It is unclear whether Renault will bring the all-wheel-drive version of the Duster to India.

The Renault Duster went out of production in India earlier this year, with no clear indication if a replacement would be introduced. Now, a media report suggests that the next-generation Duster is being actively evaluated for the Indian market.

It is said that the next-gen Duster will be based on the new CMF-B LS platform. 'LS' stands for 'Lower Spec', which is derived from the CMF-B, and is optimized primarily for emerging markets. Still, the low-cost version is expected to comply with global safety and emission standards.

The design of the new Duster is likely to be inspired by its predecessor. While the new model will have a character of its own, it could retain styling elements like the flared wheel arches and integrated grille and headlamps.

The report also states that the next-gen Duster could be offered with hybrid powertrains in place of the diesel engine. It is unclear whether Renault will bring the all-wheel-drive version to India.

Source: Autocar India

We were told in the safety briefing that the jeeps were to lead the way, followed by the Fortuner, which was trailed by the Dusters, and the Endeavour brought up the rear.

BHPian DogNDamsel12 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Well! In daylight, this would be just another 'regular' OTR that some of us - BHPians - would have joined Kolkata Offroaders on.

Only if I could say it with pictures alone:

This was by design not meant to be a day offroad, rather one that was supposed to be happening after sunset, which was interesting from the word go!

Having driven on the Boinchi terrain a few times over the last year, I have seen that each time and each season that we went back, the terrain changed in colour, texture, and the position of the undulations. So, from the very moment, the OTR was announced, I had a queasy feeling considering that after sundown, there would be no lights barring the headlights of the vehicles, and no other sensation barring the wheels modulating on the completely uneven topography.

The plan was put together in a short span of time by Uday Bhan Singh Sir's group and with a limited number of people who have some prior offroading experience with Kolkata Offroaders (KO).

We met at the Boinchi grounds at 4 PM. There was a lineup, with the marshals leading the way for a recce which was of utmost importance for a feat like this one.

The Recce

With a balmy February weekend having received light rainfalls, the sandy Boinchi grounds were damp, with the traction altering between hard ground and brittle sand formations that easily caved in under the tyres. The shifty sands made the obstacles tricky and required a little more from the driver in terms of understanding acceleration and traction.

Also, those familiar with the ground conditions would know that the flora is ridden with stubborn, thorny shrubs that can really feel on the undercarriage, though would not really harm it much beyond a few lacerations.

The Safety Gears

A night OTR means more safety gears, headlamps, D-shackles, tow chains, and hooks. It also means checking and knowing the position of the winches on each vehicle, powerful LED torches for spotting, adequate ground recce, and marshal jackets.

The Safety Briefing

• The jeeps were to lead the way, followed by the Fortuner, which was trailed by the Dusters, and the Endeavour brought up the rear.
• Each car was to watch out for the trailing vehicle through the rearview mirrors, and if the rear vehicle happened to trail behind, she was supposed to signal the car in front by flashing the dippers.
• The marshals/spotters (senior members of the team) were meant to wear a reflector jacket at all times.
• The vehicles were to be driven really slowly to avoid stomping on any unsuspecting animal (primarily reptiles).
• Talking of reptiles, people were asked to get out of the car only when signaled for safety. The cars were to rev the engines, so that the vibrations from the machine may drive away anything before one could hop out for spotting etc.
• We had already been pre-instructed to wear something covering the legs, so as to keep mosquitoes and reptiles at bay.

Continue reading about DogNDamsel12's night off-roading experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

I've managed to get anywhere between 11 - 21.3 km/l fuel efficiency figure.

BHPian AllTerrainMallu recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Fell in love with it, the got my hands on it in May 2014. I don't think there are too many cars that handle rough Indian roads like this one. In fact, fell for the suspension. Done about 1,47,000 km. It has been reliable. Changed the first set of tyres (Apollo stock) at 83,000 km to 235/60 R16 Yoko Geolander SUV rubber, which is still is on the rims. Returns fuel figures (top-up to top-up testing) between 11 km/l (lowest) in the city to 21.3 km/l (best) on the highway. I somehow can't think of an upgrade and I really hope this one stays with me for much longer. And, I really hope there will be spares available in the market for a long long time despite the company stopping its production.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There's still no word if Renault would ever bring the third-gen Duster to India.

The Renault Duster is no longer in production in India. The SUV was one of the most popular models in the French brand's product portfolio for nearly 10 years.

The Renault Duster was initially launched with 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. Later, Renault introduced an all-wheel-drive option on the diesel variant.

In 2020, Renault discontinued the 1.5-litre diesel engine. The updated model was offered with 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. While a 5-speed transmission was offered as standard, the turbo-petrol got a CVT option.

The Duster sold in the Indian market was based on the B0 platform. The second-generation Duster never made it to India, and there's still no word if Renault would ever bring the third-gen Duster to India either.

Source: Autocar India

Renault's current product portfolio consists of four models: Kwid, Triber, Kiger and the Duster.

Renault India has achieved a new milestone as sales crossed the 8 lakh unit mark.

