[dZired]

According to media reports, Renault will soon launch a petrol CVT variant of the Duster in India. The launch date of this new variant is not known yet.

The CVT transmission on offer with the Duster will reportedly come mated to a new 1.6-litre H4K engine. The Duster petrol range is currently powered by a 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder K4M engine that churns out 102 BHP and 142 Nm of torque, while being mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The CVT option is expected to be offered in the RXL and the top-end RXZ variants. It must be noted that there is no RXZ petrol variant in the present Duster line-up.

The decision to bring a petrol automatic variant appears to be Renault's response to changing market preferences. Indian customers are clearly showing an inclination towards petrol powered cars. We had recently reported that diesel models are now amounting to just 27% of the total new car sales in the country. Renault thus appears to be planning to offer an additional transmission option in the Duster petrol range in an attempt to garner more sales.

Source: Car and Bike

Link to Team-BHP News

[landcruiser123]

While having an automatic variant is a good move, I think it's useless in this case.
Reason:
1. Is too old. There are talks of Kaptur replacing it by '18
2. There's nothing special about the petrol engine
3. The reviews indicated the Fluence CVT was not a good performer, so I don't think it'll be any different
4. The diesel AT is pretty nice

Renault should instead have introduced an AMT with the 85PS diesel engine.

[octane_100]

Well, this looks more like the Duster team did not have anything to show for in their appraisals and they have decided to do "something".

1. It's quite an old design and not going to fire up any body's imagination

2. The engine itself is a let down. Why would anyone want to buy a mediocre 102 bhp petrol? It's neither going to burn the tarmac nor save money.

3. Throw in a CVT with rubber band effect and added frustration.

[SmartCat]

NDTV Auto is saying something else -

1) The engine will be a new 1.6 litre H4K engine, the one that is likely to be used in Kaptur. The old engine has the moniker K4M.
2) CVT used in Duster will be different from the one used in Fluence

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/exclusive-...017_navigation

Fully loaded RxZ petrol is a definite positive. All it needs is some extra marketing & availability for test drives.

[karan10]

I personally believe it can be great option for people with low running. They can have a great car with an ease to drive in the city.

The issue with buying a diesel automatic is the fact that the premium being paid is two-fold. First for the diesel engine and second for the automatic. This drives the price pretty high up. This high price somehow doesn't make sense for a consumer with low running looking for an automatic to drive in the city.

[bhaskaracs]

If Renault has actually spread this 'rumour' in a bid to assess the social/media buzz it generates, and if the activity on this forum in response to this 'leak' is anything to go by, I am certain they should not bother wasting their time producing, marketing and distributing the touted CVT Petrol variant.

I wonder why auto companies with long product lead times, huge marketing expenses and specialized sales staff (dealer trainings etc.) worry about 'perceived' need crevices (not worth even calling it an need gap) and try and introduce products just to fill it.

[arakhanna]

The shift towards petrol vehicles is getting more pronounced. Given the negative publicity diesels are getting globally coupled with higher pricing, more OEM's are going to shift towards having more petrol options in India. Given that the technicals/mechanicals on Duster are robust, expect the CVT option to further their sales. Looking forward to the launch and expect finer pricing if GST rates bring taxes lower.

[RavenAvi]

According to a Zigwheels' exclusive, the Duster petrol CVT option will come paired to a re-tuned 1.5L engine borrowed from the Nissan Sunny/Renault Scala, tweaked to produce 106PS power and 142Nm of torque.

The petrol CVT variant, dubbed the "RxS", will slot between the RxL and the RxZ trims, and will have features such as 16-inch gunmetal alloy wheels, a 7-inch touchscreen without navigation, a black front grille, dual airbags, red contrasting interiors and an Eco mode.

