Renault Duster Hybrid launched in India with 29 km per litre mileage and aggressive pricing

Renault has launched the new Duster Hybrid in India, entering the market to compete with strong-hybrid SUVs from Maruti Suzuki and Toyota. Prices start at 16.99 lakh rupees and go up to 19.49 lakh rupees for the ex-showroom range, spread across three trims named Evolution, Techno, and Emotion.

Performance and Features

The vehicle comes with an E-Tech 160 powertrain, featuring a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine paired with a 1.4 kWh battery and a traction motor with 208 Nm of torque. The engine produces 108.5 bhp and 172 Nm of torque, while the hybrid system achieves a claimed mileage of 29 kilometres per litre and acceleration under 10 seconds. The setup includes an automatic gearbox arrangement with eight fixed ratios and six operating modes, such as EV Only and Energy Recovery.

Practical Details

Testing during the media drive in Chennai showed responsive acceleration and strong initial push from the electric motor, while the engine kicks in automatically when the vehicle reaches 80 kilometres per hour. Renault claims up to 80 percent pure electric drive in city conditions, with a boot space of 544 litres. To manage pricing, certain features like Level-2 ADAS, 360-degree cameras, and auto-dimming IRVMs have been removed from the hybrid variant.

Context

Self-charging hybrid vehicles combine a petrol engine with electric motors and a battery that recharges through regenerative braking and the engine itself, rather than needing an external plug-in charger. This technology aims to deliver high fuel efficiency, especially in stop-and-go city traffic, by running on electric power part of the time.