1.2-litre mild-hybrid three-cylinder engine (producing 96kW at 4500rpm and 230Nm at 2250rpm) and a six-speed manual gearbox.

It’s sporty, with precise steering, crisp throttle response and nicely controlled ride and handling. And it’s a whole lot of fun to drive on sealed surfaces.

Throwing it around corners at (legal) speed is a barrel of laughs and driving on fast loose-dirt tracks is damn good for rally-style hilarity, all with the gruff backing track of this little AWD’s tractable petrol engine. Driving the 4345mm long, 2069mm wide and 1650mm high Duster feels like you’re punching a go-kart around a track, in a good way.

The Duster’s suspension deserves a mention here because this package, including an independent multi-link set-up at the rear, yields a firm but well-balanced overall feel.

Its tight turning circle makes it supremely easy to accomplish quick manoeuvres without fuss and it’s also a cinch to park.

Visibility from the driver’s seat is somewhat reduced through different angles to the rear and back along the vehicle’s side, but you get used to that. It doesn’t help that the camera view is muddy looking on the screen.

Those niggles aside, did I mention it’s fun to drive?

It’s not too shabby in low-speed off-road scenarios, either. The Duster is similar to Subaru’s Crosstrek and XV or the Jimny, in that this Renault’s intended use is not as a hardcore rock-crawling beast, it’s not engineered for that sort of thing.

The Duster's all-wheel drive system is well calibrated and quietly effective at detecting wheel-slip and delivering a smooth response. Driven with care, this AWD SUV is capable of off-roading at a level that will surprise some.

It has a 4x4 terrain control system with five modes – 'Auto', 'Eco', 'Mud & sand', 'Snow' and 'Off-road' – as well as a hill descent control system. None of these are engineered to turn the Duster into an off-highway mongrel but they ensure it's able to cope with mild to less-mild off-roading.

The Duster’s ground clearance (212mm) and off-road angles (31-degree approach and 36-degree departure) make it better suited to tackling off-road terrain of the light-to-moderate variety rather than door-sill deep mud holes and the like.

For reference, the Suzuki Jimny has 210mm of ground clearance and approach and departure angles of 37 and 49 degrees. The Crosstrek has 220mm of ground clearance, and approach and departure angles in the off-road-focussed Wilderness of 23.5 and 25.5 degrees.

But it’s still very capable if driven with consideration and well within the limits of its physical dimensions and off-road traction control.

Light off-roading (well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks in dry conditions) is fine because that’s well within the Duster’s capabilities and it results in little to no wear and tear on the vehicle.

While the Duster can handle short bursts on firm-packed sand (which I test here), sand-driving puts extra stress on any vehicle, and AWDs don’t have a lot of ground clearance, so they’re prone to bellying out on tall crests in between deeper wheel ruts on a beach.

My advice? Avoid anything beyond a well-maintained dirt track in dry weather and don’t take on any ‘4WD/ high ground clearance only' tracks, prolonged sand-driving or rock-crawling. Anything more rigorous than that and you risk damage to the vehicle’s underbody at a minimum, and mechanical damage and personal injury at worst. You’ve been warned.

The Duster’s off-road capabilities could easily be further enhanced with a set of decent light truck all-terrain tyres but, be aware, even aggressive rubber won’t turn it into a gung-ho off-roader.

For the record, it has unbraked trailer towing capacity of 750kg and braked towing capacity of 1500kg. Maximum towball download is listed as 75kg.

A bonus for Duster owners is that it can be kitted out for adventure via either Renault’s range of accessories – including all-weather floor mats, roof box, roof racks etc – or through Australia’s aftermarket industry.

The EcoSport is a great city companion. With long suspension travel that’s comfortable and compliant, neglected infrastructure didn’t bother the ride much at all, and it was surprisingly quiet during our week.

Prodding the accelerator too far will only lead to disappointment, the engine starts to make a bit more noise, but doesn’t propel the car with an equal amount of gusto. It’s hardly the most entertaining car to drive, even in the small SUV segment.

The steering is great, if a little light and the transmission makes itself largely unknown. Ford’s choice to stick with a torque converter rather than a CVT has probably saved this little engine from being a major let down.

All those features combine with a high seating position and great visibility for a little SUV that’s simply easy to pilot in urban surroundings. 

More can be had from competitors like the HR-V with its excellent ride, and the Suzuki Vitara with its fun-packed engine, but Ford has nailed the experience for daily commuters.

The EcoSport carries a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating as of December 2017, although it has not been rated to the more stringent standards introduced in 2018 that place a higher importance on autonomous systems.

No EcoSport grade has auto emergency braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist (LKAS) or active cruise, but Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) does become available on the top Titanium grade.

It’s a letdown given most competitors are now at least offering low-speed AEB.

Our understanding is that Ford doesn’t even plan to add those more recent active safety features to the EcoSport for the foreseeable future, unlike the Suzuki Vitara which is set to get features like AEB soon.

The Ambiente still has seven airbags, the standard suite of stability systems and hill decent control, as well as the aforementioned reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

A five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assistance applies to the Duster. That's average for the mainstream market.

Servicing appointments are set at 12 months/30,000km intervals, whichever occurs soonest.

Capped price servicing applies to the first five services with a total cost calculated at $2475 for the all-wheel Duster, with an average per-service cost of $495, which is getting up there for a car in this price bracket.

Renault has more than 70 dealerships across Australia.

Just like Mazda, Honda and Holden, Ford has updated its warranty recently to five-years/unlimited km coverage. Kia doesn’t operate in the small SUV segment (unless you count the quirky Soul) so five years is the bar to beat.

The 1.5-litre non-turbo three-cylinder engine option was not available in Ford’s service calculator tool at the time of writing but expect it to cost between $230-270 per regular service, jumping to somewhere just under $500 every four years (assuming it keeps a similar pricing structure to the previous engine options).

Ford offers a free loan car while your car is down for servicing, which needs to happen once a year or every 15,000km.