[TusharK]

Mod Note: Our Renault Duster 1.3L Turbo Petrol Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Renault has introduced a 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine in the Duster. The new engine is available in three variants - RXE, RXS and RXZ and prices start at Rs. 10.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Prices for the CVT version start at Rs. 12.99 lakh.



The Duster 1.3L turbo petrol was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo. The same engine is available in the Nissan Kicks. The price of the Duster undercuts that of the Kicks.



The BS6-compliant 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine features dual variable valve timing (VVT) as well as direct injection and develops 154 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 254 Nm @ 1,600 rpm. It is paired with either a 6-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that has a 7-speed manual mode. Renault claims that the 1.3-litre engine returns 16.5 km/l, while the CVT version returns 16.42 km/l.



The Duster 1.3L turbo petrol is based on the updated version of the SUV which gets a redesigned front facia. It comes with a new grille with red accents, projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights. It gets red DUSTER lettering on the roof rails and tailgate, red accents on the fog lamp pods, red wheel centre caps. The SUV rides on 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.



The Duster 1.3L turbo petrol comes with black interiors. The SUV is equipped with features such as automatic climate control with remote pre-cooling function and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment head-unit that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has voice recognition and EcoGuide which monitors driving behaviour and provides guidelines to improve efficiency. It also comes with an automatic engine start/stop function. The SUV has a ground clearance of 205 mm and comes with a 50-litre fuel tank.

Besides the new turbo petrol engine, Renault will continue to offer the Duster with a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated petrol motor as well. This engine produces 104 BHP @ 5,600 rpm and 142 Nm @ 4,000 rpm and is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Prices for the Duster 1.5 start at Rs. 8.59 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Duster is available in seven colour options. These include Caspian Blue, Mahogany Brown, Cayenne Orange, Moonlight Silver, Slate Grey, Outback Bronze, and Pearl White.

Variant-wise ex-showroom prices:

1.5L MT

• RXE - Rs. 8.59 lakh
• RXS - Rs. 9.39 lakh
• RXZ- Rs. 9.99 lakh

1.3L MT

• RXE - Rs. 10.49 lakh
• RXS - Rs. 11.39 lakh
• RXZ - Rs. 11.99 lakh

1.3L CVT

• RXS - Rs. 12.99 lakh
• RXZ - Rs. 13.59 lakh

Link to Team-BHP News

[Iyencar]

Makes much more sense over the recently updated and similarly priced Polo. Good job Renault. Now just get the interiors into the current decade.

[MelvinPhilip]

A good thing about the pricing is that it more customers can reach/afford the 1.3 engine now. The base kicks(not really base) costs 11.84L ex-showroom against Duster's 10.49L for the RXE. More consumers can now taste that 154hp engine now!

[NFS2024]

Nice. 15 Lacs OTR pricing and a black interior for the 1.3MT RxZ version should augur well for the Duster and more customers might be inclined to buy this now. Let us see.

The rated FE is 16.5 for the MT, so real world FE might take a drastic hit if driven hard.

[nimishlalwani]

No AWD! Sad to see this. Though the market for AWD Duster was minuscule, it was the AWD that put the Duster on the pedestal for me. However, the Duster still remains a great mechanical package, too bad, the rest of the car is from the last generation.

Strange times indeed! The best cars to drive below and above 10 lakhs, the Polo and the Duster, are both aged platforms. I hope the new Thar can provide a breath of fresh air to us enthusiasts!

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Makes much more sense over the recently updated and similarly priced Polo. Good job Renault. Now just get the interiors into the current decade.

I would disagree. The new engine is surely a talking point but truth to be told, the Duster feels old now. The difference between the Polo and Duster is that both cars might be old platforms, but the Polo didn't feel dated at launch while the Duster did. The Polo managed to secure a 4 star Global NCAP rating while the Duster failed miserably.

To sum things up, the Polo is more of a sorted platform. Agreed, the interiors of both cars feel dated but overall quality of the Polo is better. What Renault needs is a brand new Duster. Nothing else is going to help their cause. Launching successive facelifts and engine options no matter how good they are, won't do the job.

[Carz77]

Good, finally the 1.3 turbo is launched. A test drive is a must to see how the CVT variant performs...!!!
Renault should launch with refreshed interiors along with loaded features as competitors have numerous variants to suit all types of customers.
Does anyone have detailed specs of the variants ? Not sure if the top end comes with more than 2 airbags.

[ramki.grandhi]

If we look closely, Renault priced this car "similar" to kicks. 2Lacs just for new engine.
I feel its expensive compared to Kicks, with given interiors and age of vehicle. But Renault brand gives us confidence to buy a vehicle.

Even if we adjust with interiors today, after 3-4 years this car doesnt look like it was 15 lacs. And I wish they could've given RXE for 9.99 by following rapid rider strategy!

[dr.aviansh]

As a Duster user, I’d still choose the aged platform for the pure driving pleasure and the silky road experience it gives. Delhi roads aren’t what they were in 2013/2015, so Creta/Seltos are a big no for me.

Nissan Kicks makes a more desirable option for me as it has a better interior, a much needed Rear AC vent and superior NVH levels, I believe.
BUT, the Nissan brand itself is not what I can trust say 5 years down the line.

