"Renault Duster" or "Niva-Chevrolet": comparison, specifications, equipment, declared power, owner reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Many people, choosing a budget four-wheel drive car, often think about what to buy: Renault Duster or Niva Chevrolet? These cars are relatively inexpensive, have similar sizes, features and prices. For this reason, the choice is not at all easy. Today we will consider both cars in more detail and decide for sure which is better: Niva-Chevrolet or Renault-Duster?

It should be noted that there are plenty of fans of both models. These are the cars that are extremely common on the roads. They can be serviced in almost every car service, and you can always buy very cheaply all the necessary used spare parts. New parts are available in almost every auto parts store.

Exterior

To find out which of these two cars is better, you need to compare them in all respects and aspects. Let's start comparing the Niva-Chevrolet and Renault-Duster with their appearance. Hand on heart, let's say that the Renault Duster has a very, very controversial design. "Niva-Chevrolet" in this regard is not much, but it wins. I must say that both cars are not particularly impressive with their external data. But it should be borne in mind that the Niva-Chevrolet was developed and created a long time ago, but the Renault Duster is a more modern car. Then it is not clear how they managed to create it with such a faded appearance?

These are typical representatives of budget cars, you should not expect anything special from this class. Optics, body lines, bumpers and so on - it all looks a little poor, dull and old-fashioned. But these cars are not chosen for external beauty, so let's move on.

Interior

If we compare the Niva-Chevrolet and Renault-Duster in terms of interior decoration, then the situation is just as sad as with the exterior. Finishing materials on both models are cheap. Squeaks in the cabin may be present from the first turn of the wheel of a car that has rolled off the assembly line. Noise isolation is also bad, but in this aspect, the Duster wins at least a little. You can modify the sound insulation on any of the cars yourself, if you have the desire, opportunities and funds.

The dashboard in none of these cars can surprise you. Everything is very simple and without frills. Not everything is conveniently located and thought out, but this is a matter of habit. The seats are comfortable, the chairs themselves are also very decent, the same can be said about the back row sofas.

Iftalking about the size of the cabin and trunk, the Duster is a little better in this regard, it is a little more spacious inside, it is this space that is not enough in the Niva-Chevrole to comfortably accommodate three passengers in the back seat, but, again, we repeat that everything is known in comparison.

Handling and suspension

"Frenchman" keeps the road better at high speeds, and on asph alt, and on the primer. Both cars have a load-bearing body. The Niva-Chevrolet is equipped with an interaxle lock and low gears, the Renault Duster does not have a low row in the box, and the rear-wheel drive is switched on only when required. If we compare the cross-country ability of Renault-Duster and Niva-Chevrolet, then the Frenchman loses. But it is worth saying that both cars are SUVs.

The suspension itself is solid on both machines. It's harsh due to the short wheelbase, but it's not critical, it just takes some getting used to if you've owned a car with a long wheelbase or more expensive class before.

Off-road performance

The patency of "Renault-Duster" and "Niva-Chevrolet" does not raise any questions. But objectively, on a Niva-Chevrolet you can go where no Renault-Duster owner would even think of going. In fairness, let's say that the usual domestic "Niva" has even better cross-country ability than both options we are considering.

If you test drive the Niva-Chevrolet and Renault-Duster on asph alt, then the victory will be for the "Frenchman", and if you testoff-road comparison, then the Niva-Chevrolet will undoubtedly emerge victorious from this race.

But there are some nuances. For example, with a side skid in the snow, the Renault Duster will better cope with the situation, thanks to a more powerful engine and the work of modern electronics along with an all-wheel drive clutch. On the other hand, Niva-Chevrolet with fewer electronic systems is preferable for many buyers, because the absence of electronics is a guarantee of reliability. On budget cars, this truth is 100% true.

Technical characteristics of Renault Duster

"Renault Duster" can have both a manual transmission and an automatic one. An interesting feature: the manufacturer of this car recommends moving off on the Duster from second gear (on a manual gearbox). The fact is that the first gear in the box works to increase torque. This is done for confident movement of the car in snowy weather, and with a large accumulation of dirt on the road. If you drive in urban conditions, then this increase in torque is not required, so you can skip the first gear at the beginning of the movement and start from the second.

The choice of the buyer is offered three motors with different working volumes (1.5, 1.6 and 2.0 liters). Two petrol engines and one diesel power plant. The drive of the car can be front or full.

Specifications of Niva-Chevrolet

Gearbox on the car is offered onlymechanical, there is only one engine (gasoline) with a working volume of 1.7 liters. All vehicles are supplied with all-wheel drive only. Renault-Duster or Niva-Chevrolet in terms of the variety of delivery options? Of course, "Duster". At the same time, the Renault Duster version with front-wheel drive and an automatic transmission is not a car for trips out of town. It's sometimes a cheap city crossover (FWD) and sometimes a budget compact SUV (4WD).

