Renault has already launched the Duster with the 1.3-litre turbo, and it is by far the most powerful in the segment. The volumes, however, lie elsewhere, so it was only about time before Renault got the more volume-churning 1.0-litre turbo in the Duster. On paper, it’s the same engine that does duty in the Kiger, hence expectations weren’t very high. But my word, everything changed once we hit the road behind the wheel.
Powertrain & Performance
This particular variant, the Techno as they call it, is the top one with the 1.0-litre engine, and it competes with all the NA engines out there, which are quite underwhelming to be honest. So first things first, let’s just forget that this engine powers the Kiger because it feels like nothing that we see in the Kiger. Although power and torque figures are pretty much the same—100 PS and 166 NM—the Duster’s chassis and the new 6-speed MT personify this into something we haven’t experienced before.
For starters, the Duster doesn’t feel underpowered at all. Acceleration is linear, and the 6-speed transmission has well-spaced ratios for both city and highway runs. In fact, Renault has tuned the gearbox so perfectly for Indian conditions that you can actually go 20–90 KM/H in third gear itself without having to downshift. The clutch is light, and the shifts are smooth. Peak power comes at much lower RPMs, making the drivability quite exceptional; in fact, I found it better than the more powerful 1.3-turbo. Peak power comes in around 4,500 RPM, which is much lower compared to the NA competition, where peak power comes in around 6,300 RPM.
The first gear tops out at 43 KM/H, second at 70 KM/H, and third goes all the way to 96 KM/H. The fifth and sixth gears are tuned for cruising on the highway, delivering better fuel efficiency. The Duster returns 19.4 KM/L as per ARAI, and it should return upwards of 12–13 KM/L in practical city driving conditions. The only flip side is that currently, Renault isn’t offering an automatic gearbox with the 1.0-litre engine. But for those who wish to drive an automatic at a competitive price, they have introduced an Evolution variant of the 1.3-turbo with the DCT (one variant lower than the Techno). The cost difference between these is ₹1 lakh (ex-showroom).
Safety & Features
Coming to other features on the car, it gets fabric seats, misses out on ADAS, front parking sensors, side parking sensors, and the 10.25-inch TFT instrument cluster (you get a 7-inch unit instead). You also get leatherette seats, powered front seats, manual lumbar adjustment, built-in Google, acoustic windshield, PM 2.5 air filter with ionizer, AQI display, 360-degree parking camera with 3D view, front seat ventilation, ambient lighting, drive modes with customisation profiles, Arkamys auditorium sound system (you get the Arkamys Classic sound system here), rain-sensing wipers, dual-tone colours, and 18-inch alloy wheels—but you get 17-inchers here!
Despite what it misses out on, it still has the Duster DNA, which means it still offers the best driving dynamics in the segment, feels great to drive, and will surely put a smile on your face. The best thing is that all this comes at ₹15.94 lakhs (on-road Mumbai), which is very competitive pricing and is less than some of the sub-4m SUVs out there. All in all, the Duster 1.0-litre left me truly impressed with its amazing drivability, without any lack of punch
