Renault Duster 2021-2022

Like the exterior of the vehicle, the interior of the Duster has a fuss-free design. The interior of the vehicle comes in midnight black with a stone grey colour theme. The dashboard houses a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It comes equipped with USB, AUX, Bluetooth for added convenience. The centre console has a piano black finish that looks cool. The seats are comfortable but do not come with a premium leather upholstery.

The seats of the compact SUV are cushioned well and are positioned to have a commanding view upfront. The vehicle has a large glass area and low window line which is necessary to have good visibility. It also makes the cabin feel airy and refreshing. Thanks to the wide-body, flat rear bench, a good amount of head and knee room, three people can sit comfortably at the rear. 

The Duster also has 455-litre of boot space, which is more than what is on offer in the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. In addition to this, the low loading lip allows passengers to load heavy luggage with ease. 

As mentioned earlier, the Duster comes with two engine options. One of them is a 1.5-litre petrol unit that produces 106 PS of maximum power and 142 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The other option is a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine that churns out 156 PS of maximum power and 254 Nm of peak torque. The motor comes paired with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard and a 7-step CVT as optional.  

The ARAI-rated fuel economy figures are 16.5 kmpl for the manual and 16.42 kmpl for the CVT version of the turbo variant. The Energy TCe motor comes with direct injection and variable valve timing, and has been co-developed by Renault-Nissan and Daimler. Both the engines are powerful and refined.  

The 1.3-litre engine is a smooth performer and the turbo lag is well-controlled. The 6-speed MT is also slick and does not feel notchy while shifting gears. The clutch in the Turbo Variant of the Duster is light. The optional 7-step CVT also performs extremely well and is smooth, but it’s the 6-speed MT that will impress the enthusiasts. The 1.5-litre petrol unit also presents similar characteristics as that of the 1.3-litre engine, but the top-end performance isn’t as strong. The 5-speed manual gearbox offered with the 1.5-litre engine also functions smoothly and provides precise shifts.

The suspension setup of the Renault Duster is on the stiffer side. Even then, it easily evens out the small bumps on the road when the vehicle is moving at low speeds. At higher speeds, the Duster feels planted on the road surface and hence, it presents good high-speed stability. The engine has also been improved in terms of refinement and the NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels are under control. The vibrations and tyre noise do not seep into the cabin even on the slightly rougher roads. 

The steering gives precise feedback even at high speeds. It feels agile and nimble at high speeds and gives confidence to the driver to attain triple-digit speeds. However, like its earlier versions, the hydraulic steering does violently transfer road shocks. 

In terms of safety features, the Renault Duster comes equipped with a Rear defogger, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) with Brake Assist (BA), Rapid deceleration warning, Engine immobiliser, Driver & front passenger airbags, driver and passenger seat belt reminder, reverse parking sensors, speed-sensitive door locking, Impact sensing door unlock system and much more. In addition to all these safety features, the vehicle comes with crash protection crumple zones which are the key points on the structure of the vehicle that absorbs impact in the scenario of a collision.

The India-spec Renault Duster has got a 0-star adult occupant protection rating at Global NCAP crash test bed. Interestingly, the child occupant protection rating for the Indian Duster is 2-star. It must be noted here that these scores are for the non-airbag version that’s not on sale anymore.