Behold: the lightly facelifted Dacia Duster

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The ‘new’ Dacia Duster really is almost completely indistinguishable from the car it replaces. Most of the newness is hidden within, where lurks a new automatic gearbox, revised engines and more tech.

Available to order from late this summer, for an as-yet undisclosed but no doubt outrageously little sum of money, the facelifted Duster’s centrepiece is that new gearbox. It’s a six-speed twin-clutch job that comes with the punchiest petrol engine to cut emissions and improve fuel economy.

More news in the engine department – the bi-fuel Duster’s LPG tank has swelled by more than 50 per cent, giving it a theoretical 767 miles of range. Blimey.

Elsewhere there are two new infotainment systems to choose from, both with eight-inch touchscreens and Apple CarPlay. On the all-wheel drive Duster the systems incorporate an inclinometer, altimeter and compass.

The upholstery is new too, and so’s the centre console with its sliding armrest, 1.1-litre storage bin and USBs for the rear-seat passengers. Available driver assists include blind-spot monitoring, hill descent control, surround-view cameras and park/hill-start assists.