The Indian subsidiary of the French car maker, Renault launched it’s much anticipated compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), Duster. The new model is being offered by Renault India with an aggressive price tag and comes loaded with features and luxury matching that of luxury cars. A plethora of new-age technology like reverse-parking sensor, key-less entry with answer back function and on-board trip computer with multi-functional displays are present in the Duster. The new car offers better visibility by means of rear defogger and wipers.
The all-new compact SUV sports 16" aluminium wheels, double barrel headlights, stylish roof rail, lateral bars, muscular, chrome finish radiator grille and elegant wheel arches on its exteriors. Despite a bulky frame typical of a SUV, Duster is quite agile in the city traffic because of its low turning-radius of 5.2 m, which is quite low even by the standards of some of the hatchbacks.
Renault is offering the petrol variant of the car for Rs. 7,19,000 and Rs. 8,19,000. On the other hand the variants across the two diesel powertrain configurations range in between Rs. 7,99,000-11,29,000. The new compact SUV from the French car maker offers a blend of sedan-like comfort with the elegance & ruggedness of a SUV. Customers have the options of two diesel powertrains and a powerful petrol unit to choose from across different variants of new Duster. The powerful of the two diesel powertrains, 1.5 K9K THP, dCi unit is capable of delivering 108 hp of power at 3,900 rpm and 248 Nm of torque at 2,250 rpm. This unit is coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission and provides an awesome mileage of 19.01 kmpl, which is an ARAI tested figure.
On the other hand, RxE and RxL diesel variants will be powered by the slimmed down 1.5 dCi K9K HP powertrain, built to produce 83 hp of power at 3,750 rpm and 200 Nm at 1,900 rpm. The mileage of 20.45 kmpl offered by these two variants is a segment leading figure. The 1.6 litre K4M petrol unit will deliver 102 hp of power at 5,850 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 3,750 rpm. This motor mated to a 5-speed manual transmission unit offers 13.24 kmpl of mileage.
Keeping in mind the hot Indian weather, Renault has provided a separate rear-AC with independent control to enhance the comfort level of the passengers. The succor is further enhanced by Duster's long wheelbase of 2,673 mm, which ensures comfortable leg-room. The total carrying capacity of the car is 1,064 litres and the car also comes with 475 litres of cargo space which can be further increased to 1,636 litres by folding down the back seats. Further, folding down the front row passenger seats, enables the driver to carry objects as long as 2.6 metres in the passenger cabin.
Renault has taken care of the safety needs of the Indian buyers while incorporating several contemporary features in the car. These include anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) with brake assist and a Monocoque body with side impact beams. Being the only compact SUV in the country offered at a competitive price, Duster is bound to be a runaway hit. It may face stiff competition from the upcoming Ford EcoSport, which is also a compact SUV; however, the new car will have early-entry advantage in its favour.
![Renault Duster [2020-2022]](https://imgd-ct.aeplcdn.com/160x89/n/cw/ec/47028/duster-exterior-right-front-three-quarter-4.jpeg?q=80 "Renault Duster [2020-2022]")
