New Renault Duster: India Vs South Africa - Who Gets The Better Version?

Earlier this year, Renault brought back one of its biggest brands in India. The Renault Duster. This was after a gap of over 4 years; Renault brought back the Duster, but in an avatar nobody expected. The new Duster is based on the RGMP platform, which is different from the European Duster, which is based on the CMF-B platform. This iconic SUV for India is in its second generation. This means it skipped the globally sold second-generation Duster.

The new Duster, developed and manufactured in India, is currently also exported to South Africa. Let’s explore what the differences between the two versions are. And who gets shortchanged?

Exterior

Since the Indian Duster is manufactured along with the South African Duster, the car is identical in the exterior. Compared to the old Duster, the new one has more vents and a chunkier bumper profile. The current Duster is a major departure from the older version thanks to the modern, edgier design theme as opposed to the bulbous and softer design in the previous generation.

The side profile of the Duster retains the iconic silhouette of the Duster as we know it. The high ground clearance, upright stance and muscular haunches over the wheel arches are quintessential to the Duster’s design characteristics. However, do note that the South African Duster has lower ground clearance compared to the Indian car.

The Indian car has 212 mm, whereas the South African Duster gets 208mm of Ground clearance. This may be due to the better road conditions in South Africa.

The rear profile is again carried over to the South African version. The connected LED tail lamps with the C-shaped finish on either end give the new Duster its unique identity. The rear spoiler with side blades on top gives the Duster better aerodynamics. The lower half has the chunky black bumper with the silver inserts, giving it a rugged yet premium finish.

Colour Options

Here is where the Indian Duster gets an upper hand over the South Africans. India gets a total of six colour options with four dual-tone colour schemes. Whereas the South African Duster gets five colour options. All of which are mentioned below:

Notice the South African model does not get a dual-tone colour scheme on the Duster but are available with most of the colour options we get here in India.

Interior

As on the exterior, expect the same for the interiors here. South Africa is also another country which has right-hand drive cars. The interiors are almost identical to each other, down to the stitching and the colour schemes.

The prime attention-grabber in the interior is the floating touchscreen infotainment system on the dashboard. The housing is also integrated with the digital driver's display. The low-set dashboard has a black and green theme separated by a premium-looking silver accent, which also houses the AC vents.

Though the screens have gotten bigger in this generation, it is appreciable that Renault has retained button controls for the dual-zone climate control system.

The Duster was never known to have the most spacious cabin. And the new generation doesn’t change that fact. However, while the previous-generation Duster was a little cramped in the back seat, the new-generation cabin is more spacious in comparison. If family comfort is not top priority, the new Duster is spacious enough with supportive seats for the sporty character it has.

Features

Coming to the bigger question. Does one country get more features than the other in the same car? Both get a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. And both get a 6-speaker sound system. However, the African Duster gets an Arkamys-branded sound system, while India doesn’t.

Otherwise, features like a panoramic sunroof, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, powered tailgate, 6-way adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation for both front seats are available in both. The Duster also gets 48-colour ambient lighting, wireless phone charger, auto headlamps and adaptive cruise control.

Safety

The safety aspect of the Duster has a high safety standard for the segment. While the Indian Duster gets a 5-star safety rating by Bharat NCAP, the South African version is not rated specifically. However, while the Indian Duster gets 6 airbags, South Africa gets 7 airbags in their version.

Apart from these differences, both Dusters get ABS with EBD, 360-degree camera, tyre-pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX child seat mounts, auto hill-hold, electronic parking brake, and Level-2 ADAS features.

Powertrain

The Dusters get identical powertrain options in both countries. A 1-litre turbo petrol with a 6-speed manual transmission. It also gets a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox option. Powertrain specifications are as follows:

MT - Manual Transmission / DCT - Dual-Clutch Transmission (automatic) / EDC - Efficient Dual-Clutch (automatic)

The power figures in the South African model are slightly lower than the Indian version. Whether they make a difference in the real world is yet to be determined. However, notice the wording for the DCT transmission for the South African car - EDC is the name given for the same DCT being offered here in India.

Price

The Indian Duster starts at Rs 10.49 lakh onwards ex-showroom. Meanwhile, the South African Renault Duster starts at 3,39,999 Rand. This translates to a whopping Rs 20.3 lakh.

The top-end variant for the Indian Duster goes up to Rs 18.69 lakh ex-showroom, and the South African version tops out at 4,99,999 Rand, which converts to Rs 29.8 lakh in Indian money.

CarDekho Says…

Like the Renault Duster, many more models are being manufactured in India and being exported to countries like South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia. There are some models which are manufactured in India and are being sold to European and Japanese markets.

However, when they are manufactured in India, it will usually be cheaper in India, but there can be exceptions. However, we can be sure that the quality and build are up to global standards, but with minor differences in specifications based on the regional requirements.

Do you think we got the better Renault Duster? Let us know in the comments.