The Renault Duster has been due for an upgrade and while the SUV has been unveiled internationally by the Dacia brand, we know that Renault will be bringing it to India latest by 2025. But is the new Duster worth waiting for? What upgrades can we expect to see from the SUV when it finally lands in India? Here are the top five highlights to look out for.
Design
We’ll start with the obvious. The Duster is a handsome car but its design seemed to be aging when compared to the rest of its competition. For the new-gen SUV, Dacia has taken a bold new approach and made the Duster a lot more muscular. A look at its profile showcases its squared off silhouette and stately haunches. This is further enhanced by the hexagonal wheel arches that give it a better sense of volume. Cuts and creases are sharper than before and the corners around the doors and windows are pointed and seemingly aerodynamic. At the front, the Duster is more futuristic, too. Y-shaped LED DRLs within the headlamp cluster merge with lighting elements along the grille, giving it a segmented width-wide lightbar. Of course, the DC badge will be replaced with the Renault logo when the car comes to India, but there may be a few minor changes, too. Speaking of the grille, it is now slimmer and as tall as the headlamp units themselves with the main air intake positioned lower down on the protruding bumper. At the rear again, the tailgate is sharply designed and flanked by a new set of Y-shaped tail lamps, mirroring the DRLs up front. No connected tail-light bar, here, however.
Interior and Tech
The rugged theme continues on the inside as well. The dashboard is a two-tone unit sporting an almost industrial design. A 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment unit takes centre stage here and is angled slightly towards the driver. The central aircon vents sit just below the screen with the Y-shaped theme visible in its pattern just like the vents on either side of the dashboard. This theme is visible in other places, too, like the dark blue door handles contrasting against the black plastic behind it. The Dacia Duster also gets something called a YouClip, a small contraption placed strategically around the cabin to hold various accessories from your phones to tablets or even bags and cup holders. Whether this comes to India, however, we will have to see.
The central infotainment system we spoke of will come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility out of the box. A six-speaker Arkamys 3D sound system will be available on the higher trims as well as a wireless phone charger, USB-C ports and a 12V outlet for both the front and rear passengers. The Duster will be getting a fairly big upgrade when it comes to driver tech as well. The 7-inch driver’s display will read out all of the information the driver needs, for one. The Duster also gets ADAS tech for safety features like autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and more.
Powertrains
For now, Dacia has announced three powertrains, two of which are electrified. The first is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-charged petrol combined with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The overall output from the system measures 130 hp of maximum power and comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox with 4-wheel-drive as standard and AWD as an option. Next is a 1.6-litre strong hybrid option called the Hybrid 140. This pairs a 94 hp producing 4-cylinder petrol with a 49 hp dual-electric motor setup. Transmission comes via an automatic gearbox. According to the press release issued by Dacia, the 1.2 kWh battery pack combined with regenerative braking could enable an all-electric drive for up to 80 percent of the time inside the city. This option is most likely going to be the headliner when the Duster launches in India. The final option is a petrol-LPG bi-fuel engine which Dacia says can travel up to 1,300 km when both 50-litre tanks of petrol and LPG are filled.
Off-road capabilities
The Duster’s ground clearance in the 4X4 variant measures 217 mm allowing it to tower above most of its competition. Approach and departure angles measure 31 degrees and 36 degrees, respectively and a ramp breakover angle of 24 degrees. The AWD version of the Duster gets features like terrain mode selector which when switched to auto mode switches power between the front and rear axles as and when needed. The hill-descent control on the Duster, based on the driver’s input, keeps the overspeed of the SUV under 30 km/h and this is done regardless of the gear the car is in, including reverse gear.
Launch and competition
Now, the Renault Duster is making its way to India only by late 2025 when it will go up against a range of already established players such as the Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Seltos, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor, Volkswagen Tiguan and the Skoda Kushaq. The Duster is built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s modular CMF-B platform which underpins a number of cars within the brands. The platform is expected to be localised for production in India and we should be able to see a fairly aggressive price tag. Expect a retail sticker of around the Rs 20 lakh mark.
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