The only sensible choice would have been if Renault had launched Second Generation Duster with that 1.3 DDT OR had plonked it in the comparitively newer looking Captur instead of discontinuing it.

So, I think it was a HUGE opportunity that Renault sadly missed because even the korean cousins have a Turbo Petrol and women in our lives continue to influence our car buying decisions. And the 0-100 timings don’t seem to be as expected from a 150/ton power ratio. (In-gear acceleration might be a different story in the real world)

PS : I have heard that this engine isn’t reliable either. Please confirm.

[Starfire]

The summed up reaction of the off-roading enthusiast in me to the Duster Facelift "SUV"

[Altocumulus]

Fantastic Pricing. Already a lot of people in enthusiast groups are excited. Also Renault's strategy to showcase the performance of the car with the help of Aditya Patel and Autocar is a good move. Something which ford should have done with the Figo.

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Makes much more sense over the recently updated and similarly priced Polo. Good job Renault. Now just get the interiors into the current decade.

Not really. I went to take delivery of the Polo 1.0 Tsi for a friend yesterday. The OTR price was 8.15L in Delhi after discounts.

Originally Posted by vishy76

I would disagree. The new engine is surely a talking point but truth to be told, the Duster feels old now. The difference between the Polo and Duster is that both cars might be old platforms, but the Polo didn't feel dated at launch while the Duster did. The Polo managed to secure a 4 star Global NCAP rating while the Duster failed miserably.

Duster didn't fail at all. It got 3 stars for the one with 1 airbag. The Top end dusters have 2 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control, Understeer control, Speed limiter, Hill hold etc. Base versions including that of Polo had 0 Stars. The platforms maybe old for both cars but still safer than 90% of the cars out there even today. The friend mentioned above has a Duster 4WD as well. Co-incidently I was telling him, that he has one of the safest garages now. The Polo replaced a 2013 Swift Zxi.

[akash_v12]

The Duster was due for a much more powerful engine for a long time and now here we are! 154 horses from a 1.3L Turbo, that is insane! Now we only have to see and wait how good it is to drive.
However, as good as a package as it seems, I believe, the Duster will still sell pretty low numbers due to the very old design. It lacks the flair of its newer rivals pretty badly and CVT with no 4WD is just not acceptable.

[carriage.retorq]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

Duster didn't fail at all. It got 3 stars for the one with 1 airbag. The Top end dusters have 2 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control, Understeer control, Speed limiter, Hill hold etc. Base versions including that of Polo had 0 Stars.

USP of the duster was the magic carpet and the K9k diesel.
With this new engine and ride quality preserved, the packaging still triggers my usual rants about safety features in a 15+lakh OTR car - 6 airbags and ESP/ESC/VSC. I could make my peace with the aesthetics but not safety.
Why would you reserve the traction control and stability features only to the CVT trims?
Enjoy the engine to the fullest with that MT - but be at gods mercy to not roll your car over, or be safer but at the CVTs mercy for the fun, if any.

[Samba]

Killer pricing by Renault.

Enthusiasts rejoice!

Want a fun to drive vfm hatchback? Polo 1.0 Tsi MT. Check.



Want a fun to drive vfm sedan? Skoda Rapid Tsi MT. Check.



Want a fun to drive vfm Suv? Duster 1.3 MT. Check.



The initial reviews from Autocar looks promising for the Duster 1.3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKq8Dyz_Mm8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LylE-gb-Blg

Am eagerly waiting to test-drive this car on open highways! Hope Renault has taken care of the understeer at high-speed cornering which is there in the Duster AWD.

An AWD version with Rs 1L premium on the RXS and the RXZ on both manual and Cvt will be the icing on the cake.

Customers who are looking for a modern car with modern looks and features will always have the Creta or Seltos, customers looking to have some fun will now have the Duster.
Those who want both, fun to drive and features, they have the Creta/Seltos 1.4L turbo at a higher price.

It's indeed turning out to be a consumers market.

[84.monsoon]

Disappointing pricing, I was expecting this one to be aggressively priced like the Rider, with an RXS version at or below 9.99 lakhs.

Did a brief comparison of the features across Duster and Kicks variants. The Kicks Turbo range starts where the Duster ends! At 11.99 lakhs for the top end manual RXZ Duster, it is 14K more than the XV Kicks 1.3 Manual, which is priced at 11.85 lakhs. However, when you compare the features, the Kicks XV is actually far ahead, with many additional features, including Traction Control, 8 inch touch screen (instead of 7"), Connected Car Tech, Push Button Start/Stop, Rear View camera etc. The only things Duster RXZ has over Kicks is Cruise Control, Electrically fold-able ORVMs. Duster RXE is too bare bones but an aggressively priced RXS Version at 9.99 lakhs would still have attracted a lot of attention since it would save the buyer a ton of money on road tax, TCS etc. in most states. After Rapid Rider, that would have been the next best car for the keen driver on a shoe-string.

If I were in the market for such a car, I would go straight for the Kicks XV Pre manual (12.65 lakhs). For a premium of 65K over the Duster RXZ, it offers a lot of additional features - LED Projector Headlamps, Key-less entry with Smart Card, Leather wrapped steering & gear knob etc.