Upcoming 2019 Renault Duster Facelift – What To Expect?

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Renault Duster facelift will likely go on sale in the coming months with updated exterior and interior; no powertrain changes expected

Renault India is working on a facelifted version of the Duster instead of bringing in the new generation that has been around in international markets since 2017. The French automaker is looking at updating the existing SUV to meet the upcoming crash test regulations put into effect from July 2019.

Spy shots of the said model have already appeared on the internet quite a few times. The Duster is one of the popular nameplates for the brand in the Indian market but its popularity has faded due to the arrival of more modern and feature-rich rivals alongside the SUV not facing any significant updates over the years.

Renault did give the Duster a mid-life revision but it could not improve the sales figures. The new Duster facelift will likely go on sale in the coming months and will have a reworked front fascia with new projector headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights with a different graphics will be offered in the top-end variants.

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The engineers have worked on making changes to the exterior to make it comply with pedestrian safety standards and the rear end will also get mild updates. Renault could use the existing petrol and diesel engines upon launch without upgrading them to BSVI norms.

The tried-and-tested powertrains are used in several models across Renault-Nissan alliance and they could be upgraded only just before the BSVI regulations come into effect in April 2020. The 1.5-litre petrol motor develops 106 PS and 142 Nm and is mated to either a five-speed manual or a CVT automatic transmission.

The diesel engine, on the other hand, kicks out 110 PS and 245 Nm and is connected to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed AMT while an all-wheel-drive setup is also offered in the high-spec models. It is worth noting that the 85 PS producing diesel version is no longer in use due to the decision to discontinue it from production.

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Expect the prices to hover around Rs. 8.2 lakh to Rs 13.5 lakh (ex-showroom) at a slight increase from the outgoing model. The interior is expected to get its share of updates as well by borrowing components from the recently launched Nissan Kicks and don’t be surprised if the Duster facelift employs some of its features as well.