Renault Duster 2019 – 5 things you need to know

After the unveiling of the Renault Triber, the French automaker has launched its major sales champion, the Renault Duster in a facelifted avatar. A major facelift of the Renault Duster 2019 has been pending for a while now and the car has been sensibly priced with a starting price of Rs 7.99 lakhs (ex-showroom). The top two variants continue to get AWD and AMT. The RXS Option 110 PS Diesel AWD is the most expensive of the lot with a price-tag of Rs 12.49 lakhs.

Once the best selling SUV, the Duster has lately come under threat from growing competition and a lack of features to defend itself. The butchy SUV looks and relatively compact dimensions had customers queuing up to buy this vehicle. The Duster was a favorite for many years. It came with a powerful 1.5-litre diesel engine, all of which made it a winning concoction. It was very comfortable too. Now, with many new premium SUVs and compact SUVs coming in with new features the Duster has finally stepped its game up.

Renault Duster 2019 5 things you need to know

Design
Renault has brought the facelift of the Duster finally and while the international market gets the new generation Duster now, Renault India soldiers on with the old generation. The updated Duster is identifiable with its new projector headlights with LED DRLs, a redesigned, chrome-embellished front grille and a redesigned front bumper. The sculpted bonnet also sits marginally higher (raised for the Duster to meet pedestrian protection norms) than on the previous model. Front and rear skid plates, and plastic cladding at the tailgate also help the look. Of the other things, the Duster gets a new design for its 16-inch alloy wheels as well as a new blue exterior paint option.

Interior
Inside we see changes like – new steering wheel, angular AC vents, brown-fabric upholstery, Faux-aluminium trim, chrome-and-gloss-black bit, dash insert finished in the body color, an upgraded infotainment system which, even though retains the same-sized 7.0-inch screen, now features Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Renault does have the larger 8.0-inch unit which will feature in the upcoming Triber seven-seater. We wonder why it wasn’t given to this car.

New Price
Renault has revised the prices for the Duster and they are a bit lower than before. The new SUV is priced from Rs 7.99 lakh for the petrol RxE variant, going up until Rs 12.50 lakh for the RxZ AMT and RxS (O) AWD trims (both 110hp diesel variants). The AWD Duster now costs Rs 60,000 less but it does miss out on some equipment. Meanwhile, the AMT version is now pricier by Rs 60,000 but is more feature-rich than before. In comparison, the outgoing Duster range was priced from Rs 7.99-13.10 lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India).

Shuffled variants
The Duster is available with a total of five new engine-gearbox configurations. While the variant line-up remains more or less unchanged, an important addition is the introduction of all-wheel drive on the mid-spec RxS (O) trim. Earlier, AWD was only available on the fully-loaded RxZ variant. While this makes it more affordable, the new AWD variant misses out on features like automatic climate control, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a front armrest, electrically foldable ORVMs, cruise control, a rear parking camera and a rear wiper/washer. Additionally, the diesel-AMT combination is now available only on the top-spec RxZ variant (the pre-facelift model had it in the mid-spec RxS variant) at a higher price tag.

Competition
Top competition to the Duster comes from midsize SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, the Nissan Kicks and the Maruti Suzuki S-cross. Also, thanks to the lowered pricing, the updated Duster also competes with compact SUVs like the Mahindra XUV300 and the Ford EcoSport. So will you choose a mid-size SUV or a compact SUV? Check out the prices below.

New Renault Duster 2019 Price in India

“We have a clear goal of growing the Renault brand in India. Towards this, we are strategically strengthening our product range, expanding our network reach and initiating pioneering measures to ensure customer delight. Duster plays a pivotal role in our product portfolio and has the widest offering in the segment, enabling us to cater to evolving customer needs. We are confident that the new Duster will resonate well with discerning Indian customers,” said Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Operations.

New Renault Duster 2019 Variants

New Renault Duster 2019 Features

Below are the features of all the variants of the Duster.

