2016 Delhi Auto Expo: Renault Duster Facelift to be Showcased

The Duster swept most of the awards that year and it continues to be the company's bread and butter in the Indian market. To keep things rolling, Renault India launched a few limited editions of the car and finally there was an AWD version that made its way into the market. However, it hasn't been given a significant update and Renault is all set to bring in a facelift of the car next year

The Renault Duster facelift will also sport some changes to both, exteriors and cabin and the company will showcase the car at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo and will launch the car subsequently. The facelift is inspired by the Brazilian-spec model and we will see the compact SUV sport a new single slate grille instead of the current multi-slat chrome design, new head-lamp cluster, and new alloy wheels along with a slightly updated bumper.

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The rear of the compact SUV will see a few changes too as the car will get redesigned tail-lamps. The new Renault Duster's cabin is also expected to feature some changes, while the equipment list may remain changed. The carmaker offers an optional MediaNAV System with multimedia, navigation and Bluetooth, among other provisions on the current model.

As far as engine options go, the Renault Duster facelift will house the same engines as the one that do duty on the current model, namely the 1.5-litre dCi diesel (89bhp and 110bhp variants) and the 1.6-litre petrol.

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But the biggest change it will see is the introduction of an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). As the competition rises, cars like the Hyundai Creta are available with an automatic transmission and this is one area where the Duster could see some progress. Dubbed as the Easy-R AMT, we've seen this technology make its debut on Dacia models at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be a 5-speed unit and it will be interesting to see how Renault tunes it.

Other manufacturers too are thinking of bringing in an automatic variant in their cars and we expect Nissan too to make the move with the Terrano. When launched the facelift of the Duster will go up against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Mahindra Scorpio, Ford EcoSport and the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross.