Renault India's popular SUV -- the Duster -- was launched in July 2012 in India. Renault added all-wheel-drive version later, but the basic design of the SUV remained untouched. With three years gone by, the compact SUV is set for a facelift and the vehicle with heavy camouflage was caught testing many times this year alone.
The previous reports speculated that the facelifted car would be launched this Diwali, but now IBTimes India's sources have confirmed that the launch will take place in February 2016. The 13th edition of the Auto Expo is also scheduled for February 2016 and hence, it is safe to assume that the Duster facelift will be unveiled and launched during the expo.
Our sources also revealed that the facelift will be followed by an automatic transmission variant. Against the touted AMT gearbox, the facelift will be equipped with the conventional automatic transmission and the launch is scheduled in May-June 2016.
The previous spy pictures indicate that the front end of the car will have a different grille. The current multi-slat grill will make way for a single slat grille, which is in line with the Duster sold in international markets. The design of the headlamp remains the same, but the rearrangements inside the unit are identical to the Duster sold in the Brazilian market. The front and rear bumpers will also undergo some changes, but the basic silhouette will remain the same. Apart from these, the vehicle will run on a newly-designed dark coloured alloy wheels.
In the interior, a redesigned dashboard with up-market upholstery can be expected. The model will continue to have seven-inch MediaNAV infotainment display and cruise control.
Under the hood, the new Duster could retain the 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine, developing power in two state of tune -- 84bhp and 108bhp. The engine is mated to 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearboxes.
