New-Gen Renault Duster Review: Time To Reclaim The Lost Crown?

The Duster is back. The excitement is palpable around the new generation model, which is easily one of the most significant launches of the year so far. The Renault Duster helped create the compact SUV segment way back in 2012. The segment today is thriving and has the Hyundai Creta leading the pack. Time for Renault to reclaim the lost crown then? While we’ve learnt a great deal about the new Duster over the past few weeks. All that’s left to know now is how it drives. So let’s get straight into that. 

2026 Renault Duster: Performance

I am driving the new Renault Duster from Dehradun to Tehri and back. The OG – and creator of the compact SUV segment in India is back to reclaim a lost crown. Priced competitively, the Duster seems to have it all in its third generation. Or does it? Renault chose to bring this one minus diesel and minus 4X4. But at least that hybrid is coming by Diwali. For now, let’s talk about what it does have.

Also Read: 2026 Renault Duster Launched in India: Price, Variants, Specifications, Rivals

I'm glad that Renault's gone with this whole turbo route and there's no NA, but I'll tell you what – the 1.0-litre and 1.3 – I think the differentiation should have been a bit bigger, like 1.0 and 1.6 maybe. Why I say that is because the 1.3, it's refined, but it's not punchy enough, and it's tuned very heavily towards more balanced running, better mileage. That to me, it's a little miss because, you know, this car is supposed to be a little brutish. So, it does the job, but it isn't exhilarating. The steering is so nice though. There’s a 6-speed manual too, which comes with a light clutch and slick shifts, and is par for the course. What’s strange is Renault India has not as yet put out any claimed mileage figures either.

The other thing on this engine is that you do get a sense of the turbo lag very, very specifically. It's very distinct. The little whine of the turbo also comes through the cabin all the time, that's a little annoying, and so there should have been better sound damping for that. Which is weird because there is hardly any wind, road or tyre noise. The car feels well put together.

I've been trying to use the paddle shifters the last few kilometres and again, you know, I mean, especially because you're trying to sort of manipulate the gear changes quickly, using these shifters, it should have been a lot quicker and sharper. And when you let go and you expect the guard to sort of downshift on its own, again, it takes its own sweet time doing that. Having a sport mode with different mapping could’ve helped. But oddly you get only Comfort and Eco modes. You can stiffen the steering – but only so much.

But this assessment is not 100 per cent. The engine and gearbox do just fine in city traffic and for everyday driving. It’s only when you push the car hard – like up in the mountains like I am doing, that these chinks show up.

2026 Renault Duster: Handling & Ride Quality 

At the outset, the third-gen Renault Duster is taut, and takes corners with a fair amount of confidence. I think that's to be the thing that's really standing out now. The fact that the car takes corners like that with such ease and so much confidence. That to me is a real standout. The ride quality, that's something I was looking for, because don't forget, the first Duster, and the second one, which we didn't get in India, and now the third one, all have the ride quality as its big USP. Something that buyers have also appreciated and I'm glad to see. That is intact.
The car's overall ride height, and yet how it goes around corners, the body roll, the sense of where you're sitting here in this SUV position. Oh, that's quite nicely done. And it will be fairly comfortable on long drives too, having the DCT really helps that cause. But the thing that will keep coming back is I want more torque. Yes, I desperately want more torque. So I can't wait to drive the hybrid. Now, I've driven the hybrid in Europe, and the system works quite well. That was on the bigger car, the Bigster. And I've also driven the four-wheel drive version of this car in Europe, which I feel needs to be here now. 

2026 Renault Duster: Off-Road

Given how much driving I got in with the car I also did get off the road for a short bit too. Despite not having an AWD or 4X4 system, the Duster has some solid off-road credentials to share. It has an approach angle of 26.9 degrees, departure angle of 34.7 degrees, and a ground clearance of 212 mm. That’s the second tallest in the segment, right after the Honda Elevate. Of course, we didn’t go hardcore off-roading with this one, but driving it on a river bed with rocks and gravel, that ride height makes it feel reassuring.

2026 Renault Duster: Design

The new Duster looks are really distinct. There's no other competition model that will sort of rival it in that. You know, in trying to make the Indian version sort of swanky as opposed to the Duster in Europe. I feel like this connected taillight bit is a bit forced. It kind of makes the car look narrow, actually, even though it's supposed to be a widening sort of an effect, especially when you see the car on the road. This is good enough from my point of view. There are 6 colours overall. The green, the blue, the red, the white, the silver, and the black, and 4 of them get this dual tone option as well. I have the Mountain Jade Green on the test car, which should also be the most popular with buyers. The rear door handle is integrated in the C-pillar, which is something I find extremely annoying. Instead, I’d rather have a chunky handle, like for the front doors, which goes more with the image of the car.

Also Read: 2026 Renault Duster Hybrid Booked Out For The Year!

