Renault Duster vs Geely Starray Em-I

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.

While it has a few quirks and flaws, there is a lot to like about the Starray. For starters, the value it offers at its price point is excellent and will really put pressure on its competition. The design may lack flair, but it does have a roomy cabin with a good multimedia system, so it’s family friendly and easy to live with.

Yes, it could do with some refinement of its on-road manners and driver assistance features, but for the value it offers and the frugal powertrain, it will no doubt find plenty of buyers who enjoy its substance and not just its memorable name.

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

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.

Geely is very proud of the Starray, of course, and the company gave a very detailed presentation on the thought behind the design - involving aerodynamics, Chinese ceramics and a video that appeared to show a Geely spaceship releasing the Starray into a barren landscape.

But to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t know how to describe it to you. The Starrary is a very generic looking car to my eyes, at least. Of course it’s subjective, and there is a clear visual connection between the Starray and the EX5, which is nice. But it just doesn’t have any real visual impact that makes it stand out.

It’s the automotive equivalent of a blank expression. Maybe it’s because the brand is so new, but if you removed the badges, there’s nothing about the Starray that screams ‘I’m a Geely’, and it could be a car from any number of brands.

By comparison, there is a distinctive visual style to Geely’s rivals, namely BYD, both externally and internally, to give it character. Obviously the same is very much true for bigger brands like Hyundai, Kia and even Toyota.

Perhaps with more time Geely will make more of a design impact on our market, but for now it’s hard to say it really has any standout design elements.

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.

The one area the designers do deserve a lot of credit for is the roomy cabin. Too often modern electric or hybrid SUVs compromise interior space in the name of aerodynamics, but the Starray has generous interior space.

The front seats are comfortable and roomy, but more impressive are the rear seats. They not only offer good kneeroom and head clearance, but the seats themselves are comfortable and supportive. 

As for cargo space, the boot has 428 litre of space, which is on par with BYD Sealion 6, but smaller than the 507 litres offered by the MG HS. Space can expand to 2065 litres with the second row dropped to load larger items.

Despite the modest boot capacity, the Starray doesn’t come with a full-size spare wheel, or even a spacesaver, and instead you have to make do with a tyre repair kit.

In terms of the multimedia system, there’s a huge 15.4-inch display that takes up a lot of space, and does look like someone just glued a big iPad to the dashboard. Then there’s the increasingly common 10.2-inch rectangular digital instrument display ahead of the steering wheel.

While this setup is highly functional, it does add to the generic design mentioned earlier. It also lacks any meaningful physical buttons, with the key audio and air-con functions all housed in the giant centre screen.

Standard on both Starray grades is Geely’s Connected Services, which includes a voice assistant, 4G connectivity, live traffic updates for the in-built sat-nav, over-the-air updates, as well as online streaming, remote vehicle functions and access to Geely’s own app store.

The over-the-air updates are important, because it will allow the company to change the car over time. For example, at launch it includes wireless Apple CarPlay, but Android Auto won’t be wireless until an over-the-air update early in 2026.

The Inspire features a premium sound system from Geely’s own Flyme brand, and it’s impressive. The 16-speaker, 1000W system is powerful and offers good clarity, so it’s worth the extra spend on the higher grade on its own.

As a mid-size SUV the Starray EM-i (which stands for E-Motive Intelligence) finds itself up against a wide variety of mid-size SUVs, including the popular Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson hybrids, as well as the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 and MG HS super hybrids.

To make sure the Starray stands out for more than just its name, Geely is hitting the market with a very sharp value proportion.

The Starray starts from just $37,490 (plus on-road costs), undercutting the BYD and MG, but not the Chery, which offers a drive-away price of $39,990. However, that’s for Geely's entry-level Complete variant, with the higher-grade Inspire starting at $39,990 plus on-road costs, to arguably make an even better value argument.

Standard equipment for the Complete includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, keyless entry and ignition, power adjustable front seats with heating and an infotainment system run through a 15.4-inch display.

While the Inspire adds 19-inch alloys, a panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, ambient interior lighting and a 16-speaker, 1000-watt premium sound system to really ram home Geely’s value push.

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.

There is no mechanical difference between the Starray Complete and Inspire. Geely has developed a new naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that pairs with an electric motor for a combined output of 193kW.