Renault's current product portfolio consists of four models: Kwid, Triber, Kiger and the Duster. The Kwid is one of the most popular models in its line-up, crossing the 4 lakh units sales milestone recently.

In 2021, Renault introduced the Kiger. It shares its underpinnings with the Nissan Magnite. According to the company, the crossover has established itself as one of its volume drivers.

Renault is also expanding its network in India. In the last 2 years, the carmaker added more than 150 facilities. Today, there are 530 sales and service touchpoints including more than 250 Workshop-on-Wheels across the country.

Our group consists of 20 Duster SUVs of which 15+ are the Duster AWD variant.

BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

At last, Renault changed the wiring harness in my Duster AWD due to repeated injector failures. Hope this sorts the issue. Fingers crossed.

If the Injector unreliability is solved, this car does not have a substitute.

The Compass 4WD is there, but it nearly costs double of a Duster. Sadly Renault stopped production of the Duster AWD & this place has a void now.

We generally keep having OTR sessions (with Kolkata Offroaders) and Duster AWD meets in Kolkata. We have a group of 20 Duster owners with 15+ Duster AWD's.

Sharing a few pics from our meets & OTR's.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Renault is offering benefits of up to Rs. 35,000 on the MY2021 Kwid.

This month, Renault is offering benefits of up to Rs. 1.30 lakh on its models. You can get the highest discount if you're in the market for a Duster SUV.

Renault is offering a cash discount of Rs. 50,000, an exchange benefit of Rs. 50,000 and a corporate discount of Rs. 30,000 on the Duster. Kiger customers are being offered a loyalty bonus and corporate discount of Rs. 10,000 each.

Renault is offering benefits of up to Rs. 35,000 on the MY2021 Kwid. This includes a cash discount of Rs. 10,000, an exchange benefit of up to Rs. 15,000 and a corporate discount of up to Rs. 10,000. The MY2022 Kwid is available with benefits of up to Rs. 30,000.

The MY2021 Triber is offered with benefits of up to Rs. 40,000. It includes a cash discount of Rs. 10,000, an exchange bonus of up to Rs. 20,000 and a corporate discount of up to Rs. 10,000. Benefits of up to Rs. 30,000 are being offered the MY2022 Triber.

There are so many things to like about the Tata Harrier over the Duster.

BHPian Tgo recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Since the last update in June, this car saw a fair amount of highways bringing up 10K within 6 months! That's the pre-pandemic scenario. I did a solo trip to Jaipur and back in July and the monsoons were beginning in this part of the country.

Soon after made an impromptu plan to meet the parents at Bharatpur over a weekend for birding. I left in the evening to reach by night. Spent the night at the FRH and went for an early morning stroll into the park. We parted ways after lunch with the parents heading back to Jaipur and my wife and me back to Auraiya.

Soon after this trip, as if something was jinxing up, I discovered a slight mist on the inside of all the glasses in the car every morning. Attributing it to the humid weather, I decided to ignore it. Two days later, I started smelling something weird in the car along with the mist. A week later, I found that a bag that I had kept behind the passenger seat was a little wet. To my horror, I found the carpet completely soaked! Luckily, I was able to dry it out by dabbing it dry with a microfiber towel. It took me 2 hours to do it to my satisfaction and I think I must have soaked out about 1.5 Ltr of water.

A few days later it pours down quite scarily and I forgot to park the car in the shed. The first thing I checked after this episode was the carpet again and here is what I found...

So the water was getting in from the outer window sill filling up in the door and then somehow it was not draining quickly enough and overflowing into the cabin. This became quite an issue of concern which I wanted to get attended to ASAP but there was still some time to go before hitting 130K on the ODO.

In August we had planned two trips to Delhi. The second one led us onward to Jaipur which is when I sent the car in for service. Requested the following jobs to be taken care of:

• A leak from the rear left the door
• Gearbox oil replacement
• Differential oil replacement
• Adjust the wheel arch cladding as it was peeling off in one corner
• Repaint the bonnet hinges since it was not done correctly
• Replace the missing AC gas charging valve cap
• Replace front brake pads

I was told that they will need to remove and dry out the carpet. Open the door trim from the suspect door. and find if the drain is choked. They found that along with a choked drain, the plastic sheet which is stuck onto the door was not sealed properly. They just had to use a body sealant (silicone kind) to re-fix that sheet correctly. I really thank them for diagnosing it correctly.

I gave them the go-ahead for interior enrichment too since my SA has been suggesting it for the last 3 years. Moreover, it would help remove any residual stink from the waterlogging.

There is a thread doing rounds here where people suspect water entering from the A-pillar under the bonnet and some kind of LHD/RHD market specification mix-up which led to the Indian version not having a particular rubber washer which lets the water in the chassis and it comes out from where I saw it. MYTH-BUSTED!

I was informed that the rear brake shoe on the LHS wheel had the liner separating from it and it could lead to jamming up the brakes if it breaks loose. Got it done without arguing as people have faced these issues on the AWD.

I got the front brake pads replaced this time and the discs were good for more. This is the longest the discs have lasted for me. I got them replaced along with new pads at 90K. If all goes well, I think I can eke out another 20K on these discs.

