Renault Duster Turbo Launched, MORE POWERFUL than Kia Seltos 1.4 Turbo

Renault India has launched the Duster turbo-petrol in the Indian market. Debuted back in February at the Auto Expo 2020, the turbocharged petrol version of the Renault Duster is now available in a price range of Rs 10.49 lakh to Rs 13.59 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The new mid-size SUV comes in three trim levels with both manual and automatic transmission options.

The all-new Renault Duster turbo-petrol looks nearly identical to the earlier Duster except for the Turbo badging with red accents on its cosmetic package. The cabin of the SUV remains unchanged as well. However, the range-topping Renault Duster RXZ variant is now having with more bells and whistles on tap, including an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, remote AC cooling, fuel-saving engine start-stop system, hill-start assist along with a set of 17-inch alloy wheels.

Powering the new Duster is a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine with direct-injection technology that gives it a peak power of 156 PS alongside a max torque figure of 254 Nm, thus making it the most powerful SUV of its segment. Transmission duties on the Renault Duster turbo-petrol will be handled by a 6-speed MT and a 7-step CVT automatic unit. The power figures make the new model even more powerful than the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol variants of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. 

As before, the Renault Duster carries on its BS6-compliant 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol mill churning out 106 PS of max power and 142 Nm of max torque. This engine is available with a 5-speed manual transmission solely. The transition to the stricter BS6 norms had seen the French automaker takes the Duster’s 1.5-litre K9K diesel off the market. With the Renault Duster going petrol-only, we’ve also seen the capable all-wheel-drive version of the car discontinued from the product’s range.

Renault Duster Variant-wise Prices (ex-showroom, India)

At the Rs 10.49 – 13.59 lakh price range, the Renault Duster turbo-petrol commands a premium of almost Rs 2 lakh over the naturally aspirated version. Still, the new Duster is the most affordable turbocharged-petrol mid-size SUV of the class. Compared with the Nissan Kicks turbo that shares the same mechanical package with the Renault SUV, the former is essentially Rs 1.36 lakh costlier than the Duster. The Kia Seltos 1.4-litre turbo-GDI, the Renault Duster is even Rs 5 lakh cheaper than South Korean offering. However, do note that the Kia Seltos SUV comes with a lot more premium features compared to the European counterpart.