Renault Alaskan and Duster Oroch bakkies – One is coming to South Africa, and one isn’t

Renault South Africa has confirmed that the Duster Oroch bakkie is slated for a local introduction in the first quarter of 2023, but that the Alaskan bakkie will unfortunately not be making it to our showrooms.

“The Renault Duster Oroch double cab is anticipated for local launch in Q1 2023,” Renault South Africa told TopAuto. “The Alaskan bakkie, which is the 1-tonne, [is] currently not in the planning for S.A.”

The Oroch – based on the popular Duster crossover – is the smaller bakkie of the two, originally making its debut in 2015.

The bakkie was sold mainly in South America and was even voted the “best pick-up of the year” in 2016 by Brazil’s CAR Magazine.

Since then, it has been made available in right-hand drive and is now also sold in African markets, including Nigeria.

We looked at the Oroch’s Nigerian specifications to get a better idea of what it will offer when it goes on sale in South Africa.

What to expect

The Renault Duster Oroch in Nigeria is sold in a double-cab body style with a cargo box measuring 1.35-metres long by 1.17-metres wide, capable of carrying a maximum load of 650kg.

It’s available with an optional “extension tipper”, too, which is a plastic cage that extends the length of the rear box by another 603mm.

Two powertrains are then offered in this market for the compact bakkie.

The first comprises a 1.6-litre, petrol engine paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, which puts out a maximum of 82kW.

The second is a 2.0-litre, petrol unit connected to a six-speed manual transmission, generating up to 107kW.

The smaller motor is exclusively available in front-wheel drive models, while the larger one can be had in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions.

In Nigeria, the Oroch is sold in Zen and Intens trim levels – similar to the Duster in South Africa.

Interior equipment such as manual air conditioning, electric windows, a radio with Bluetooth support, a four-speaker Arkamys sound system, central locking, Eco drive mode, and ABS with brake assist are fitted to each bakkie – alongside 16-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, all-terrain tyres, and a cargo bed protector.

The pricier Intens then adds partial Bovine-leather upholstery, a 7-inch infotainment display with navigation, rear parking sensors, cruise control, an “on-board computer with 10 functions”, two 12V power sockets, and Eco-coaching and Eco-scoring programmes.

In terms of dimensions, the Oroch comes in at 4,700mm long, 1,821mm wide, and 1,694mm tall – with a ground clearance of 206mm – making it fractionally larger than the Nissan NP200.

In the majority of the markets it is sold, the Oroch is slightly cheaper than the Duster, and we expect this trend to continue once it launches in South Africa.

There’s no telling how much the standard Duster will cost in 2023, but it’s currently sitting at a starting price of R342,900.

Renault Duster Oroch