Renault Duster 2026 First Look: What Stands Out, What Falls Short

The new Duster will come with three powertrains and one of them will be a strong hybrid which would be unique for its class. Here we list out what we like and what we don't.

The new Duster looks good and draws a fine line between being a tough SUV along with not being too flashy.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

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The new Duster is finally here and we had spent some time with the car at its unveil event. The new Duster will come with three powertrains and one of them will be a strong hybrid which would be unique for its class. Here we list out what we like and what we don't.

What We Like

The new Duster looks good and draws a fine line between being a tough SUV along with not being too flashy. It is rugged looking and classy without being too aggressive. There is plenty of cladding and the slim headlamps are a nice tough while a healthy ground clearance of 212mm means has a nice stance as well.

The interiors are feature packed with actually being better equipped than many of its rivals. The new Duster gets dual powered seats with ventilation, panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, ADAS, air purifier, 360 degree camera, powered hand brake and more.

Unlike some rivals, the new Duster has proper buttons on the centre console and that makes things easy. We found the interior to be logically laid out and with ample storage.

The huge boot space of 700l is easily amongst the largest.

There is plenty of power on offer with the 160ps turbo petrol which has 280Nm along with a 6 speed wet clutch automatic which makes sense for India.

The strong hybrid is an asset here being fuel efficient, silent with an electric drive ranging for most of your city driving needs and will have high fuel efficiency.

The new Duster looks to be tough and will be one of the more offroad oriented SUVs despite no AWD on offer.

What We Don’t Like

The new Duster rear seat falls short on space when compared to rivals with lesser legroom and width being narrow for three passengers. It is more of a four seater.

Interior quality isn't the class best but is decent for the expected price range.

The base 100 bhp turbo petrol is only available with a manual gearbox.

Unlike the previous Duster there is no diesel on offer while the strong hybrid would be available later.

Overall, there is plenty to like about the new Duster notably the design, features and the strong hybrid powertrain along with the turbo petrol which makes this an attractive package. Prices would be out in March while deliveries will start from March.

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