Power is sent to the front wheels only, with no all-wheel drive option. 

There are three driving modes - Pure, Hybrid and Power - with the former able to lock the car into EV-only driving, while the latter is able to combine the electric and petrol engine for maximum performance.

Even so, Geely’s 0-100km/h claim is only a modest 8.0 seconds and has a limited top speed of 170km/h, which is fine for Australian conditions.

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 electric motor is powered by an 18.4kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, which provides a claimed EV-only range of 83km, which is good for a PHEV but no longer class-leading, with some now pushing into triple digits.

Thanks to the hybrid assistance, fuel consumption is rated at just 2.4L/100km, on the combined cycle. It’s worth noting that both of those figures are to the WLTP test cycle, not the more generous Chinese testing protocol.

With a 51-litre fuel tank and the 83km EV mileage, Geely claims a total combined driving range of 943km. However, as always, we must point out that it is not really possible to achieve that 2.4L claim once the battery is depleted.

One handy feature of these plug-in hybrids with the bigger batteries is the vehicle-to-load or V2L functionality, which allows you to draw power from the battery to power small electrical devices, such as laptops or camping equipment.

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 good news is Geely gave the Starray a different ride and handling tune to what it offers in the Chinese market. The bad news is it’s the European tune.

Australian and European roads couldn’t be more different, with ours offering more potholes, bumps, dips, cracks and other imperfections that require more compliance than what’s needed for Europe’s typically smoother, less wrinkled roadways.

It means the Starray feels too firm for our back roads, but equally lacks body control at times too, so it’s not the most enjoyable SUV to drive on a winding country road. Around town the ride can get busy at times, but overall it feels better at lower speeds.

Just as importantly, the powertrain does a nice job in both conditions. It offers reasonable performance for this type of SUV, feeling slightly off the mark and effortlessly swapping between the electric motor and petrol engine.

We drove in EV mode initially and noticed the battery drained significantly in a short period, raising doubts about its ability to go 83km. However, as we switched to hybrid mode, we’ll have to reserve judgement and give Geely the benefit of the doubt when it comes to EV range.

Long story short, if Geely is serious about winning over Australian buyers, investing in local ride and handling tuning would help elevate the Starrary from just another imported SUV to something more memorable.

Geely has tried to tick all the important boxes on the safety front. In terms of passive protection the Starray has seven airbags, crucially including a centre airbag between the front occupants, which is considered necessary to achieve a five-star ANCAP score in an SUV this size.

The Starray EM-i does not currently have an ANCAP rating, however the EX5, with which it shares a platform, carries a maximum five-star rating.

As for the increasingly important active safety, there’s a comprehensive list, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist and a host of other systems reduced to a series of complicated acronyms.

However, like so many new models, while it ticks the boxes, the real-world application of these technologies is still a work-in-progress.

In particular the 'Intelligent Cruise Control' is poorly calibrated and brakes heavily for any sort of bend in the road, which is awkward and bordering on dangerous. On the freeway the Starray repeatedly slowed dramatically on gentle curves, at times wiping off more than 20km/h, leaving us feeling exposed to a potential collision from behind.

The driver attention system is another that needs more work. It’s bordering on hyperactive, sometimes activating when all you do is glance across to the central screen for a second or two. That’s not only irritating but leads you to turn off the system, thereby rendering it redundant.

In its defence, Geely is hardly alone in this department safety authorities - for now - continue to ignore real-world usage, but it’s still something the brand must address.

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.

As Geely and many other new brands are learning, it’s easy to launch a new model into Australia, but it’s a whole different story to deal with the aftersales care - servicing, warranty, etc.

“We want to ensure every day with Geely is a good day,” said Li Lei, CEO of Geely Australia.

To that end, Geely has partnered with some of Australia’s biggest dealer groups to quickly expand to 47 dealers in less than 12 months. At the same time it has built two Parts Distribution Centres in Australia and has 135 service venues, to ensure if anything does go wrong with an owner’s car it can be fixed and returned as soon as possible.

Geely is offering a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for the Starray EM-i, along with an eight-year warranty of the battery pack. 

Servicing is annually or every 15,000km, whichever comes first, and with Geely’s Hybrid Assured Service Pricing you will pay $1932 over the first five years.

If you take up that offer and service with Geely, the company will also include seven years of roadside assistance too.