The first generation model of the Duster was a hit among the Indian public, and brought in very good sales numbers for the French automaker, however, it has been 7 years since the vehicle was launched in India. The Duster SUV has not been updated since its launch in 2012. However, the company has been working on the updated model of Duster for quite some time so that it can once again challenge rivals such as the South Korean Hyundai Creta, and the crossover Maruti Suzuki S-Cross that have severely eaten into the sales of the Renault Duster. The facelift model of the SUV was recently spied in Zoji La pass. This was the fully non-camouflaged version of the car.
The updated model of the Renault Duster will come with a lot of aesthetic changes that will keep the model fresh in the market for the near future. The changes on the near production model of Duster spotted in the mountains include revised styling on the front end of the vehicle. The grille of the Duster now has chrome work on it and the bonnet of the car has also been restyled. The fog lamp housings of the SUV have also been reworked and also making a presence are LED DRLs that were not offered on previous models of the French automaker's SUV.
Moving on to the rear one finds that the new updated Duster sports a slightly tweaked LED tail lamp setup. There is also black cladding on the boot lid of the SUV that extends from the end of the tail lamps to the number plate area. The side shots of the SUV also show that the updated model of Duster will now sport new alloy wheels. The interiors of the upcoming model of Duster will also be tweaked and one can expect aesthetic changes and some additional features inside the upcoming version of SUV as well.
As far as the mechanicals of the upcoming version of Duster are concerned, the brand will likely discontinue the lower tuning diesel engine. The 1.5L diesel engine of the SUV is likely to be updated as per the upcoming BS-VI norms, a similar upgrade is also expected on the 1.6L petrol engine. The 1.5L diesel engine of Duster is rated to deliver 1.8 Bhp and 240 Nm and comes with the option of a 6-speed manual and a 6 speed AMT gearbox. Whereas the petrol engine of the SUV is rated to deliver 104 Bhp and 140 Nm and comes with the option of a manual or a CVT automatic gearbox. Renault also offers an AWD system on the diesel model of Duster and the same is expected to be offered on the updated model of the SUV. However, what is to be noted here is that this is only a minor update for the Duster in India and not the model update that is on sale in the global markets.