The next-gen Duster made its public debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. We’ve already seen Dacia’s take on the new Duster and now Renault has revealed their version. 

Renault has made a few cosmetic changes to the Duster. Starting at the front, the grille has been re-styled according to Renault’s current design language and features three chrome slats with a large Renault logo in the centre. There are minor changes to the headlights, which now include revised LED DRLs, However, the same front bumper with a silver scuff plate and circular fog lamps has been carried over.

Like the Dacia Duster, Renault has gone with square-shaped LED tail lights and apart from the Renault logo and chrome license plate garnish, the tail gate is exactly the same as its sister car. When viewed from the side, the new Duster looks a lot like the current model. The Renault Duster gets 5-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels that are similar to the ones used by Dacia.

Inside, the new Renault Duster gets a three-spoke steering wheel and rectangular air-conditioning vents instead of the round ones seen on Dacia’s version. The centre console with its touchscreen infotainment system and climate control module has been carried over as it is.

In the international market, the new Duster is offered with two petrol and three diesel engine options in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. A 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol with 143 BHP is available on the 4x4 variant paired with an automatic transmission, while a 113 BHP petrol engine is offered on the 4x2 version. A 108 BHP diesel gets a choice of 4x2 or 4x4. Customers can also opt for a dual-clutch transmission (only available on 4x2). Additionally, the two-wheel drive model can be had with either an 84 BHP or 89 BHP diesel units. 

The new Renault Duster will eventually be launched in India. However, Renault hasn’t announced a specific time-frame yet.

Renault has launched the Duster Sandstorm Edition ahead of the festive season. The Sandstorm Edition is available in two trims - RXS Diesel 85 PS and RXS Diesel 110 PS, offered at an introductory price of Rs. 10.90 lakh and Rs. 11.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.

According to Renault, the Sandstorm Edition comes with 9 new features. It gets a revised bumper with Duster branding and extra lamps, a blackened grille, and Sandstorm decals on the hood, doors, tailgate and ORVMs. It also gets body coloured door handles and new 16-inch alloy wheels. The model is available in three colour options - Outback Bronze, Moonlight Silver and Slate Grey.

The interior of the SUV is finished in black and grey, while the centre fascia gets a dark chrome finish. It gets black door trims and door handles. It also gets new seat covers and floor mats with 'Sandstorm' branding. But, more importantly, it comes equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and dual front air bags.

The new Duster Sandstorm Edition is available with a choice of two engines. The 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel produces 84 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 200 Nm of torque @ 1,750 rpm and is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox on the RXS Diesel 85 PS variant. The RXS Diesel 110 PS variant is powered by the same 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel but in a higher state of tune. It produces 108 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 245 Nm of peak torque @ 1,750 rpm. This engine is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. The Sandstorm Edition is only available with a 2-wheel drive (2WD) option.

The second-generation Dacia Duster was revealed earlier this week. Initially, a set of exterior images were released but now we have the images that reveal the interior.

On the outside, the new Duster looks like an evolution of the current model which is sold as the Renault Duster in India. The interior however looks completely different. Renault claims that the cabin is slightly large due to the windshield being moved ahead by 100 mm. 

According to the leaked images, the new Duster gets a four-spoke, multi-functional steering wheel and a large touchscreen infotainment device. A trio of circular air-conditioning vents have been provided in the middle and one on each end of the dashboard. 

While the dashboard is finished in black, it does feature an aluminium trim on the passenger side as well as orange trims on the central tunnel and door panels. It appears that the new Duster could be offered with a choice of upholstery options for the seats and interior. The rotary dial next to the gear lever could be the control for the all-wheel drive system.

The new Duster will make its public debut at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show. There has been no word about an India launch yet.

Source: Fred / Facebook

The second-generation Dacia Duster has been unveiled. The car is set to make its first public appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 12, 2017.

The current-generation Dacia Duster is sold as the Renault Duster in India. The new model is based on the same platform, but gets a redesigned exterior. 

The profile of the second-generation Duster is similar to its predecessor. The front grille is wider and gets chrome inserts and while the headlight design is similar to the current model, it gets new LED daytime running lights. The car also gets redesigned bumpers with skid plates and more prominent roof rails. The mirror housings, roof rails and skid plates on the bumpers are finished in silver. The tailgate has been redesigned and the tail lights are now square in shape with LEDs. The car gets a new body colour - Atacama Orange and it rides on redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels.

Although the dimensions of the car haven't changed, Renault claims that its cabin space has been increased due to the front windshield being moved forward by 100 mm. The company also claims to have redesigned the interior of the Duster and added new features.

The new Duster is expected to retain the engines and transmissions that are used in the current model. That said, Renault has not revealed any plan to introduce the car in India. 

According to an email sent out to the members of "Gang of Dusters", Renault is offering a discount of up to Rs. 2 lakh on select variants of the Duster. Only the members of the group can avail of this offer. 

While the 110 PS AWD Adventure Edition is available with a cash discount of Rs. 2 lakh, the 85 PS base variant is being offered with a cash discount of Rs. 1.6 lakh on the ex-showroom price. Additionally, Renault is offering an exchange bonus of Rs. 10,000 and a corporate discount of Rs. 7,000 on the two variants.

The email also states that there are only 34 units of the 85 PS standard variant and 73 units of the AWD Adventure Edition that are available with this discount. While all the units of the standard variant are white, 15 units of the AWD are silver and 58 units are white. 

