Renault vs Dacia: does India get a better Duster than we do?

The Dacia Duster is a household name in the UK, and it’s a budget-friendly, down-to-earth SUV which offers a lot of space for a bargain price. It doesn’t pretend to be a posh car, but the name Duster means something different in other parts of the world.

In India, the Duster is sold as a Renault, and it’s marketed as a premium model. It’s been developed to boost Renault’s sales in India, and Renault has done a lot more than just rebadge the beloved Dacia.

At a glance: Same size, but different underneath

The Renault Duster and Dacia Duster are both pretty much the same size, both measuring around 430mm in length and 180mm in width. However, the Renault is slightly taller.

This is thanks to the opening glass roof, something you can’t get on the Duster. The Renault’s suspension has also been tweaked slightly to better handle the rougher roads in India compared to Europe.

Design: The same, but different

You can tell by looking at them that these cars are closely related, but at the same time they do look different. It’s a bit like using one of those Instagram filters which shows you what you’d look like with tattoos.

The Renault has the word Duster spelled out across the grille in place of a Dacia badge, and the front bumper has a more rugged appearance as well. This olive green paint scheme is unique to the Renault, and changes to the rear of the car are even more obvious.

It has a full-width light bar across the tailgate, something you won’t find on the no-nonsense Dacia Duster, and the LED taillight signature is also slightly different. All of these small changes add up to make a car which is very similar to the Dacia Duster, but somehow looks more expensive.

Interior: Where the biggest changes lie

The Renault Duster’s interior shares almost nothing with the Dacia Duster. It has a sleeker dashboard with faux carbon fibre trim, as well as a large twin-screen infotainment system which is similar to the one you get in the new Renault Clio. This also means it has Google-based software with apps like Google Maps and Spotify built in.

The Dacia’s chunky climate control knobs have been replaced with dainty rocker switches, and you get a selection of ambient lighting colours to choose from. If you look really closely you’ll see some shared switchgear between the Renault and the Dacia, such as the gear selector, but overall it’s a posher cabin.

Engines: From 100 to 160hp

Under the bonnet, the Renault Duster is available with a 1.0-litre petrol engine with 100hp and a six-speed manual gearbox. We don’t get this option on the Dacia Duster, nor do we get the 1.3-litre petrol with 160hp.

Indian customers can also get their Renault Duster with a 1.8-litre hybrid system which puts out a combined 160hp. This can drive using electric power alone at low speeds, just like the hybrid engine we get in the Dacia Duster, but the UK model is around 5hp down on the Renault.

Driver assistance systems: Full house in India

Renault equips the Indian Duster with 17 driver assistance systems . Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring , 360-degree camera, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking – the full package.

The UK Dacia Duster isn’t available with adaptive cruise control at all, and you have to go for the mid-spec model to get a surround-view camera. Renault also says it’s aiming for a full five-star NCAP rating for the Indian-market Duster – the UK-spec model gets a lowly three stars from Euro NCAP.

So does India have a better Duster?

On paper, it would appear that way. The Renault Duster gets more equipment and a better interior than the Dacia Duster, but it serves a very different purpose in India than the Dacia Duster does here in the UK.

Renault sells the Captur, Symbioz and Austral in the UK, none of which are available in India. The Renault Duster would cost about the same as a Captur in the UK, rendering it pretty pointless. The Dacia Duster is much better-placed as a simple, no-nonsense SUV for people who just want something which is great value.

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