Renault Duster is a characteristic SUV with aggressive looks
and power. With Renault Duster the French auto major is looking forward to
change its fate in the Indian auto industry, where the auto majors like Maruti
Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata touching five to six digit sales figures, Renault is
just able to touch the initial four digits.
The Duster is the first compact SUV being developed by Dacia, the
Romanian automaker which is a fully owned subsidiary of Renault since 1999.
Renault Duster’s fuel efficiency in all likelihood is great
since the SUV is lighter than other SUVs in India. The 1.5 diesel
powered engine introduced with Duster in India is tuned to two different
states putting out two different power outputs (83.8bhp and
108.5bhp).Renault Duster is capable to deliver 20.46kmpl for mileage for the 83.8bhp diesel engine and 19.01kmpl
for the 108.5bhp powertrain. As it is apparent that the petrol variant
of any car model offers a lesser mileage in comparison to the diesel
ones; Duster’s case is no different as the petrol powered variants just
ofRenault Duster Petrol RxLfers 13.24kmpl mileage in the thriving petrol price world.
Renault Duster SUV gives you a butter smooth drive in its
comfort zone of 2000-4000rpm. However you need to wait for the engine to
go up to the 2000rpm as there is a decent turbo lag. Duster no doubt will give a decent performance as the kerb weight is marked at 1308kg
translating into the engine giving a better performance.
Renault Duster India looks like a perfect off-roader in appearance.Duster is based on Logan platform and falls under D segment
of cars. Renault Duster is designed to grapple all types of roads and
tracks. Wide wings and a tall stature reveal its personality. The roof
rails, chrome wide grille, the skid plate, antenna, high ground
clearance and the alloy wheels render it a much sporty look. The rugged
exteriors of Duster are marked by three slat grille which ingrains a big
Renault badge in the centre. Although the engine of this off-roader is not-so-powerful to actually do a serious off-roading,
still it has been given claddings all around to protect the vehicle’s
body from any and every angle. Renault Duster horizontal grille is held
by a pair of double optics headlamps. Renault Duster is quite lengthy
according to the trend of crossover SUVs and do not qualify the sub-4
meter excise levy. A sleek body color bumper in the front gives way to
black plastic cladding which houses round fog lamps on either side. A
nudge bar holds the number plate in its centre. The bonnet is all flat
with no curves however some characters lines are visible. Tinted large
windshield gives way to the high roof. The roof antenna is an example of
aerodynamic design and helps reduce wind noise and turbulence.
The interiors of Renault Duster are
much inspired by Renault Logan. Though it is an SUV, it can seat only 5
passengers. All black-theme in the interiors take away the luxuryquotient but renders a sporty look. The 3 spoke steering, which bears
Renault’s logo, is electrically powered but can be a bit too heavy on turns.
The dash is quite curvy and looks sporty. The AC vents on shiny brown central
console and either sides of dashboard can be closed completely. The rear seat
passengers can have individual AC vents outlined with shiny brown color for
their comfort. The instrument console has large dials akin to SUV and is
illuminated in red. A lot of interior equipments looks like borrowed from
Logan. The same semi hooded instrument cluster cover with its chrome polished
dials with a digital display in the center all comes from Logan. The gear lever
is a bit stubborn like the steering. The glove box is quite big for storage. Renault Duster’s flat seats will surely
be comfortable in Indian car with the usage of high quality materials having a
premium touch to it. Even the material used on the door sills is up-market. The
music system is integrated well in the central console and looks modish with
its Bluetooth and aux input functions. Front seats are two electrically
programmable but without memory functions. Power window switches for the rear
passengers are most likely to be on comfortable door pads. The shiny brown door
handles will be large to hold while turns and jerk.