2026 Renault Duster: Cabin

The cabin is a right mix of tech and ruggedness. This is a driver-centric interior, albeit with plenty of convenience bits added for a plush feel. In fact, the India-spec Duster is much swankier compared to the European version, and certainly feels more upmarket. The plastics are all right. I mean, there are some bits of it, which feel a little bit tacky, but otherwise it's well put together. The feeling is also not too bad. And it kind of goes with that whole chunky, rugged feel of the car. This is the “iconic” launch edition, so it gets all this little stitching embellishment and all these little greeny yellow kind of highlights like the piping and the stitching, the little badging there on the dash as well, and on the steering. 

The steering shape is different, and you know what? It is nice and chunky to hold. Could have been like 5 per cent bigger, but I'm just being a little bit annoying on that. The whole cabin and all this layout is kind of tilted towards the driver, I like that. The 10.1-inch screen, well, it could have been a little bit bigger, but honestly, it does the job. There's lots in there now and I'll just run you through all of those features in a second. What I do want to mention, though, is that the virtual cluster, just the overall look and, you know, the quality of the graphics, the colours that you see, all the ambient lighting colours, when you change them, they also kind of change in the screen. These are nice little things, and the other thing which I thought was interesting. Is that with touchscreens changing volume for the passenger becomes really painful. So there's just a little handy +/minus button on the top here. Which is a nice touch.

So how do I change the volume and change the track? Well, it's a Renault. So of course, something hidden back here behind the steering wheel. So you can rotate this to change the track and there's a +/- here for the volume. It takes some getting used to, but you get used to it.

Also Read: Renault Duster Variants Cheaper Than Creta, Seltos, Sierra: Full Price Comparison

2026 Renault Duster: Rear Seat

Renault decided not to go with that CMFB platform from Europe for the Indian duster. So there was a lot of flexibility to try and give us a little more room back here, and honestly, I'm surprised that they didn't go with ample leg room. Having said that, it doesn't feel cramped. The seat's pretty comfortable, except that this part, you know, it's not just about the under thigh support, it's also the fact that you're sitting a little bit with your feet higher at a higher point than you'd like. And so it's not knees up, but there's something disconcerting about that angle. But like I said, the back angle is good, this headroom is great, this sense of space with the glass roof, even better. And all of this, the angle. Now, could you have reclining seats or adjustable seats shore? Should you have had a sunshade? Absolutely.

2026 Renault Duster: Feature Stack

The tech is well thought-out and Renault has done things differently with the Google Automotive System. This brings more direct access to features such as Google Maps, Assistant, and Play Store. Works best when you sign in to your Google account. You can still use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity too. While the screen and its graphics are great, it is complicated to use, even unnecessary at times, I would say. Want to change ambient lighting? It’s five taps away. That’s four more than I ‘d have liked. But yes, there are physical buttons to change the AC temperature, which is so nice to have.

There’s also full LED lighting, remote keyless entry, push-button start/stop, wireless charging, dual-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera, and an e-shifter on the centre console for the DCT. There’s a six-speaker Arkamys sound system, while you also get an air purifier on the top trim. The front seats are electrically adjustable on the top trims, and come with manual lumbar support. They get ventilation too, but the button is placed on the seat’s base, much like on the Tata Nexon, and is inconvenient to access.

The Duster gets an electric tailgate too, and while it’s not a segment-first feature, it’s nice to have. The Victoris is the only other car that has it but that also comes with gesture control. The boot is ample sized with a segment-leading 518 litres up to the parcel tray, which increases to a whopping 700 litres up till the roof. 

2026 Renault Duster: Safety

The new Duster gets Level 2 ADAS with blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and more. The compact SUV gets a total of 35 safety features as standard, including six airbags. No Global or Bharat NCAP crash test results yet… but I have a good feeling about that. 

2026 Renault Duster: Prices

A quick scan of those prices – and yes, this includes the base 1.0 turbo variants but not the hybrid ones. The Duster is smartly priced and also includes a 7-year warranty, which passes on to the next buyer if you sell the car before the term’s up.

(Introductory, Ex-Showroom)
Dual-tone colours cost ₹20,000 extra

Also Read: 2026 Renault Duster Variant Guide: Full Price And Feature Breakdown Explained

2026 Renault Duster: Verdict

So could the Duster have more power? Sure, I would have loved that. But it's still going to be just fine for everyday usage, and, you know, I still haven't driven the 1.0 litre. So, there is that. I haven't driven the hybrid yet as well. And then that's going to be the other thing, when you have a little bit more torque, more power as an option that's coming very soon. What I would have liked, right from the start, of course, yes, the diesel, I will continue to say I miss it, and the 4X4. The 4X4, I still hope Renault has it up its sleeve and it's just going to surprise us with that in a few months' time, maybe next year. How do you like the car? I have to say that overall, Renault has put in enough when it comes to features, when it comes to great positioning value, good pricing and different variants, and yes, even power train, to make the Indian consumer fairly happy.