It’s Time To Bid Adieu To Your Favourite Compact SUV, The First-Gen Renault Duster!

They say all good things come to an end. Isn’t it true? It is and the sad news is that Renault has finally decided to discontinue the first-generation Duster until the third-gen model arrives. The even disturbing part about this news is that the upcoming model will not be able to make its way to India till 2023 and that is why it’s finally time to say goodbye to your favourite SUV until it makes a grand comeback.

Want to learn what made Duster a grand success? Well, check out all the important details related to it down below.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Renault has discontinued the first-gen Duster in India.
• The last model was available with two petrol engines.
• Third-generation model is expected to arrive in 2023.

Renault Duster: What made it so special?

Duster was a proper five-seater but the road presence it bought was enormous. Likewise, several other pros such as a competitive price tag, lots of ground clearance, fuel-efficient diesel engine and rugged design language further boosted the sales of this compact SUV.

More details on the discontinued model

The regular Duster was available in two variants namely, RXS and RXZ. After some time, the turbocharged model was introduced in three different trim levels including RXE, RXS and RXZ. For your information, the last recorded price of the Duster was somewhere between Rs.9.86 Lakhs to Rs.14.25 Lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Talking about the features, it was loaded with LED DRLs, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, dual airbags, hill start assist, reverse parking camera and an Arkamys six-speaker surround sound system among others.

Under the hood, the facelifted model was available with two petrol engine options. The first one was obviously a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit with overall output rated at 106PS and 142Nm. Meanwhile, the latter one was a potent 156PS, 1.3-litre turbocharged unit.

For transmission duties, different kinds of gearboxes such as 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual and CVT were also available depending upon the variant.

Alternatives

In India, Duster compares with other compact SUVs such as Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor and Kia Seltos. Planning to enter this segment? Let’s check out the all-new Kushaq down below.

Skoda Kushaq

Kushaq means emperor and the SUV has already done every possible thing to bring Skoda back into the game. Reminds you of something? Well, even Duster did that for Renault.

Currently, the all-new Kushaq is available with two engine options where the first one is a 113BHP, 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit. Talking about the next, it is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with overall output rated at a massive 147BHP and 250Nm of peak torque. Thankfully, feature-wise, the compact SUV has been loaded with a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, electric sunroof, ventilated seats and automatic climate control so that it can compete with other modern SUVs in today’s world. For more details related to Kushaq, click here.

Specifications