It is not perfect, given its lack of space and no diesel engine, but as a package the new Duster is brimming with character, which appeals to you in the end, says Somnath Chatterjee.
Photographs: Somnath Chatterjee
Key Points
- The new Duster has big shoes to fill, with intense rivalry in today’s crowded SUV segment.
- Squared proportions, heavy cladding, and beefy arches give it a tougher look than most rivals.
- Smart ergonomics with physical buttons and clever storage solutions.
The new Duster will not have it so easy compared to its predecessor, which was a game-changer when it was launched back in 2012.
The original Duster saved Renault back in the day, and the new one pretty much must do the same. However, competition is sky high right now with numerous rivals jostling for market share.
Hence, the new Duster needs to not just do well but stand out in this segment. To find out if the new Duster can do that, we took the car for a drive in the hills for an authentic SUV driving experience with some token off-roading being added in.
New Duster looks butch without overcooking its design
There is a tendency these days for carmakers to push for more aggressive designs and pour in a lot of chrome.
The new Duster avoids that but is a handsome machine with a clear adventure streak built in. The proportions are taut, suave, and loaded with character while clearly having an off-road ready look.
Size-wise, the new Duster is around 4.3 meters, but the squared off proportions matched with the beefy arches, along with the ample cladding, make this more of a tough-looking SUV than its rivals.
Interiors are feature-packed, but rear seat space falls short
The doors open with a solid feel and have a reassuring ‘thud’ when closed. Inside, the new Duster continues to wear its ‘go-anywhere’ character with a combination of black and green.
The large 10.1-inch screen is angled towards the driver, and the small gear selector frees up more space for storage. There are enough buttons, though, and they are placed everywhere, including one for customising your ADAS functions to a separate stalk for your volume control.
Quality is good, but do not go expecting soft touch materials being placed everywhere. The screen comes with Google built in, which is handy as it has Google Maps already and the app store.
Features are in plenty with front-powered seats with ventilation, dual-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera, electric parking brake, digital instrument cluster, ADAS and even a powered boot release.
The audio system is not the best in terms of sound quality, but it is decent, and the same goes for the 360-degree camera quality. The digital display is very detailed and funky, though.
Space is ample at the front with comfortable seats, but the rear seats fall short in terms of legroom/headroom when compared with rivals, along with no recline function or sunblinds. The upside is the huge 700 litres boot.
Drives with alarming composure
The new Duster comes with two turbo petrol powertrains, with the flagship engine being the 1.3l turbo unit, which we drove with 163hp and 280Nm.
You can opt for a manual, but the 1.3 unit comes with a 6-speed dual clutch automatic too, which we sampled.
The engine is quiet at start, and the DCT gearbox behaves with utmost composure with remarkably smooth shifts, which enables an easy-going city drive experience.
The low-speed ride quality is not overly firm, either, and the sense of toughness can be seen with the way it goes over speed breakers or broken roads.
The new Duster does not crash into surfaces nor feel unsettled, and it gets better with high speeds as the suspension brilliantly takes it all in its stride.
Even the gearbox is alert and quick to respond, while there is plenty of grunt to have some fun around the hill roads that we took the car to.
It clearly has the soul of the old Duster but minus the heavy steering or the diesel engines, this smooth petrol motor, plus the light steering, makes it a joy to drive.
The new Duster also feels indestructible with a 212mm ground clearance and feels it can take on all bad roads despite no AWD being present.
Fuel efficiency of the petrol automatic hovers around 10-12 kmpl, but we tested it in the hills, so expect better numbers in the city.
Priced more competitively than rivals, but there is a catch
The base variant is priced lower than most SUVs at Rs 10.4 lakh, but that variant does not get an infotainment system, and you are better off going for the next trim with the 1.3l turbo unit, which is Rs 12.99 lakh.
The top-end is Rs 18.4 lakh, which also undercuts key rivals. However, price aside, the new Duster manages to cut through this crowd of new-age compact SUVs with an analogue approach.
The rugged styling and the tough character remind us that this is a compact SUV for off the beaten path, and that is the ethos which binds it to the original Duster.
Yes, it is not perfect, with lack of space and no diesel engine, but as a package the new Duster is brimming with character, which appeals to you in the end.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
