The Dacia Duster is a family of automobiles produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since 2010. It is currently in its second generation, launched in the autumn of 2017. It is marketed as the Renault Duster in certain markets such as Latin America, Russia, Ukraine, Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, and New Zealand.[1] The first generation was rebadged and restyled as the Nissan Terrano in CIS countries and India.[2] It was introduced in March 2010, and is the third model of the Dacia brand based on the Logan platform, after the Sandero.
The four-door double cab pick-up was launched at the end of 2015 in South America, marketed as the Renault Duster Oroch, while the single cab Dacia Duster Pick-Up was introduced in 2020.
A second generation was announced between 14 and 24 September 2017 during the Frankfurt Motor Show with the production models reaching the Romanian market in November 2017.[74] The new model has nearly the same dimensions, and built on the same B0 platform as the first generation. Although it is near-identical in terms of dimensions, according to Renault design chief, Laurens van den Acker, every body panel is new.[75] The interior design has been revamped and the interior noise has been reduced to half of the previous generation.[76] It has a nearly the same boot volume of 445 litres on two-wheel-drive versions, or 376 litres on four-wheel-drive versions, and a total dedicated storage space of 28.6 litres.[76] A facelifted version was unveiled in 2021.[77]
It now features an electric power steering,[78] a MultiView camera system consisting of four cameras, blind spot warning system, automatic climate control, keyless entry and ignition system,[79][80] and daytime running lights.[76] The ground clearance has been increased and a hill-start assist system is also offered, as well as hill descent control.[81] The top trim level features 17 inch wheels.[82] The mid-range Comfort model offers as standard Bluetooth, air conditioning, SatNav, rear parking sensors, rear camera, cruise control, six speed gearbox, alloy wheels, sports front seats.
It retains tweaked versions of the same 1.5-litre diesel, and 1.6-litre and 1.2-litre petrol engines as the outgoing model. The diesel can be mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission (EDC).[83] GCC markets and several Latin American markets continue to offer a 2.0-litre petrol engine as the main option; this engine is not available in Europe where it does not suit CO2, emissions, and fuel consumption requirements.
In 2018, Renault first rolled out across its Dacia range its new modified Euro 6 compliant 1.5-litre common-rail turbodiesel engine. To keep its NOx emissions low, this engine requires the injection of AdBlue fluid into the exhaust system.[84]
Duster Pick-Up
Dacia Duster utility vehicles on Heathrow Airport
In October 2020, Dacia introduced the single cab pick-up version based on the four-wheel drive Duster model. Developed in collaboration with the Romanian engineering consultancy Romturingia from Câmpulung, the Duster Pick-Up features a 1.65 m (5.4 ft) length cargo bed with a loading capacity of 1,000 L (220 imp gal; 260 US gal) and a maximum payload of 500 kg (1,100 lb), has a ground clearance of 224 mm (8.8 in), and is equipped with the Blue dCi diesel engine that develops 115 hp (86 kW) and 260 N⋅m (190 lbf⋅ft) of torque.[73][94]
Dacia Duster Pick-Up (facelift)
Duster Fiskal
In 2018, Dacia's Austrian importer developed a panel van version of the second generation Duster called the Dacia Duster Fiskal.[95] This has a flat metal loading floor, a metal cargo divider, and blanked rear side windows. The rear side doors still opened, although the Duster Fiskal is a strict two-seater. The Austrian importer had also offered a Fiskal version of the original Duster.[95]
Reception
British website carwow has reviewed the car in July 2018. It was criticised for the poor range of equipment in the lowest trim level, considering its price, for its plasticky, dark-coloured and "cheap-feeling" interior, the lack of light for the vanity mirror or the noisy electric motor for the windows.[87] Among the good points there are its accessible folding seats, the rear-view and panoramic cameras, the in-depth-adjustable steering wheel, the good visibility and handling inside town, the soft suspension and the lock mode for the four-wheel-drive.[96]
