Renault Duster Launched in India

04-July-2012: Renault Duster is out of the box and starts at an introductory price of 7.19 lakhs for the base model and goes to up to 10.90 lakhs for the high end diesel variant. The Renault Duster is available in one petrol variant RxE and two diesel variants namely RxE Diesel and RxZ Diesel.

The Renault Duster safety features include twin airbags, abs, ebs, keyless entry and engine immobilizer among others. Overall the SUV has got the good looks, double optic headlamps, large grille, strong front on, muscular front and rear, two tone bumper, 16 inch rim and looks like a strong suv. The SUV with a strong image also has a neat balance of nice and elegant look as well and drives like a sedan.

Renault Duster is one of the most awaiting upcoming cars in India. Right from the first looks the Renault Duster seems to have got the style quotient absolutely right. The Renault Duster will be the third in the series from the house of Renault after the likes of the Logan and the Renault Fluence. The Indian market has always been a welcome ground for the bigger suvs and the Renault Duster could well be in for a grand reception as well. In the last few months the Indian auto market has been flooded with suv entries from all quarters. Currently the suv price range starts from five lakh rupees for the Premiere Rio to crores for the Ranger Rovers and Land cruisers. However compared to the hatchback segment and sedan class, the SUV market in India is yet to reach to the same peak. Renault Duster will look to make it a three way contest between the Tata Safari and the Mahindra Scorpio which are both pretty good vehicles in their own right.

Renault Duster Engine

The Renault Duster engine comes in two variants of 1.5 L, dCi engine and 1.6 L, 16V engine. The 1.6 litre, 16V, 1598 cc I4 DOHC engine delivers 105 PS at 5750 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 148 Nm at 3750 rpm. It delivers a top speed of 164 km/h (102 mph). It hits the 100 km mark in 11.5 seconds. The fuel economy is 7.5l/100 km. It has a Co2 emission of 177 g/km and is only available on 4X2 version.

The 1.6 litre, 16Valve Ethanol, 1598 cc DOHC engine delivers 105 PS at 5750 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 148 Nm at 3750 rpm. It delivers a top speed of 164 km/h (102 mph). It hits the 100 km mark in 11.5 seconds. The fuel economy is 7.1l/100 km. It has a Co2 emission of 165 g/km and is only available on 4X2 version.

The 1.6 litre, 16V for the 4X4 version for the 1598 cc DOHC engine delivers 105 PS at 5750 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 148 Nm at 3750 rpm with a top speed of 160 km/h and hits the 100 km mark in 12.8 seconds with a mileage of 8 l/100 km.

The 1.5 dCi, 1461 cc has a Turbocharged Diesel SOHC engine which delivers 86 PS at 4000 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 200 Nm at 1900 rpm. It delivers a top speed of 156 km/h (102 mph). It hits the 100 km mark in 13.9 seconds. The fuel economy is 5.1l/100 km. It has a Co2 emission of 135 g/km and is only available on 4X2 version.

The 1.5 dCi, 1461 cc with the diesel particulate filter has a Turbocharged Diesel I4 SOHC engine which delivers 107 PS at 4000 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 240 Nm at 1750 rpm. It delivers a top speed of 171 km/h. It hits the 100 km mark in 11.8 seconds. The fuel economy is 5.1l/100 km. It has a Co2 emission of 135 g/km and is only available on 4X2 version.

The 1.5 dCi, 1461 cc for the 4X4 version has a Turbocharged Diesel I4 SOHC engine which delivers 110 PS at 4000 rpm. The car produces a maximum torque of 240 Nm at 1750 rpm. It delivers a top speed of 168 km/h. It hits the 100 km mark in 12.5 seconds. The fuel economy is 5.6l/100 km. It has a Co2 emission of 135 g/km and is only available on 4X2 version.

Renault Duster Exteriors

The Renault Duster is a cross over suv that is neither too heavy to handle around the town and at the same time is big enough to make its presence felt. The Renault Duster is a true tribute to the 4x4 drives. From the front the car has commanding creases on the chrome grille and the sump guard. On the rear looks the car has a high a ground clearance, clearly defined wheel arches and protective mouldings pushing the adrenaline to take even the toughest roads and tracks. The car shares its platform from the Logan with a slightly higher ground clearance.

