RESURRECTION OF THE LEGEND
Pros
-Great suspension
Rock solid at highway speed
Smooth at low speeds
Very good handling- very stable around corners( much better than old duster)
-Good quality interiors
Excellent cabin insulation
Cockpit like feel, in the driver seat u sit much lower even in the highest setting making it more car like
-Engine is refined with smooth power delivery
-Looks and feel more modern and premium unlike predecessor
-5 stars safety rating at Bharath NCAP CRASH TEST
Cons
-Steering feel/weight could have been better
-Although engine is powerful enough it’s not very much exciting, needs pedal to metal to extract full potential, rather more effort needed to go faster.
-Rear seat Space is adequate but not very generous .
-360 camera quality could have been better
HISTORY
It took almost 4 years for a new Duster to be seen at a Renault dealership ever since its departure in 2022. When OG Duster launched in India in 2012, it was an eye opener for almost every other manufactures witnessing its sheer success as it opened a new segment called compact SUV. Back then SUVs were big and tough with most of them built on ladder frame chassis making them more durable and abuse friendly whereas most other cars were compact and nimble to use. Duster just rewrote this whole concept with its robustness yet compact dimensional character. Inarguably it can be said that Duster needs to be the pioneer of Indian compact SUVs. Period.
Success was huge so do the sales, however when mainstream small car manufacturers started introducing their products with better features and interior, sales of duster started depleting. Yet enthusiastic minds always went for it, having said that over the course Renault India failed to meet aspirations of new prospective customers who got dazzled with better features and wow factors from other cars of the same segment, well precisely the Hyundai Creta. Majority of the customers also preferred the smoothness of creta over the rugged and rudimentary nature of duster with interiors being most compared. Later on, come 2020 year, torquey and frugal K9K diesel of OG duster had to be sacrificed due to BS6 emission norms. Even in these times too Duster only received minor facelift which were criticised for farm utilitarian interiors and lack of proper facelift. Neverthless competition became even tighter with many other players in market to dethrone creta. Duster had to be the king of this ground who lost due to poor product facelift planning and execution.
INTRODUCTION
Being an OG duster fan as well as owner for 8 years, I was quite not happy with Renault for not launching this new model a bit earlier, which in case had made a remarkable milestone to strengthen Duster brand in India, Yes the new 2026 India spec duster is modern yet very much Duster in every sense with many aspects sorted and polished to meet every customer needs from a midsize compact suv. DUSTER IS BACK WITH A BANG.
LOOKS
DECENT, that could be best said, not polarising or glittering. Its looks perfect to all eyes. India spec model gets upmarket feel than the international model. Connected lights at the rear, although it matches segment standards, I would have preferred the one without it. Lots of piano black everywhere again to meet latest needs . Still hats off to Renault India for making it happen. These minor things show us that ,Renault really knew what went wrong with old one ,and that is being fixed. Meeting standard requirements of every customer rather than just enthusiasts.
INTERIOR
The most highlight of the new duster is how well it is different inside from the old one. It is made out with excellent use of good quality materials unlike its predecessor which felt boxy and plasticky and very basic. New one gets many segment first features too like the google stereo which might get a little complicated to use on the go. The seats are wide and very supportive with luxury amenities like ventilation and electric adjustments for front passengers. Even the centre portion which is much raised in the automatic variants adds the overall good aesthetic appearance. Very good choice of colours, mostly black and as such abuse friendly. Even in the highest-setting on the driver seat you sit much lower than before and its a good thing , making it almost car like, this is different from the old one. Centre screen is tilted towards driver and all these details give it a cockpit like feel inside the car .Minor attention details like Q2 wireless charging is very welcome and purpose-full. 360 camera however, is just about average in quality.
Rear seat space is above average, although not as plush or spacious than that of segment best. Still there is no lack of space or comfort with good support around.
ENGINES AND TRANSMISSION
Drove the 1.3 turbo with 163hp and 280nm torque with 6 SPEED DCT.
It’s best said as smooth and power-full not very much exciting. A couple of things make it so, primarily the gearbox which is a wet-clutch DCT and is a bit geared long. It behaves more like a proper torque converter unit which is good making it very smooth in traffic unlike some other dry clutch unit. Surely there is performance for which we need to floor the accelerator and requires more effort which is essentially contrary to the old K9K Diesel engine which is much more effortless. Yes we do miss the Diesel torque, however we will definitely appreciate the refinement of this petrol mill which is much superior to the old Diesel unit.
NVH
This is another area renault really nailed it. Its much smooth and quite inside even when driven hard. Excellent use of sound insulation technics make the drive less noisy and much smoother than old one. It’s now easily comparable to Koreans and others. Road noise and engine noise is filtered enough to keep passengers bothersome.
SAFETY
6 standard airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), and Level 2 ADAS (lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking)
also features a 360-degree camera, TPMS,
BHARATH NCAP 5stars -its really impressive not just comparing to old duster which had a poor safety rating but to the latest competitors as well.
RIDE AND HANDLING
Best got better,
Along with all the changes duster received the one thing it retained from its predecessor is the ride comfort. It feels tough and yet smooth at any speed. Smooth and non jittery on broken city roads , planted and flat at highway-speeds and feels robust on country roads. Overall cabin experience is much more ameliorated while riding as the case with better NVH and retained great ride.
Handling is perhaps what surprised, it’s even better now than the old one. Highway triple digit speed and corners are a breeze for the new one. This was not the case with old, had to be little gentle while taking fast corners, on the contrary the new duster can be driven fast around corners too. Brilliant I would say.
STEERING
A pivotal role aiding better handling. Gone is the old hydraulic unit which felt better, albeit came with a problem of mid-corner kickbacks, however it’s all a memory now. New EPS system makes it very light and smooth.
Nevertheless I wish it had more feel and feedback, its direct and precise for sure but had to change the steering feel mode to HEAVY for my liking, following which it felt better. Even after switching it to heavy, it stayed light at slow-speeds and only weighs up at high speeds, which
felt good and less artificial than cars of the same segment with this feature..
VERDICT
Worth the wait
The new duster is definitely upgraded from the old one in every possible aspect while protecting its core strength. We do miss the Diesel, however hybrid is on its way and can surely replace diesel absence. What mattered most had been addressed, better interior, features, NVH, most crucial better safety rating.
What needs to be held has been stayed, a great ride, however the handling just got even better making it more sportier than ever before.
5 star Bharath NCAP rating is cherry on top.
Final verdict
Latest iteration of once a great car, however criticised for its rudimentary nature resurrected with advanced tech while protecting its true identity.
ITS ABOUT CARS 