Renault Duster 1.3 litre turbo petrol launch delayed

The Renault Duster which was expected to get a big upgrade in its engine has also been delayed. The introduction of the new engine was supposed to boost the sales of the Renault Duster that has been getting stiff competition recently. The Duster was going to get an all-new Mercedes derived 1.3 litre TCE that would produce 153 bhp and 250Nm of torque and therefore make it the fastest turbo petrol in its segment by a long way. This engine was also introduced to replace the diesel engine that has now been discontinued in the Renault Duster with the onset of the BS6 emission norms.  This Duster 1.3 will now be delayed and it is not confirmed when it will be launched. Find out more details below.

Overview

The onset of the pandemic has cost many automakers to rethink their plans for this year’s launches and updates. All the manufacturing plants are currently shut and in April itself we were expecting to see a lot of new cars and facelifts that were to be launched in the country. The list of cars that are delayed includes the Verna facelift, XUV 300 Sports and also the all-new Honda City.

Duster 1.3 engine and transmission

The Duster was previously offered with two engine options that were petrol and diesel. The diesel will be discontinued on the Duster after March, and replacing it by the end of this year will be a new petrol engine from Renault. It will get the 1.3litre HR13 petrol that does duty on many cars globally, the most popular being the Mercedes A-class and GLA. The engine is available in different tunes but in India, it gets a rather impressive 156 hp and 250nm of torque. Also on offer will be the currently available naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 105hp and 142 nm of torque. The 1.3 turbo petrol will be coupled with a CVT as well as a manual while the 1.5 petrol will only be available in the manual.

Features and safety

Apart from the engine changes, the Duster 1.3 gets a lot of additions in its top of the line variant which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, engine start-stop, cabin pre-cooling function via remote, along with automatic climate control. It also gets cruise control, dual front airbags with ABS, hill-start assist, and an 8-inch infotainment screen amongst other things. The Renault Duster 1.3 also gets certain design changes such as red highlights on its exterior and interior as well as turbo badging on the car.

Duster 1.3 pricing

With the introduction of the BS6 engines and some features, the prices are expected to get slightly higher up for the Duster, while the Duster 1.3 will be considerably more expensive. Check out our review on the Duster: