Renault Duster facelift to create a storm at the Auto Expo

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The 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show gave us a glimpse of the updated Dacia Duster. As expected, the updates found its way to the Renault Duster, Dacia’s India counterpart, save for a new grille. We will see this updated version soon at the Renault stall in the Auto Expo.

The company had released some images of the car back in November 2013, so there is nothing new to mention in terms of features. The current Duster had been quite popular and enjoyed a good run until it was outrun by Ford EcoSport. The crossover segment in India is a highly competitive one.

The front fascia gets dual-tone chrome grille, unlike the Dacia version which had the honeycomb grille. Other additions include new headlamps with double-optic units and DRLs, roof-rails, chromed exhaust, new scuff plate and revised tail lamps. There is also a new body colour Comete Grey. The exhaust now comes with a chrome tip.

In terms of engine it continues to retain its heart. Power comes from either a 1.5-litre K9K engine tuned to offer 85PS or 110PS or a 1.6-litre petrol motor. Then there have been speculations that  it might also get the new 1.2-litre TCe turbocharged petrol mill, which will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission, an answer to Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.

Renault is banking on the facelifted Duster to turn the winds in its favour. The competition has already moved ahead in this one year so all Renault can hope for is that the car’s stylish looks and its reputation as a good car sees it through. We expect that Renault will price the facelifted Duster slightly higher than the current vehicle for a variety of reasons. It competes with the Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV500 and in terms of sedans the Honda City.