From here we will conclude that the Duster is also a practical car. On the other hand, we all saw the Niva-Chevrolet in the city, and some owners say that they bought it for this very purpose and never drove it outside the city and do not plan to do so. Each person chooses a car based on their personal preferences.

Quality workmanship

There are no frank blunders on any of the considered models. The gaps between the body parts are even. In the cabin, materials are better for Renault Duster. This is due to the fact that this car has been improving over the years, but the Niva-Chevrolet has not been finalized, it has “frozen” in its performance from the very start of sales to the present day. Not to say that the Niva-Chevrolet is really bad in terms of materials. This is not so, but the old age and irrelevance of finishing materials are present and felt, although for some people this is not too critical.

Niva-Chevrolet or Renault-Duster: reviews

In their assessments, all people are divided into two types. Some scold the Duster and praise the Niva, others praise the Niva-Chevrolet andscold the Renault Duster. We will not indulge anyone and will only give facts without any emotional overtones.

There are many reviews of the owners about the Niva-Chevrolet or Renault-Duster, both of these cars are already considered popular. In any case, these cars are suitable for most roads in our country.

Metal, according to the owners, is better with Duster, although it also does not impress with quality. If you plan to drive one of these cars for a long time, then do an additional anti-corrosion treatment. Reviews say it's a good value for money for any of these machines.

No typical serious damages were noticed on the models. Everything can break, as the owners say, but it may not break. Timely maintenance and monitoring of the condition of the components is the right approach to these vehicles and the prevention of unexpected and unpleasant costly breakdowns.

Dynamics

"Niva-Chevrolet" against "Renault-Duster" in terms of dynamics cannot be compared, the "Frenchman" is an order of magnitude higher. It is much more dynamic than its competitor. "Duster" accelerates to the first hundred in about 11 seconds. The Chevrolet Niva will accelerate to this speed mark in about twice as long (about 19 seconds).

But to be fair, these are not racing cars at all. And their overclocking qualities are not a determining and very important factor for them. These "babies" are designed for off-road and bumpy roads, and in such conditions, acceleration time does not solve anything at all, thereother qualities are needed.

Tuning

Today there are many body kits for a car like the Niva-Chevrolet. They slightly modify the body lines and optics, making them more modern. There are also tuning options for the Renault Duster. But there is an opinion that metal corrosion centers appear first of all under the plastic body kit, so their installation is very controversial.

The most popular type of refinement of the cars in question today is an increase in ground clearance. The easiest way to do this is by installing special spacers. This is not entirely helpful for the car in terms of its stability when cornering at high speed. But those who put them on these cars to improve off-road patency are ready to put up with this disadvantage.

Also, these cars are equipped with wheels for SUVs (larger diameter and increased tire width), various power bumpers, sills made of pipes, roof racks and more. This should only be done with proper permission.

It is worth noting that a properly prepared car increases its performance in terms of cross-country ability in off-road conditions. It is also important to understand that professional tuning in the relevant workshops can cost a very large amount, but sometimes you cannot do without such improvements. Machine operating conditions are always different.

Prices

Which is better: Niva-Chevrolet or Renault-Duster in terms of saving money? "Niva-Chevrolet"purchase in the simplest basic configuration at a price of 400 thousand rubles (at the time of various promotions from official dealers).

The cheapest version of the Renault Duster costs at least 70 thousand rubles more (also at the time of promotions at dealers), but this is the price for a front-wheel drive car. If we talk about the all-wheel drive version, then it costs even more, the cost starts from another 100 thousand rubles more than the Niva. And if we talk about automatic transmissions, diesel powertrains and rich equipment, it will cost even more.

Conclusion

Describing the characteristics of Renault Duster or Niva Chevrolet, we can say that the Frenchman is a budget option that meets the time and demand. And the Niva-Chevrolet is a car that turned out well 14 years ago, but for some unknown reason, the manufacturer stopped there. Niva-Chevrolet needs to be updated in the form of at least some kind of restyling, and ideally it would be nice to release a second-generation Niva-Chevrolet, which would be ahead of its competitors in all respects. The current Niva is obsolete, but still good on rough terrain.

The question of choosing "Renault-Duster" or "Niva-Chevrolet" remains acute and open. You need to choose a car based on your own preferences and future operating conditions. Purchase and maintenance of both of these machines in cashwill be approximately the same.

Niva-Chevrolet is favored by its off-road qualities and simplicity of the device, plus the lowest price in the class can be added to this. For Renault Duster - its comfort and more modern performance, plus a wide selection of equipment and power plants of the car. But the prices for the top configurations of the Duster are somewhat overpriced and do not quite correspond to the budget class of these cars.