[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Samba

156 PS + 250 NM torque + Duster's ride comfort + handling + abuse friendly nature will make it an excellent package!
Hope Renault add the AWD to both the manual and automatic versions & price it sensibly! Enthusiasts + road-trippers will bless Renault for sure!

Suddenly the age old Duster got a heart which is now more lucrative than the newly launched Seltos GTX! Its now straight into the league of the Compass petrol!

You can say that again! Suddenly, Duster has gotten a new lease of life. If they price it right, it will be a formidable alternative to Korean twins. Even otherwise, Duster rules the roost among SUVs south of Scorpio. Duster may look old now but its legendary ability to flatten bad roads can't be overlooked. They should add some goodies like push-button start, projector headlights, DRL etc.

I drove current CVT Duster and even that was ok, except for sudden burst of power. This one with reworked numbers should be a scorcher. Any shortcomings of CVT, if any, would be masked by engine power. BTW, won't 1.3 L engine put Duster in lower tax bracket?

[srinath34]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

BTW, won't 1.3 L engine put Duster in lower tax bracket?

Lower tax bracket means <4m length and <=1200cc for petrol engines. The 1.3L engine plus length beyond 4m of the Duster will not give any tax benefits to Renault. Nonetheless great spec sheet on paper. Hope its a scorcher on the road too.

[NFS2024]

While this is on display, was there any pre or post unveil official announcement from Renault that they are going to launch the Duster with this new engine anytime soon?

[Abhejit]

Remains to be seen how much of the enthusiasm on this thread translates to the potential buyer on the street. I would think dated looks may put off many. Pricing will remain key, especially when Renault's unwillingness to launch the next generation Duster has been discussed at length.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Abhejit

Remains to be seen how much of the enthusiasm on this thread translates to the potential buyer on the street. I would think dated looks may put off many. Pricing will remain key, especially when Renault's unwillingness to launch the next generation Duster has been discussed at length.

That is a good point. Globally, is it only in India that Renault is planning to launch this brand new 1.3 TCe 150 engine in the age-old Duster? Everywhere else I see it's being mated to the 2019 Duster, 2020 Scenic / Kaptur etc.

Secondly, the chassis, FWD steering components & tyres will need some serious strengthening + tweaking to take on the extra 46 bhp (40%) power. I quote from the TBHP review of the 110 bhp:

"Keep the engine on the boil and the 109 BHP Duster will reward you with brisk performance on the open road. You need to firmly hold the steering as torque steer does set in under hard acceleration."

"One gripe I have in the handling department is the steering wheel. For the most part, it is well-weighted (even if it requires extra effort at parking speeds). However, the steering's center-back action is simply too aggressive."

"On fast turns, the steering provided a lot of resistance and interfered with the smooth inputs that I was trying to dial in. Over quick ghat sections, you literally have to fight with the steering at times. Leave aside enthusiasts, the lay man will hate this behaviour the most."

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post2847117 (Renault Duster : Official Review)

[GipsyDanger]

Wow....was casually strolling through the wonderful pictures, going through thoughts like, "Hmm, what else is new?", "The heck, it looks exactly the same as before!", " Do they still sell it with tiny airbags?".....and then stopped dead the moment I read the specs....not only is it more powerful than the more expensive Creta and Seltos, but also than the old Laura, 1.4 Octavia and even the BS4 Harrier! If Renault can price it right ( 50% chance they will mess it up), it would give Kia's sales guys promoting "performance-oriented" GTX Seltos nightmares!
Of course, the CVT would greatly undermine the engine's potential, and the aged body,well, shows it's age and has fared poorly in the crash tests( Remember, the Nexon competes in this segment)the reworked interior from Terrano seems to be an afterthought. But I'm very surprised the extent to which Renault has improved the car. Way better attitude than Fiat. It's ride quality is still the benchmark in the segment. So yeah, the old girl's still got it!

[BigBrad]

The K9K diesel was never underpowered, esp the 110PS version. So I really doubt if this new engine which will likely cost a premium and with lesser FE than the diesel it replaces will bring in more sales.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Big shoutout to Eddy for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Renault has displayed the Duster with a new turbocharged petrol engine under the hood paired to a CVT automatic gearbox:

I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere down the line Renault launches exactly the same body style and interior with a hyper drive from Star Trek. Why Renault why.

It's seems almost like a travesty to have that engine and the horribly dated interiors and exteriors.

I think the Dusters handling would carry that power quite well but the ommission of a nice manual gearbox is very sad. Mercedes gear boxes themselves are not rated as the best and I daresay the CVT is going to kill the fun you could get out of the engine.

Drive on,
Shibu

[jassi_jeeper]

Wow! I am wishing for an AWD version of the 1.3 turbo Duster. Also I hope Renault bring back the beautiful Fluence with this engine!

[Vid6639]

This 156PS turbo petrol Duster with CVT was the biggest surprise and the underdog of the entire Expo.

It was parked in the corner of the Renault stall and only put up on Day2 so many missed it if they didn't go back to Renault hall on Day2.. To top it off you would never know it was a turbo petrol till you walked upto it and clicked the specs on the ipad next to it.

Even the gear selector looked like AMT. I didn't believe it at first and had to ask a Renault guy, "Are you sure this is a turbo petrol CVT?" And I was told, "YES, it is and we have already started production. Will be out in 2-3 months."

[fhdowntheline]

I have a feeling that the CVT may have its advantages in the urban environment, and the turbo may alleviate the rubberband effect somewhat. Should be a really interesting powerplant.

[WhiteKnight]

While this sounds exciting, I have few reservations, especially on comparing with Octavia/Laura.

Octavia/Laura were built from grounds up as fast highway cars, and have the right ingredients to play the role. Duster is not built for the same, and has older construction which is exposed in crash tests. So, we need to see what other changes were made to the car to prep up for the engine.

The torque figures are definitely welcome.

[manjunathkl]

Renault should've brought in its latest-gen Duster to India. It was high-time. Duster sales are tapering off. Captur has bombed. I don't know what they are waiting for? A missed opportunity.

The latest-gen Duster is already selling in other countries. They don't even have to build it newly. Not that it is a massive upgrade, it would atleast assure the market that Duster as a brand will live long.

[84.monsoon]

Great specs indeed. Hope they bring it to the Nissan Kicks early. The kicks is much better looking, more robustly designed and has a tougher body than the Duster. If they put in the Nissan High Torque CVT and an all wheel drive as well, this would be the perfect all rounder vehicle.

[SSD2122]

The mention of turbo petrol and spec sheet had me wondering if this duster would be a worthy replacement to my Linea Tjet if priced right. My Tjet is a 2014 model and low on running - just crossed 20k. Only reason to replace it is the lack of spares and good service centers going forward. What do you guys think. Would it be a worthwhile option.