This move comes as Renault prepares to launch the Captur. Media reports suggest that Renault will discontinue some variants of the Duster including the AWD version. It is believed that the Duster will be available in three variants only - 85 PS RxE, 85 PS RxZ and 110 PS AMT RxZ.

Source: Mr.Car

Global NCAP has crash tested the India-made Renault Duster. The base variant, which does not come with airbags, recorded a rating of 0 stars, while the crossover managed to earn 3 stars with the addition of a driver airbag.

Global NCAP first tested the Duster's base variant, which doesn't come with airbags. The body shell of the crossover was rated as unstable, while the driver and passenger dummies recorded major blows on the head and chest area. The front passenger's knees were also found to be prone to injury due to contact with dangerous structures in the dashboard. This resulted in a 0-star rating in adult occupancy protection. Moreover, the child seat for a 3-year old child dummy was not able to prevent excessive forward movement, while the instructions on both child seats were found to be insufficient for easy operation. The Duster's base variant thus earned 2 stars in child occupant protection.

Post the crash test, Renault sent a variant that was equipped with a driver side airbag. The addition of this safety feature minimised potential injuries to the driver dummy, thus increasing the adult occupancy protection rating to 3 stars, while the child occupancy protection rating stayed at 2 stars. Interestingly, Latin NCAP had tested a Latin America-spec Duster in 2015, which scored 4 stars with a driver airbag. The primary reason behind the drop of 1 star in the India-spec model's rating lies in the fact that the Indian Duster's airbag size is a bit smaller as compared to that of the Latin American model. This makes the driver's head a bit more prone to hit the steering wheel, thus increasing chances of fatal injuries.

Renault has launched the Duster petrol CVT variant in India at a price of Rs. 10.32 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is available only in the RXS variant, which is one level below the top-end RXZ trim.

The Duster petrol CVT gets a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder H4K engine which is rated at 105 BHP @ 5,600 rpm and 142 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. This engine is mated to an X-TRONIC CVT gearbox which gets a 6-speed manual mode option. With the CVT gearbox, the Duster petrol is claimed to have a fuel economy figure of 14.99 km/l, while the petrol 5-speed manual variant which has the same engine is rated at an ARAI-certified fuel economy of 14.19 km/l.

On the outside, Renault has made some minor cosmetic changes to differentiate the automatic models from their manual counterparts. The Duster petrol CVT will come with black treatment on the front grille and new side and tailgate decals. The crossover is now also available with a new red colour, in addition to the existing six shades - Pearl white, Slate grey, Woodland brown, Bronze Dore, Silver and Orange cayenne.

The automatic variant gets interiors similar to the manual variant RXS trim. This includes seat upholstery with a double spacer fabric and a red finish on the door trim and grab handles. Features on offer with the RXS variant include steering mounted audio and phone controls, rear reading lamps and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with MP3, AM/FM/ Bluetooth and AUX support. In terms of safety, the Duster petrol CVT is equipped with ABS, EBD with brake assist, ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and hill start assist.

Price (ex-showroom, Delhi)

• Duster Petrol RXE MT - Rs. 8,49,575

• Duster Petrol RXL MT - Rs. 9,30,215

• Duster Petrol RXS CVT - Rs. 10,32,215

Renault will soon launch a petrol automatic variant of the Duster crossover in India. Ahead of the model's official launch, it has been spotted at a company dealership.

The petrol automatic variant will be available in the RxS trim, which sits one level below the range-topping RxZ trim. It will be powered by the same 1.6-litre K4M four-cylinder engine that is found on the manual model and produces 102 BHP and 148 Nm of torque. However, this engine will now be mated to a CVT gearbox with a 6-step manual mode.

Media reports suggest that the Duster petrol CVT will return a company-claimed fuel economy figure of 14.99 km/l, which is higher than the manual model's rated fuel economy of 13.06 km/l. The spy shots also indicate that the petrol automatic variant will get some cosmetic differentiations, including a blacked out front grille and skid plates, body decals on the lower door area and an X-Tronic badge on the tailgate.

Source: Autos Arena

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

Renault India has launched the Duster Adventure Edition at prices starting from Rs. 9.64 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It will be available in three variants - RXE 85 PS, RXL 85 PS and RXZ AWD 110 PS. Renault had introduced a similar Adventure Edition model in 2014 for the pre-facelift Duster, while the new one is based on the facelifted Duster that was launched in March 2016.

On the outside, the Anniversary Edition gets a new front bumper that houses an extra pair of fog lamps, a blacked out grille, black cladding on the wheel arches, and yellow skid plates and roof rails. It also gets new alloy wheels and some decals on the D-pillar. The model will be available in 4 colour options – Pearl White, Moonlight Silver, Outback Bronze and Slate Grey.

The interiors of the Anniversary Edition too have been given some added differentiation in the form of denim blue fabric upholstery, floor mats, and yellow inserts around the AC vents and instrument cluster pods. The leather wrapped steering wheel also gets some contrasting yellow stitching.

Variant wise prices of the 2016 Renault Duster Anniversary Edition are:
• Adventure Edition RXE 85 PS - Rs. 9.64 Lakh
• Adventure Edition RXL 85 PS - Rs. 10.45 Lakh
• Adventure Edition RXZ AWD 110 PS - Rs. 13.77 Lakh

All prices are ex- showroom Delhi.