Renault Duster Hybrid First Drive: Fun to Drive, Efficient, but Is It Complete?

Renault India brought the Duster back to the Indian market earlier this year with two turbo petrol options, and now it has added a Hybrid to the line-up. It comes with the biggest engine among its rivals. I recently drove the new Duster Hybrid, and here is my experience with the newest strong hybrid SUV in the segment. 

What I Liked?

• Engaging driving experience with the hybrid powertrain 
• Extremely efficient in city conditions 
• Good number of features on offer
• Well managed driving dynamics & ride quality
• Enhanced ride quality with FDD

What I Didn’t Like?

• Missing features compared to top-spec turbo variant
• Less boot space 
• No spare wheel on offer 

Design - Similar to the Non-Hybrid Version

The new Duster comes with a design similar to the petrol version. It gets the same front profile with sleek LED DRLs, LED headlamps, a rugged bumper, and other elements. The brand has added several touches to make it distinctive. To begin with, it gets Duster badging on the grille that is now illuminated, and new E-Tech hybrid branding on the front doors and the tailgate. The side profile continues to get 18-inch wheels with diamond-cut alloys.

Apart from these few badges and the grille illumination, there is nothing that sets the hybrid apart from the turbo petrol version. Even the colour options are the same for the hybrid and non-hybrid.

The cabin now feels more premium with the Dune Brown interior with white stitching. The version I drove was the top-of-the-line version, which features leatherette seats, soft-touch material on the dashboard, and door pads with white stitching. This looks richer compared to the green theme inside the non-hybrid version. The cabin space is unchanged. The climate control, drive selector, steering stalks and other controls are also the same as in the petrol version.

Features - Some Omissions

On the features front, the hybrid version is well equipped with a panoramic sunroof, a digital cluster, a 10-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, electric driver and co-driver seats, front seat ventilation, dual-zone climate control, and Type-C charging ports, among other features.The infotainment UI remains the same, but it misses the Google AI integration. This may not affect drivers on a daily basis, but it is an added convenience, especially for those who use Android devices. The connection becomes seamless, and the experience becomes more interactive. 

But there are some omissions that feel absurd. To keep costs in check, the brand has cut back on several things. The Emotion is the top-spec variant in the hybrid lineup, and it does not get an auto-dimming IRVM, Google AI in the instrument cluster, a 360-degree camera or, finally, ADAS. These gaps might affect some buyers. In my personal opinion, a surround view camera should have been here to make the driving experience more convenient by offering easy parking in tight spots. Compared with the segment rivals, it also misses a rear window sunblind and a head-up display.

The safety package comprises 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, all five 3-point ELR seatbelts, ISOFIX child seat mount, rear camera and sensors, auto headlamps, TPMS, and other safety features. What’s not available is the Level 2 ADAS, a 360-degree camera and front parking sensors. 

Performance & Engine: Exciting Enough?

The new Duster Hybrid is powered by a 1.8-litre strong hybrid petrol engine, one of the biggest in the segment. If we talk about the numbers, it generates a combined power of 158 bhp and 208 Nm of peak torque. It is mated with a 1.4 kWh battery pack to offer better efficiency and complete the hybrid setup. The brand claims an ARAI mileage of 29 kmpl and a 0-100 kmph time of 9.6 seconds.

Now let's talk about real-world driving. The engine is silent on start, as it starts in EV mode, which gives you a smooth start with no sudden engine sound or crank. In city traffic, EV mode remains active when the battery is charged and gives you good efficiency. The battery lets you hold EV mode in stop-and-go traffic at speeds up to 50-55 kmph, and you won't need the petrol engine until then if you drive at lower speeds. However, when you press the throttle, it holds EV mode for a while to analyse whether the engine is needed. When you keep pressing the pedal to the floor, the engine kicks in to give you the power you asked for.

The EV experience in city traffic is good and doesn't feel vague. However, when you want to do quick runs from a standstill, it feels a bit lazy, but once the engine kicks in, it gives you a burst of power. The engine and the battery work together, and the engine also acts as a generator as and when needed to charge the battery. At that time, it becomes a bit noisy.

One more thing that makes the Duster Hybrid different from its rivals is its two-gear system. You won't feel the rubber-band effect that usually comes with hybrid vehicles. There is a B mode as well for one-pedal driving. 

There is something interesting called E-Save mode. If your battery is depleted and you want to charge it, the E-Save button will help. The system forces the engine to stay on and charge the battery rather than switching to EV mode, so the battery is ready when you need it.

For a daily driver, the engine performance will keep you happy. It is not as exciting as the turbo, but it saves fuel. In our run of approximately 150 km, we got around 20 kmpl in mixed conditions. If you live in a city filled with red lights and traffic at junctions, the hybrid will definitely reward you with a good efficiency number on the display.

Ride Quality & Driving Dynamics

The Duster is one of the most fun-to-drive mid-size SUVs, and with the addition of FDD (Frequency Dependent Damping), it has become more planted. It absorbs potholes and undulations with ease and is not as stiff as the petrol version. The hybrid gains around 80-90 kg of extra weight, and Renault took that into consideration by updating the suspension and retuning the steering. The steering response remains one of the best in the segment, and the driving dynamics remain sorted. This is one of the Duster’s USPs: it handles curves well and offers good steering response, whether you are in the city or on the highway. The ride quality is among the best in the mid-size SUV segment. 

Space & Practicality 

On the space front, the Duster is not the best in the segment; the rear row remains a bit tight for tall passengers. The rivals like the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta offer a better rear row experience. Thankfully, the cushioning and the seating position of the rear seat are good, and that helps in offering a more accommodating experience to the rear passengers.

If we talk about the practicality and cabin storage part, the centre console gets a quirky cup holder storage that can be converted into a big storage area by removing the centre part. The door pads can easily hold 800 ml to 1 litre bottles, the armrest is decently big, and the glovebox is deep for your documents and other stuff.

The boot space, meanwhile, takes a big toll in terms of space. Due to the placement of the hybrid battery, the boot space in the hybrid version is 372 litres in comparison to the non-hybrid’s 518 litres. But still, it offers the biggest boot in comparison to the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid and Toyota Hyryder Hybrid.

Verdict: Is The New Renault Duster Hybrid Worth Buying?

The Renault Duster Hybrid does check a few ticks to make it worth buying in the current Indian mid-size SUV market. Starting at Rs 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the hybrid version, it is a good choice for customers who are looking for an alternative to diesel. It is efficient, and it does not make you compromise on performance. On the space front, it offers good space on the inside and is practical as well; the rear space is not the best, but not the worst either. The biggest highlight is the efficiency, and if you mostly drive in the city, you will drive with a smile when you look at the efficiency number on the display. It gives you driving pleasure and it is a driver’s car.

The downside, in my opinion, is the omission of features compared to the non-hybrid version, especially the 360-degree camera. This adds to the driving convenience, and the omission seems to have been made to keep the pricing in check. Renault is trying its best to capture the market with the new Duster, but given the current dynamics of the Indian SUV market and the options we have, it will be interesting to see how the Duster Hybrid performs. Though Renault is tempting customers with a 7-year warranty and other benefits, let’s see how this goes.

Also Read: Renault Triber Turbo Review; The Good & The Not-So-Good