Duster RxE

Dual front airbags
ABS with EBD and brake assist
Rear parking sensors
Remote central locking
16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers
Projector headlamps
Roof rails
LED tail-lamps
Manual AC
Tilt adjustable power steering
Power windows

Duster RxS

ESP (CVT & AWD only)
Hill-start assist (CVT & AWD only)
Creep function (CVT only)
Rear defogger
LED DRLs
16-inch alloy wheels
Turn indicators integrated into the wing mirrors
Steering-mounted controls
Rear centre armrest
Cooled storage compartment
Power adjustable wing mirrors
7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, ESB, AUX, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
Four speakers

Duster RxZ

Rear parking camera
Cruise control
Creep function (AMT only)
ESP (AMT only)
Hill-start assist (AMT only)
Front fog lamps
Power folding wing mirrors
Height adjustable driver’s seat
Height adjust for the front seat belts
Front armrest
Two tweeters
Driver’s side auto up-down for the power windows
Automatic climate control
Rear washer and wiper

New Renault Duster 2019 Video

Renault will try and win the market share it once enjoyed. Renault’s best seller in India, before the introduction of Kwid, needs a revamp. How will the New Renault Duster 2019 be?  What features will it get? Will it get features from its cousin, the Nissan Kicks? Read further for a detailed preview of the same.

New Renault Duster 2019 Mileage

The diesel will be the 1.5-litre version that will churn about 108 bhp of power and will be more fuel-efficient. The petrol is likely to return about 13km/l overall and the diesel will return 19 km/l in real driving conditions.

Also Read: Toyota Rush SUV coming?

Renault Duster 2019 India Design

The iconic looks of the Duster continues on this 2019 car. There are not many changes there. The 2019 Renault DUSTER looks bolder with the new tri-winged full chrome grille, new dual tone body colour front bumper which features muscular skid plates, new signature projector headlamps with LED DRLs that sync perfectly with the broad hood. The R16 Everest Diamond Cut alloy wheels enhance the look and offer a high ground clearance of 205 mm while the AWD version offers a ground clearance of 210 mm along with high approach and departure angles. The Kayak roof rails, body colored ORVM, matt­e black tailgate embellisher and Waterfall LED tail lamps to look good.

The side remains quite similar to look at. There is body cladding that extends to the front fender. The Duster does not get grab door handles which is weird. This means the keyless entry feature is still not on the cards. The rear of the Renault Duster 2019 loss is trendier now. The taillamps do remind you of the Jeep Renegade. Overall, the New Duster 2019 is more stylish and adds a breath of fresh air to the car.

Also Read:  Nissan Kicks – New SUV

Renault Duster 2019 Interior

The insides of the new 2019 Duster are enhanced by the Midnight black interiors that give the cabin of the new Duster a completely new look and feel. Features like Cruise Control with speed limiter, fully integrated 17.64 cm touchscreen MediaNAV Evolution that comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice recognition and EcoGuide – a system that monitors driving patterns and provides guidelines to improve efficiency is a big bonus. The new Duster also offers ARKAMYS sound system with 4 speakers and a new 2 front tweeters for enhanced sound output. The new Renault DUSTER comes equipped with fully automatic climate control and a spacious illuminated and cooled glovebox.

New Renault Duster 2019 Safety

The new Renault Duster is compliant with BNCAP front, side & pedestrian crash norms and is compliant with safety features stipulated by the Indian authorities. It is equipped with a host of active and passive safety features like Antilock-Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), driver and passenger airbags, rear parking sensors, seat belt reminder & speed alert. All these safety features are standard across all versions of the new Renault Duster. Features such as Reverse Parking Camera, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Hill-Start Assist enhance the SUV capability of Duster. The new Duster offers a range of 38 different categories of innovative accessories which enhances its SUV appeal and make the drive more comfortable and convenient for the passengers.

New Renault Duster 2019 Specifications

The new Duster will continue to use the platform that underpins the current Duster. This platform is a robust one and well-suited for our country. The Renault Captur is also built on the same platform, hence it will save costs for the company. It will also help in pricing the new Duster competitively. The new Duster will get an upgraded diesel engine and also a new 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine, most likely. Fuel efficiency is expected to improve this time, both in petrol and diesel versions.

The new Renault Duster 2019 will get a new 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine. The current 1.5-litre diesel engine will continue to do duty. A six-speed manual transmission and AMT will continue to be offered as well. The petrol version will be priced aggressively and Will try and compete with other petrol counterparts. The small capacity engine will attract excise benefits as well. The diesel engine will get some tweaks. An AWD version will also be offered in the Duster 2019.  The new petrol engine is expected to get a six-speed manual and AMT as well.

New Renault Duster 2019 Colours

The Duster 2019 is going to get six color options, which include Black, White, Silver, Grey, Brown and the new edition also offers two new options for customers to choose from – ‘Caspian Blue’ and ‘Mahogany Brown’.

Also Read: Honda WRV – Price and Review 

New Renault Duster 2019 Spy Shots

New Renault Duster 2019 Competition

The Duster 2019 will compete with Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier and the upcoming Maruti Vitara. The Renault Captur and Nissan Kicks will be in-house competition.