October is just around the corner, and the Renault Duster Hybrid is going to launch on October 17. In January, at the Duster's grand unveil event, it was announced that it will come with three powertrains: two turbo-petrol engines and one hybrid. Since then, everyone has been waiting for its hybrid setup, as in the mid-size SUV segment, there are only three cars with this powertrain, and they enjoy high sales numbers. But now, we'll see a 1.8L naturally aspirated engine paired with a 1.4 kWh battery pack in a hybrid system that draws its inspiration from Formula 1. Isn't it interesting? Let's learn more.
Renault Duster Hybrid
The Renault Duster Hybrid powertrain will consist of a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine mated to two electric motors. One motor acts as a generator and makes 20 hp, and the second makes 49 hp, which propels the front wheels. These two motors are derived from a 1.4 kWh battery pack, and this marriage will make 160 hp and 172 Nm of torque.
Moving on to the gearbox configuration, the Duster Hybrid gets an automatic gearbox with fixed gears, and the system shifts between these gears as it switches between electric and gasoline power, so you may feel gear changes. This is a unique setup for its segment, as cars like the Maruti Grand Vitara, Victoris, and Toyota Hyryder use an e-CVT, which is basically, as the name suggests, a CVT-style gearbox that uses electric motors and a power-split device instead of belts. Even the Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid has the same setup.
Moreover, the battery pack in those Japanese cars is 0.60 kWh, whereas the Duster will be using a 1.4 kWh pack. There is no official fuel efficiency claim as of now, but Renault says up to 80% of city driving can be done in EV mode, so we estimate it might achieve an efficiency of 25 to 26 kmpl. . This is basically an alternative to the diesel engine, which the new Duster doesn't offer. The previous-generation Duster became famous for its 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine.
End Note
The official launch date is out now, October 17th, and we expect it to launch at Rs 19 lakh to Rs 19.50 lakh (ex-showroom), coming in just a single variant. Plus, it will diversify the portfolio of this SUV, as it becomes one of the few cars in its segment to come with three choices of engines. Also, it will be interesting to see how it performs and how its driving character changes with the extra weight.
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