The Renault Duster Thread

It's the brand-new new Dacia Duster!

The third-generation of a Top Gear favourite has definitely grown up - should we be worried?

Although we’re big fans of the Dacia Duster here at TopGear.com, there’s a slight feeling of unease surrounding this all-new third generation. Why? Well, it looks a bit… too good, bluntly. A bit plush. A little too much equipment and swagger for what is supposed to be a cheap, no-nonsense, working hero. But before we do the usual and jump headlong to conclusions, it’s probably worth a little delve into what we’re looking at.
For a start, this is a properly new Duster. It’s based on the Renault/Nissan CMF-B platform (common module family) that underpins the Jogger and new Sandero as well as the Clio and forthcoming Renault 5, so bang up to date on that front. It’s an architecture that’ll take a variety of drivetrains (including full EV), but the new Duster is going hybrid-ish and techy from the start. So there’ll be three drivetrains on offer, as well as front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. Already, we raise our collective eyebrow. But bear with us.

There’s the Hybrid 140, which comprises a 1.6-litre, 94bhp petrol engine with a 49bhp electric motor - plus a big starter-generator. It’s a clutchless auto, has re-gen braking and a little 1.2kWh battery - so not much all-electric range - but it is properly efficient if driven sympathetically. Then there’s the TCe 130 mild-hybrid, which gets a three-cylinder, 1.2-litre turbocharged motor with a 48-volt electric bit bolted to it to support. It’s only got a 0.9kWh battery, so no electric range, but the electric bit helps the combustion motor when starting and accelerating - so it’s a bit more responsive - and 10 per cent more efficient than the equivalent power ICE. That one comes with a six-speed manual in either front or 4x4 versions.

Lastly there’s the Duster TCe 100 Bi-fuel, and that does what it says on the tin. It’s a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo that can run on either one of its two 50-litre tanks of either LPG or petrol. You can only have it as front-wheel drive - the LPG tank is under the boot floor where the 4x4 bits would go - but it gives you 10 per cent less CO2 than a straight petrol, and a possible 1,300km - that’s over 800-miles - of range. Best for those that live near a convenient LPG outlet though.

 
Dacia Duster

The All-New Dacia Duster opens the next chapter in the story of a model that has grown into a standard-setter in its market. It is an all-round icon, encapsulating everything the Dacia brand stands for: 'Robust and Outdoor', 'Essential but Cool', and 'Eco-Smart'. Duster was born in 2010, overhauled for the first time in 2017, and rose to the top by rewriting the SUV rulebook.

Duster is a proven success story. In its 13-year-long career, it has been awarded more than 40 accolades, production stands at 2.2 million units and counting, and it is steadily increasing in popularity, ranking as Europe's best-selling SUV across all segments in the retail market in 2022. Around 1,000 Duster SUVs roll off the production lines at Dacia's plant in Pitesti, Romania, every day - about one every minute!

STRONGER AND MORE ASSERTIVE DESIGN

Dacia has reinvented Duster's design. It still has the striking looks that propelled the previous generations to the top - especially its solid, sturdy SUV character - but pushes them further with Dacia's new, distinctive design.

David Durand, Dacia Design Director, said: "Before even starting work on All-New Duster's style, we honed its proportions, to find a strong, balanced posture. When you get the proportions right early on, you don't need artifices to tweak style later."

Dacia's philosophy of providing all the essentials applies to the All-New Duster's design as much as every other model.

The design team started simply, by looking at the cabin, bonnet and wings. Then they assembled them into the whole car to give the model a modern, well-built style, with deliberately taut, self-confident lines.


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I heard in that CAR Magazine video that a Duster rolls off their assembly plant every minute.

Dang.
 
All-New Renault Duster Revealed

Meet the third-generation Renault Duster which has just been revealed to the European market. While it may be badged as Dacia in the images, we reckon we’ll see the new model in SA dealerships in 2024.

The Renault Duster has been a phenomenal sales success. Since its inception back in 2010 and update in 2017, more than 2.2 million have been sold globally and around 1000 Dusters roll off the production lines every day.

This new third-gen Duster is assembled on the CMF-B LS platform, which is a version of the same platform that underpins the Captur and Clio. This new platform is said to offer more cabin space for passengers and boot space for luggage, without increasing the overall length too much. The new platform is also said to offer more refinement and comfort.

The design looks remarkably similar to the Dacia Bigster concept from a few years ago, which is great as that was a very interesting-looking vehicle. Climb inside, and it looks like the new Duster is rugged and durable. There’s a 7-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.1-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. Other noteworthy features include 4x illuminated USB ports, wireless smartphone charging, 6-speaker sound system as well as smartphone connectivity.

 
All-new Dacia (AKA Renault) Duster revealed in Europe

The Dacia Duster has attracted a loyal following both locally, where it’s badged as a Renault, and abroad with its no-frills approach to SUV life.

What we see here is the third-generation model, revealed in its home country of Romania on Wednesday, and sporting a sleeker design inspired by the Bigster Concept of 2021.

As with the third-gen Sandero (sadly not sold in SA), the new SUV is based on the Renault-Nissan Allicance’s CMF-B platform. It’s slightly longer than its predecessor and claims to offer more cabin and luggage space than before.

The new platform has also allowed the Duster to embrace the electrification age with a new hybrid powertrain option that pairs a normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and high-voltage starter generator for a system output of 103kW.

The new Duster is also the first Dacia-built product to offer Renault’s new 96kW mild hybrid powertrain that pairs a Miller cycle 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbopetrol with a 48V mild hybrid motor. An LPG-fuelled engine option will also be available in Europe.

 
All-new Dacia (AKA Renault) Duster revealed in Europe

The Dacia Duster has attracted a loyal following both locally, where it’s badged as a Renault, and abroad with its no-frills approach to SUV life.

What we see here is the third-generation model, revealed in its home country of Romania on Wednesday, and sporting a sleeker design inspired by the Bigster Concept of 2021.

As with the third-gen Sandero (sadly not sold in SA), the new SUV is based on the Renault-Nissan Allicance’s CMF-B platform. It’s slightly longer than its predecessor and claims to offer more cabin and luggage space than before.

The new platform has also allowed the Duster to embrace the electrification age with a new hybrid powertrain option that pairs a normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and high-voltage starter generator for a system output of 103kW.

The new Duster is also the first Dacia-built product to offer Renault’s new 96kW mild hybrid powertrain that pairs a Miller cycle 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbopetrol with a 48V mild hybrid motor. An LPG-fuelled engine option will also be available in Europe.

Hopefully Africa gets to keep the K9K 1.5 dci. Then I will upgrade my Duster 2 for a Duster 3
 
We still have a 2014 Duster with the K9K engine.

I like the new look, but I agree, we need to keep the 1.5dCi.
 
We still have a 2014 Duster with the K9K engine.

I like the new look, but I agree, we need to keep the 1.5dCi.
I sometimes wonder how a Duster with the larger 2.0dCi engine would perform, given that they seem pretty frugal in the heavier X-Trail.

An extra 70 horses and an extra 140Nm of torque for the same-ish fuel economy could be nice.
 
I sometimes wonder how a Duster with the larger 2.0dCi engine would perform, given that they seem pretty frugal in the heavier X-Trail.

An extra 70 horses and an extra 140Nm of torque for the same-ish fuel economy could be nice.
It’s not heavy enough… I can get the wheels to spin (Fat 225/65R17 BFG Knock-offs) with 260NM… I think any more power would make it a bit unruly… like an Astra OPC.
 
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