2013 Frankfurt Motor Show: India bound Dacia Duster facelift details revealed

The story of a movie star getting a facelift just when things start to look bleak is timeless Hollywood tale and such is the story of the Dacia/Renault Duster.  It has been a constant seller for the Franco-Romanian automaker in most of the markets that it has been launched in so far and now when as age has snuck upon the car, they have given it a facelift. Renault revealed the facelift on the 28th of August and has now provided more details on what its first facelift for the car comprises.

The facelifted Dacia/Renault Duster gets a revised fascia in the form of a new grille, revised headlamps as well as a new air intake assembly. It gets new front and rear scuff plates, revised tail lamp assembly and 16-inch wheels. However, the overall design of the crossover has not been changed as it still retains its squat stance and model defining flared wheel arches.   

Inside though, the Dacia/Renault Duster gets a major overhaul in the form of new gauges, redesigned front seats, repositioning of the power window switches and new upholstery options which includes leather on the higher spec variants. 

Optional features for the facelifted Dacia/Renault Duster are the Media NAV infotainment system, front parking sensors and two exterior packs; Adventure pack and the off-road pack. While the former includes flared wheel arches and door sill protectors, the latter has satin coloured chrome side bars and a bull bar in the front.

On the engine front, the Dacia Duster will continue to be powered by the 1.5-litre diesel in two states of tune 85PS and 110PS, a 1.6-litre petrol and a new turbocharged 1.2-litre TCe petrol engine. While the 1.6-litre petrol has been mated to a five-speed manual, the diesels and the 1.2-litre petrol have been mated to a six-speed manual. European and Gulf spec Dusters can be had either in 4X2 or 4X4 variant. 

The Nissan Terrano is due for a launch soon and with the Duster’s sales sliding in India; we expect that Renault will facelift the car and launch it for the Indian market by the end of the year. We ideally should be one of the first non-European markets to get the facelifted car as all version of the car in RHD guise are manufactured at their Chennai plant.