PODCAST: Indian-built Renault Duster’s price slash hits the spot

Starting at R339 999, the SUV is all of R150 000 more affordable than before. It is not every day a car’s starting price is slashed by a whopping R150 000. But that is exactly what Renault did with the “new” Duster. The current Duster arrived at the beginning of last year with a price tag ranging between R489 999 and R549 999. But this lofty sticker compared to its predecessor did not go down well with us. But those models were only a stop-gap solution and sourced from Romania. Now the long-term Romanian-sourced solution, has finally arrived. Pricing starts at R339 999 and goes up to R499 999. Renault Duster makes a Pitstop On this week’s episode of The Citizen Motoring‘s Pitstop podcast, we discuss the arrival of the second version of the new Renault Duster. And Road Test Editor Mark Jones also shares his insights after sampling the SUV on its media launch drive in the Western Cape. Jones says that the price drop did not lead to a compromise in compromised quality or features. He also believes the Indian-built model is as good as the Romanian model was, with the added bonus of 35 new features added across the range. With the venerable 1.5-litre diesel engine from the previous generation gone for good, the Renault Duster comes in a choice of two petrol engines. 1.0 and 1.3-litre mills The base model features a 1.0-litre turbo petrol mill that sends 74kW of power and 160Nm of torque to the front wheels via six-speed manual transmission. And the familiar blown 1.3-litre engine produces 116kW260Nm of torque. The power goes to the front wheels via six-speed manual or six-speed EDC double clutch auto box. The Indian model’s styling is slightly different to that of the Romanian-built model. The Renault Duster comes standard by a five-year/150 000km mechanical warranty, a three-year/45 000km service plan and 24-hour roadside assistance.