The three transmission options available are six-speed manual, five-speed manual and six-speed automatic and they send power to either front wheels or all four wheels. The Duster offers the higher ground clearance in comparison with the Creta as it has 22 mm more space underneath that would bode well for terrain and off-roading conditions.
It also has 77 litres more boot capacity compared to the Creta and despite the latter being boxy, it’s still 65 mm shorter than the Renault. As for the space inside, the Duster clearly comes out leading as it has 83 mm additional wheelbase.
We test drove both the six-speed manual and the six-speed Easy R AMT on the highways, congested traffics and rocky roads. The biggest strength the new Renault Duster has is the firm ride quality on any surfaces it’s been put through and the improved clutch system that’s agile and responsive.
The chassis is stiffened as well and can be supple when you cruise along at lower speeds but the brakes face a familiar fate as you would always wish it to have a bit more stopping power. The SUV doesn’t jump about too much and the suspension settings have been tuned to enable versatile experience while absorbing shocks in a credible manner.
On the ECO mode in the 110 PS 2WD AMT version, the gear shifting was smooth without any mechanical disturbance and the 4th gear was attained at 50 kmph, 5th at 80 kmph and the 6th at 105 kmph. The top-speed of the vehicle will be around 160-165 kmph and it will get there sooner than you’d anticipate.
When you put the drive in cruise control mode, the AMT adjusts the pattern of the gear shifts within the lower 2500-3000 rpm band and delivers a smooth performance on heavy traffics. For example, the top gear will come into play only at 80 kmph.
You do get a fair amount of wind noise though driving over 120 kmph and it increases when you put the throttle down. The steering wheel size is not enormous and it’s handy while overtaking or doing a full-turn but stays light on highways. In the event of pulling over driving the AMT, you could apparently hear the downshifting noise when being standstill.
2016 Renault Duster Facelift First Drive Review Verdict:
As for the ride, the architecture has been improved for better off-roading. The new Renault Duster can explore new terrains with its stiff ride quality and the effortless lighter and responsive steering wheel. Not much turbo-lag had been witnessed on the expressways and the AMT gearbox was quite convenient in all aspects. The rear bench seats were hard and upright and therefore you could feel the back of your neck pounding but it wasn’t very unpleasant.
It negotiates potholes and bumps with ease but the rear occupants will feel the jolt quite hard when compared to the driver and co-passenger. It was far more relaxing sitting up front or behind the wheel and the AMT transmission responded very well on jammed-up city traffic. With the improved exterior, Renault has achieved what it intended to by bringing the SUV right up to the modern level and the interior changes do come as a worthy addition on the face of it.
The Renault Duster facelift is offered in 12 versions and with a starting price of 8.47 lakh and the top-end all-wheel drive diesel is retailed at 13.57 lakh (ex-showroom prices, Delhi). This is far less cheaper when compared to the Mahindra XUV 500 and Hyundai Creta. The six-speed Renault Easy R AMT is almost two lakhs cheaper than the Creta AT and almost four lakhs dearer than the XUV500 AT which makes it quite a bargain.
The recently launched compact SUVs like the Mahindra TUV300, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the segment-leading Hyundai Creta have the equipment and features from the premium hatchback level models whereas the facelifted Duster is still sticking by its guns as an outright SUV. Introducing the AMT and the RX-S variant, Renault India provides automatic climate control and others by upgrading the feature level in the highly competitive segment.
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