India has just revealed an all-new Renault Duster that was previously not available in their market for a while, and we will be getting it locally, but most of the world won't. Feel special now? That's right, there's a new Duster in town, and it looks quite good. This Duster will be built in India, and the big news is that it features new looks, a refreshed cabin, and new engines to choose from.
Starting on the outside, there is a new grille that replaces the "Renault" badging with "Duster," as the headlights get a new daytime running signature that replaces the former Y-shaped LED lights. The lower bumper gets a redesign that features three slats, giving it a more aggressive fascia appearance, flanked by new side vents and repositioned fog lamps.
Side profile remains largely the same as it still consists of wide body arches covered in an eco-friendly cladding, the car also retains the impressive ground clearance of 212 mm whilst the 17 inch alloys get a new design and gloss black color coding.
Heading to the back and again you find redesigned LED taillights that now unsurprisingly feature a light bar and a revised lower bumper.
The interior has fully changed as it now features two massive joint screens: a 10.1-inch touchscreen that has the latest Google system, which means that you will have access to real-time navigation, Google voice commands, and access to the built-in App Store, and a new 7-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver.
The news is that you can now go up to 10.25 inches for a fully digital display in higher specs. Some more niceties gained are a new panoramic sunroof.
For safety the Duster will come equipped with 17 advanced driver-assistance systems like adaptive cruise control (with Stop & Go function), 360° around view 3D camera, active emergency braking system, traffic sign recognition and Lane Keep Assist just to name a few.
Okay so get this, there will be three engines to choose from as we currently only have two which are a 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine paired to a fun 7 speed DCT driving the front tyres and 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine (with a mild-hybrid system) which has a manual 5 speed driving all four wheel.
On route to replace those options will be a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 74 kW and 160 Nm paired with a 6-speed manual box. Second on the list will be a 1.3-litre 4-cylinder offering 120 kW and 280 Nm via either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed DCT and by the way all these engines will drive only the front wheels. At the top will be a new 1.8-litre E-Tech, which will output 80 kW and 172 Nm, complete with 2 electric motors drawing from a 1.4 kWh battery pack. This engine is said to have an 80% electric mode, and it will be available Diwali 2026 in India, as we are yet to confirm whether this will be making its way to Mzansi.
Pricing, launch dates and more specifics were not disclosed to us, but if the wait is too long for you, then the current Duster is available for purchase from R489,999 to R549,999. Even though we may not know the actual specifics of why Renault SA has switched from Euro-sourced imports to India-sourced, we do understand that this has the benefit of being significantly cheaper to import. Right- hand drive vehicles are usually more expensive to produce, as most of the world isn't RHD, causing orders and demand to shoot up through the roof even before import costs are involved.