It will come in a new Fiery Red colour, and will be priced at Rs 10.3 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

Producing a claimed FE figure of 14.99 kmpl, the 1.5L Duster petrol CVT will be officially launched within the next 2 weeks.

through our sources close to the company, we have exclusive information that the CVT option will come with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The variant will be priced at Rs 10.3 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), and will be made available in the 'RXS' trim. As of now, the petrol engine in the Duster is a 1.6-litre unit and comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The 1.5-litre petrol engine seems to be borrowed from the Scala/Sunny sedan, and produces max power of 106PS at 5600rpm and max torque of 142Nm at 4000rpm. The CVT transmission mated to this engine has a six-step manual mode and returns a mileage of 14.99kmpl. In the Sunny though, the engine has a lower state of tune and makes only 101PS/134Nm with the CVT.
The current petrol engine in the Duster is a 1.6-litre mill which produces 104PS/148Nm and comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission in a 2WD configuration.

[RSR]

I don't understand why they're launching the petrol CVT now, near the end of the product's life cycle.

The engine & gearbox from the Sunny/Scala may not be a great choice on the Duster. For starters, the Duster is much heavier than the Sunny/Scala (I don't know the exact difference, but it's more than 100 kg for sure). And although it has an S mode & an L mode, the X-tronic CVT as used on the Sunny/Scala isn't a stepped CVT with gear pretenders. It's somewhat like a constant whiner with a clear rubber-band effect (& annoying increase in engine noise) when one puts the foot down. Anyway, it's good that they didn't put in an AMT on the petrol.

The Duster's replacement is already being put through its testing paces. I hope they don't harbour any thoughts of overpricing the Kaptur. It shouldn't be priced more than the Creta variant-for-variant, as otherwise it won't succeed.

The Duster can be repositioned with new, lower-priced variants, and maybe only the 85 PS diesel, along with the petrol(s).

[TB16]

Originally Posted by RSR

I don't understand why they're launching the petrol CVT now, near the end of the product's life cycle.
=========
The Duster's replacement is already being put through its testing paces. I hope they don't harbour any thoughts of overpricing the Kaptur. It shouldn't be priced more than the Creta variant-for-variant, as otherwise it won't succeed.

The Duster can be repositioned with new, lower-priced variants, and maybe only the 85 PS diesel, along with the petrol(s).

I think this is the creta effect. Because here in Delhi NCR, I'm quite sure the Creta's diesel to petrol sales is 50:50. And a lot of them are auto ones. So launching a petrol auto is probably the last effort they want to put in before the Kaptur comes in.

[hondacity]

So Duster will be replaced by Kaptur next year? I thought Duster is a fabulous drive and it would be a shame to loose such a brilliant product.

[Durango Dude]

Too little too late in the product cycle, the Creta has that ground covered with 3 different engines and 2 transmissions. There's a huge nascent demand for diesel automatics (only Hyundai (mass market) and premium brands like VW/Skoda upwards provide) which aren't forthcoming from the other manufacturers like Maruti which only provides AMT for it's DDiS 200, ditto with the Duster.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by hondacity

So Duster will be replaced by Kaptur next year? I thought Duster is a fabulous drive and it would be a shame to loose such a brilliant product.

I think the Kaptur will be placed above the Duster in the hierarchy.

Is Renault using this variant to see the market response before launching the same engine + CVT combo in the Kaptur?

[CarguyNish]

Renault Duster XTRONIC CVT Spotted at A Dealership, Launch Soon.

• New 1.5 L Petrol powered Engine
• ARAI Mileage of 14.99 kmpl
• New X-tronic CVT
• New 16″ Gun Metal Finish Alloy Wheels
• 7’’ Touch Screen without NAV
• New Black Front Grill
• Dual Air Bag
• New Red Contrast Interiors
• Eco Mode

Color Options - New Fiery Red, Outback Bronze, Slate Grey, Pearl White, Moonlight Silver, Cayenne Orange, Woodland Brown.

Autosarena

[agambhandari]

Price of 10.3L seems reasonable to me considering the Kit on offer i.e. with all the safety features especially if you remember that 5 years ago, Renault would sell you a barebones RxL petrol without a single airbag or alloys. And now this even has a CVT.

It is basically the size of the Creta with the price of the Ecosport. So a great option if you need more space than the Ecosport in a city runabout. The Creta is at least 2-3 lacs more expensive for the AT.