The Dacia Duster facelift 2013 finally made its first public appearance today. The car was showcased at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show 2013, where arch rival Ford EcoSport greeted to the German car buying lot.
It may be noted that until recently, the Dacia/Renault Duster was proving to be very beneficial to its manufacturer. The Duster is easily among the top selling Compact SUVs across the globe and such used to be the demand for this car in India that it even outsold the Mahindra Scorpio for a couple of months. However, all thanks to the advent of newer competition in the guise of equally hyped Ford EcoSport, popularity of the Duster have started witnessing quite a dip. While there definitely is no denying that the Duster is a well sorted out car and looks far from dated, the fresher looks and newer engines of the EcoSport have made a really good impression on the car buying lot.
This is exactly where the Duster facelift comes in. The car is likely to make its Indian debut at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo India next year, with India launch to follow a month later. The Duster facelift is an attempt to hog away the attention from cars like the EcoSport.
Speaking about exterior styling of the refreshed car, the Duster facelift comes with only minor updates which consist on gets a revised grille, re-profiled headlamps and a chrome tipped exhaust.
However, the interior is where the car gets some substantial updates. The 2014 Renault Duster facelift gets a revised centre console, a new instrument cluster audio controls on the steering wheel. The Duster also gets a touch-screen infotainment system with maps.
Mechanically, the Renault Duster remains unchanged. However, the engine options might see a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine replacing the 1.6 litre unit. The new engine would produce 120 BHP of max power.
It remains to be seen if these changes would enable the Renault Duster to regain the limelight from the Ford EcoSport.
Stay tuned to this space for more on Dacia Duster aka Renault Duster Facelift India Launch.