The new Dacia Duster will make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This right-hand drive model is exported from the Renault-Nissan manufacturing plant in Chennai, India.
This is the latest iteration of the Duster that boasts of changes to both - exterior and interior. Cosmetically, the SUV now gets revised headlamps and revisions to the fascia, which have uplifted the macho appearance. Except for the grille, most updates are similar to the facelifted Duster available in the Indian market at the moment. It rides on new 16-inch ‘Tyrol’ diamond-cut alloy wheels. Dacia has also added a new top-of-the-line Prestige version to its line-up.
The updates in the cabin include new interior upholstery on all trim levels. The standard equipment has been upgraded and now comes standard with DAB radio starting from the Ambiance version. The other enhancements include a dark carbon finish for the dashboard, a new satin chrome centre console surround and matching steering wheel inserts. The Lauréate trim gets optional new part-leather ‘Aspira’ upholstery, rear parking camera and sensors as a factory-fit option for the first time.
Apart from the existing 1.6 SCe 115 engine, Dacia has now added another powerful variant powered by a new 1.2 TCe mill. This new turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol unit produces 125bhp of power and 205Nm of torque. It offers a combined NEDC fuel consumption of 46.3mpg (4x2 variant) and CO2 emissions of 138g/km. The tried and tested 1.5 dCi powerplant will continue to be seen under the hood of the diesel Duster. All versions can be had in the two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive system.
The new Duster line-up will start with the Access level of trim and comprise of Ambiance, Ambiance Prime, Lauréate and Prestige variants. More updates will be available when Dacia will run the 2017 Duster at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thursday.
