Well, I strongly believe yes, it is.
the Renault is NOT an AWD, it is a proper 4WD, it has a selector for 2WD, Auto (AWD), and Locked, which is a proper 4Hi with locked center differential, but doesn't have low range...
in the manual edition, it compensates for the lack of low range with a super short 1st gear, it is a crawl gear! (around 5.79kph per 1,000 rpm according to online brochures), which means maxing up at around 35 kph in 1st gear, that's even lower than my 1st gear in low in my R50 pathfinder.. while it won't make for a dune climber, but you can still manage to cruise around in the desert and climb easy tracks..
The local version seems Auto tranny only, and it clocks 0-100 in 11 second, which is better than 3.8 Pajero, it really has a nice power to weight ratio..
again, I wouldn't recommend it for an offroad hobby, but it can handle itself in the desert far better than a KIA sportage, a CRV, or even RAV4.
Duster is an adventure oriented small SUV, it takes you to desert, wadis, mountains and beaches with no problem, but not necessarily on the same track that more offroad ready SUVs.. but pretty close..
here is the local version brochure:
http://www.renault-me.com//CountriesData/GCC/images/pdf/BROCHURE_RENAULT_DUSTER_4X4_ENGLISH.pdf