By Renault’s sister brand Dacia officially revealed the third-generation Duster after a series of leaks. The Duster is one of the most important models of Dacia as it is popular in most European countries. The new Duster is based on the CMF-B platform as it is extensively used by Renault-Nissan and Dacia for various other models too. India didn’t get the second-generation Duster instead we will be getting the third-generation model as it will be manufactured at the Chennai plant and the company has plans to export the model to different countries around the world.
The Duster has been leaked ahead of the debut revealing most of the exterior design changes but the model revealed is for European markets while the Renault’s version of Duster will come with some changes. The headlamps get Y-shape LED DRLs which are integrated into the grille with the Dacia logo in the middle and the bumper gets lots of different elements with fog lamps also but the design looks a bit busy. Renault has given black plastic cladding across the body with thick wheel arches as alloy wheels start from 16-inch and top-end models get 17-inch units.
The rear design is somewhat similar to the outgoing Duster but the tail lamps get a unique design along with the integrated spoiler, which is again different from other models. The faux skid plates continue the SUV’s look towards the rear, overall the exterior design is unique. The interior of the new Duster is completely new and looks upmarket with a 7-inch fully digital instrument cluster as it packs in lots of information for the driver which can be customised and the steering is a three-spoke unit with controls for the infotainment integrated into it.
Dacia Duster has a 10.1-inch infotainment system and the AC vents are placed below while the climate controls are neatly integrated into the dashboard. The Duster comes with ADAS-based safety features like automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition with speeding alert, vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection, rear parking assistant, lane change warning and more. In Europe, Dacia is offering three different engine options for the Duster but in India, we are expecting the company to offer a hybrid system for the petrol to improve efficiency. Renault is expected to reveal the new Duster next year in India.
