Renault India has started shipping the first set of units of the updated Duster ahead of its market launch that is slated to take place on July 8, 2019. The company has been road-testing the new Duster for India for quite some time now and the SUV was recently spied in production form in north India.
The updated Renault Duster is based on the current-gen model but gets styling and structural tweaks to its nose in order to comply with the upcoming pedestrian protection standards. The SUV now comes with a higher bonnet line that helps create necessary space between the lid and the engine components underneath. The updated Duster also gets an all-new grille, slightly altered headlamps, and a new and chunkier front bumper. The headlight design might look similar to the earlier model’s, but LED DRLs and projector headlamps have been introduced. The grille is now much larger and more decorative thanks to generous use of chrome detailing, and the design is actually similar to those on other Renault SUVs sold abroad. Other additions on the refreshed Duster include roof rails and new-design alloy wheels.
On the inside, the SUV gets an all-new steering wheel replete with faux brushed aluminium finish and a fresh design similar to that seen on newer Renault models. This same steering wheel will be seen in the new Triber MPV. A close look at the Duster's dashboard layout reveals multiple changes and generous usage of faux aluminium, chrome and piano black bits, and some colour coding to keep the interior looking fresh.
Renault has given the updated Duster a new infotainment system as well. The screen size is the same but the interface is new and it now offers Apple CarPlay, Android Auto as well as some connected car features. The storage area in front of the passenger also gets a proper lid now.
For now, the changes and tweaks on the Duster are purely cosmetic, as the SUV will continue to use the same 1.5-litre K9K diesel and 1.5-litre petrol engine. However, come April 2020, Renault will ditch the diesel engine and offer only petrol-powered variants in its India line-up due to the upcoming BS6 emission norms.
Expect Renault to price the refreshed Duster competitively in the Indian market.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