Renault Duster Interiors

The Renault Duster greets you on the inside with the usual high perched seating position typical of all SUV’s. You will immediately be reminded of the similarities between the Renault Duster and its sedan cousin. Apart from that the Duster carries a lot of inspirations from the Logan/Verito and that makes it a good thing and a bit bad as well. It has resulted in some huge cost savings but lacks the quality. The Duster does make up with its pitfalls with some huge interior space. The driver is also in for some pleasant experience with the seats offering support in all the right areas. The passenger seats are also well taken care of though it still falls behind the Logan. The car also has excellent knee room and makes you feel comfortable even during the long escapades.

Renault Duster Safety Features

The Renault Duster is a complete no compromise on the safety aspect. Renault is known for its high safety capabilities and this is very much true in the case of the Renault Duster.  The Renault Duster active safety features is inclusive of the Bosch 8.1 ABS, as well as EBV electronic brake force distribution and EBA emergency brake assist and they depend on the variants. In terms of the passive safety features the Renault Duster comes with two standard airbags at the front (depending on market) and three-point seat belts with load limiters for the front seats, to which pyrotechnic pretensioners can be added. Based on the variant you go for it also comes with two lateral head/thorax airbags in addition to the driver and passenger front airbags.

Renault Duster Specifications

The Renault Duster seems to have all the right proportions with a length of 4.31 metres and width of 1.82 metres. The car inspired from the Logan platform improvises on the ground clearance with a measurement of 210mm and the wheelbase is also bigger at 43mm and is also longer overall at 25mm.

The car is still powered by the same 1.5 litre diesel mill from the Logan and is also powering the Fluence but with a lot more refinement. The Duster delivers a maximum power of 108 PS and close to 240 Nm of torque. The power factor might not be in favour of the Renault Duster but the ace up the Duster’s sleeve is its kerb weight. The Duster at close to 1205 kg is equal to most sedans than the SUV’s. This means that the Duster will still have the performance punch in its favour.

Renault Duster Ride and Handling

The Renault Duster is a vehicle par its SUV capabilities and is also a lot refreshing in the otherwise pretty staid segment which is synonymous with bulk SUV cars. The Renault Duster breaks the league with a length of 4.31 metres and a width of 1.82 metres, Renault Duster is very compact car with its Megane-size proportions making it groove to both the home built-up areas and the offbeat tracks.

The Renault Duster copes with all types of road and track, all over the world. This is possible because the car is available in both 4x4 and 4x2 form. The strong under belly of the Renault Duster makes it akin to loose-surfaces and all-terrain use, thanks to the high ground clearance of 210mm, the short overhangs at 822mm for the front, 820mm at the rear and the big clearance angles as well.

The Renault Duster will always be its owner's pride for the high quality and travelling comfort it provides irrespective of the rough roads or the dusty terrains. This is again possible due to the high ride-height which is at 205mm in the 4x2 version and 210mm in the 4x4 version. The suspension has also undergone a lot of work fitted with damper travel, springs and calibration. The comfort reaches its peak with the long wheelbase of 2.67m and the big 16-inch wheels carry the Duster with a lot of pride.

Renault Duster Ex- Showroom Price

With all the right ingredients the Renault Duster if anything needs to be priced rightly in the range of Rs. 7-8 lakh which will surely throw some huge dust into the eyes of its competitors.

Renault Duster Models

Renault Duster will come in two models based on the engine specifications.

Renault Duster Petrol: The 1.6 litre, 16 Valve, 105 bhp will be the petrol model of the Renault Duster and will come in two wheel and four wheel drive variants.

Renault Duster Diesel: It is expected to come with a dCi 85 diesel engine and will come in three options available in both the drive variants. Both these engines have already proven their track record under the hoods of most Renault vehicles.

Renault Duster Mileage

Both the models have some thrifty mileage numbers up their sleeve. The mileage of both the 4x2 and 4x4 versions of the Renault Duster dCi 85 engine is just 5.1 and 5.3 litres/100km respectively. The mileage figures for the 4x2 and 4x4 versions of Renault Duster petrol engine is 7.5 and 7.9 litres/100km respectively.

Renault Duster Competitors

The Renault Duster looks to rewrite the SUV market in India and is expected to run with the likes of Honda CRV, Toyota Fortuner, Tata Safari and others. The price and variants of Renault Duster Premium SUV will be announced soon. But Renault Duster 4×2 variant will approximately starts at Rs. 7 lakhs and fully blown 4×4 version is likely to be priced below Rs. 10 lakhs.