The Renault Duster’s discounted prices now start at just Rs. 7.99 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. This makes the Duster similarly priced to the Maruti Vitara Brezza (priced at Rs. 7.76 lakhs) and the Ford EcoSport (priced at Rs. 7.82 lakhs). The Renault Duster is a much larger SUV than the Maruti Brezza and the Ford EcoSport, and also has a much bigger boot. Meanwhile, here’s why the Duster is almost as cheap as the Maruti Brezza and Ford EcoSport.
The Renault Duster is at the end of its life cycle in India and by the end of this year or early next year, an all- new, 2nd generation model will replace the compact SUV. Predictably, sales have been slowing down for a while now. Renault dealers are also stuck with 2018 inventory which means that it’s time for big discounts on the 2018 production year Renault Duster.
Here is the variant-wise price list from GaadiWaadi for the 2018 version of the Renault Duster,
The Renault Duster that’s sold in India gets two engine options – a 1.6 liter petrol and a 1.5 liter turbocharged diesel. The petrol engine puts out 104 Bhp-140 Nm, and gets two gearbox options – a 5 speed manual and a CVT
automatic. The diesel engine is available in two states of tune – 84 Bhp-200 Nm, and 108 Bhp-240 Nm. Both engines get 6 speed manual gearboxes. While most variants of the Duster are front wheel driven, Renault also sells an all wheel drive version of the SUV in RXZ trim.
The all wheel drive (AWD) version of the Renault Duster is India’s least priced AWD SUV. It undercuts the likes of the Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass by quite a bit. The Duster AWD gets a slew of features that make it an excellent choice for those who want a rugged, compact SUV that can do a fair bit of mild off roading to reach low grip areas. It gets independent suspension all around, an all wheel drive system with multiple modes, traction control, ESP, and lower gearing that makes it a lot more torquier than the front wheel driven variants.
The Duster’s biggest selling point is its ride quality. The SUV’s suspension set-up is just perfect for Indian conditions, and offers a comfortable ride even on the worst of road conditions. It looks quite butch, and this is another reason why the Duster remains attractive to a lot of buyers.
Coming to the Ford EcoSport and Maruti Brezza, both SUVs while being smaller than the Duster are a lot fresher. In case of the Ford EcoSport, it offers many more features than the Duster, and this is a reason why this compact SUV is still finding enough buyers after being around for nearly 7 years in the Indian market.
The Brezza on the other hand, outsells every other SUV in India for multiple reasons: the Maruti badge, competitive price tag, great resale value and low maintenance costs.
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