Along with the usual fluids and filters, this service cost me INR 26,600/- and with a cautionary note that front shocks are showing some signs of a leak. Will send it to the FNG for the suspension work, if I have to.

The tyres, Michelin LTX Force were installed at 92K km and are good for another 8-10K. They are the longest-lasting set I have had on the car. Other brands are MRF Wanderer Sprot and Yokohama Geolandar SUV. Thinking of trying out Goodyear / Continental next time.

Have updated the ownership cost stats and the expenditure chart.

September too was busy resigning from work, winding up the house, making travel arrangements to moving to a different country, but it too had a few road trips in store. Did a Delhi-Chandigarh-Shimla trip with the in-laws. The Duster was happy to stretch its legs, fresh after its service.

However, we parked the Duster in Delhi and proceeded to Chandigarh in a Harrier. First-things-first, I have never sat in such a BLACK car. This thing looks badass. It was the top end automatic version owned by a relative, a first-time car buyer, a first-time car driver.

My comments on the Harrier?? Well, let's just say that I now understand why people with the means replace their cars in 5-7 years. There are so many things to like about the Harrier over the Duster - street presence, comfort, space, freshness, powertrain.

No changes happening anytime soon though.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Renault is offering benefits of up to Rs. 60,000 on the MY2020 Triber.

Renault has announced benefits of up to Rs. 1.30 lakh on its cars as part of the year-end offers.

The Duster is being offered with the highest benefits worth Rs. 1.30 lakh. This includes a cash discount of Rs. 50,000, an exchange bonus of Rs. 50,000 and a corporate discount of Rs. 30,000. Existing Renault customers can avail of loyalty benefits worth up to Rs. 1.10 lakh.

Kiger customers can avail of benefits worth up to Rs. 20,000, including a loyalty benefit of up to Rs. 10,000 and a corporate discount of Rs. 10,000.

The carmaker is offering benefits of up to Rs. 60,000 on the MY2020 Triber and Rs. 40,000 on the MY2021 model. The latter includes a cash discount of Rs. 10,000 on the RXT variant, an exchange bonus of up to Rs. 20,000 and a corporate discount of Rs. 10,000.

The Kwid is being offered with benefits of up to Rs. 35,000. This includes a cash discount of Rs. 10,000, an exchange bonus of up to Rs. 15,000 and a corporate discount of up to Rs. 10,000.

The brake pedal becomes rock-hard during cold starts. Guys at the Renault service centre said that it could be due to the car's age and mileage.

BHPian xjosephjacob recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My 8-year-old Duster 85PS has a problem related to braking (before cold start) which cropped up recently. The car has run 1.2 lac km so far.

Say, for example, I completed a trip and have parked the car in the garage overnight (in the 1st gear). The next day, before starting the car my natural tendency is to: press the brake pedal > press the clutch > shift the gear to neutral > turn on the key. Normally, the braking system would have just enough vacuum (or lack of it) to allow me to apply brakes once before cold starts. Only if I pump 2 or more times, the pedal becomes hard.

However, recently, before I perform the cold starts my brake pedal stays rock hard. Or in other words, the braking system is unable to engage the brakes. This is a safety hazard because if the car is parked on an incline, it would simply roll-off (unless I apply the handbrakes). Once the car is turned on, the brakes work just normally. There are no other easily recognizable symptoms in the braking system as I understand. No hissing sound, nothing.

Gave the car to the Renault service center, and as expected they said these are due to the car's age and mileage without pinpointing which exact part in the braking system is failing. They said let's get a new brake booster first (which I should pay from my pocket), and see how things are - in case the problem persists, let's get to the child parts.

With this kind of response, I think the folks at this service center are rather incompetent, which is why I'm reaching out to the TBHP community.

What do you think could be the root cause?

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say about the matter:

Brake pedal working fine after engine turning on = booster is normal.

You could just inspect the vacuum hose from the brake booster to its end connection on the engine side and also check the hose end connections too for wear/leaks. Also please check for a minor pinhole or so on the brake booster body around the seam (unlikely you'll see this but just a possibility). I didn't expect the service center to give you a proper solution.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Vacuum pump, reservoir, brake booster and vacuum hoses. All these things need to be checked by a competent mechanic.

Here's what BHPian gkveda had to say about the matter:

If you park the vehicle in an uphill (upward slant) position, brakes becoming hard during cold start is normal. You need to worry only if the car is parked in a flat position and still brakes becoming hard during cold start.

As kosfactor suggested, the vacuum pump, reservoir, brake booster and vacuum hoses, all need to be checked, if your case belongs to the second scenario above.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say about the matter:

You don't say if this is a petrol or diesel car. If petrol it is very easy to check for leaking vacuum lines.

Let the car run on idle and spray start gas at the hose joints or where you suspect a leak. If leaking, the idle speed will go up. You need to spray on all the hoses and not only those going to the booster.

Your problem seems to be a leaking booster or hoses but I place my bet on the hose. Always check the cheapest solution when looking for faults. Don't believe what your workshop said about a faulty booster.

These are very reliable units and seldom needs replacing. The booster in my car has done 300,000 km more than yours.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.