Renault has launched a facelift
of the Duster, a vehicle that changed the fortunes of this French car maker in
India. This vehicle was beginning to come of age and then again with a slew of
new vehicles to compete with, Renault has paced in at the right time with the
new Duster. The new Duster has received subtle yet stylish changes abundantly.
With regards to the front fascia,
one can notice the new headlight clusters and the bold, new split chrome front
grille. Also noticeable are the new fog lamps and the revised bumper with the
skid plate.
The 5 spoke, petal shaped, 16
inch black alloy rims with what Renault calls a “gun-metal finish”, look really
good on the new Renault Duster. With the best ground clearance in its segment,
this vehicle will glide over most of what the Indian roads can throw at it.
The double barrel headlight
clusters which have been given a design makeover on the inside look really
good. The high beam range is good too.
From the side, some new styling
elements such as the chrome door handles, the black cladding that runs around
its lower perimeter, the running board step and those cool roof rails are
clearly visible.
The rear of the new Duster shows off its striking new
tail lamps (waterfall effect, in Renault-speak). Also noticeable
are
the fairly large tailgate spoiler and the rear skid plate. The rest of the rear
remains identical to its outgoing model.
The interior of the Duster is really
nice.
It is reasonably spacious and ruggedly put
together. Features include an infotainment system with an integrated navigation
module, cruise control, dual front airbags, climate control, rear parking
sensors with a reversing camera and much more.
Space in the passenger cabin is the same as before.
This is a good thing as the roomy interior of the Duster was always considered
to be one of its strengths.
The powertrain line-up continues to be the same as the
predecessor, but with one major
difference. The new Duster (the 1.5
litre, 110 bhp diesel version) will have the additional option of a 6 speed,
Easy-R AMT automatic gearbox for its buyers.
The outside rear view mirrors have turn indicators incorporated
into them. For a trendier look, Renault has attached a chrome element with the
vehicle name and variant next to the mirror.
Renault has displayed a
brilliant move by equipping the new Duster with an AMT unit instead of a proper
automatic transmission, thus keeping the cost of the
vehicle from spiralling upwards. Prices for the new Duster commence from INR
8.47 lakhs onwards (ex-showroom).
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