Upcoming Renault Duster 7-seater Spied Testing in Romania

Early this year, Renault’s subsidiary brand Dacia unveiled the Bigster SUV concept. It will be the company’s new flagship SUV. Now, the carmaker has finally started working on the 7-seater version of the Dacia Duster, which is expected to be named Dacia Grand Duster. A few prototype models of the all-new 7-seater Duster have been snapped while getting tested in Romania. Visually, the test mule seems to be significantly longer than the regular 5-seater Duster. If based on the Bigster concept, the upcoming SUV will be around 4.6 meters in length.

The front fascia of the upcoming Dacia Grand Duster will look quite similar to that of the regular second-gen Duster retailed in the foreign markets. On the side, it gets 18-inch two-tone rims, functional roof rails and silver-coloured wing mirrors. The front and rear bumpers of the SUV get large bash plates. As compared to the 5-seater Duster, the upcoming 7-seater SUV gets vertically stacked and longer taillights. The cabin and powertrain details of the Dacia Grand Duster are still under covers. The SUV is likely to be offered in 6- and 7-seater configurations. The 6-seater version of the car will get two captain seats in the middle row, while the 7-seater version will feature a bench.

In the international markets, Dacia Duster is offered multiple powertrain options. In India, it derives power from a 1.3-litre turbocharged gasoline unit, which is capable of shredding out power and torque outputs of 154 Bhp and 250 Nm. Also, there's a 1.5L NA petrol motor that churns 106 PS against 142 Nm. These engines come paired to either a 6-speed MT or a CVT. Right now, the carmaker has no plans to introduce the 7-seater Duster in the Indian market. If launched in our market, it will rub shoulders against the likes of MG Hector Plus, new-gen Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar. The production of Euro-spec 7-seater Grand Duster will initiate at the company’s Pitesti-based plant in Romania in October this year. It is expected to launch by the end of this year or early 2022.