All-New Dacia Duster Revealed

The All-New Dacia Duster marks a new chapter in the evolution of a model that has set the standard in its market. It embodies the essence of the Dacia brand: tough and ready for the outdoors, essential yet stylish, and environmentally conscious. Born in 2010, revamped in 2017, the Duster has rewritten the rules for SUVs.

The Duster’s success speaks volumes: over 40 awards in its 13-year career, production surpassing 2.2 million units, and it’s become Europe’s top-selling SUV across all segments in the retail market of 2022. At Dacia’s Romania plant in Pitesti, approximately 1,000 Duster SUVs are manufactured daily—that’s nearly one every minute!

A More Confident Design

Dacia has reimagined the Duster’s design, retaining its robust SUV appeal while elevating it with a fresh, distinct look.

David Durand, Dacia Design Director, said: “Before even starting work on All-New Duster’s style, we honed its proportions, to find a strong, balanced posture. When you get the proportions right early on, you don’t need artifices to tweak style later.”

The ethos of providing essential features extends to the All-New Duster’s design.

The design team focused on key elements like the cabin, bonnet, and wings, seamlessly integrating them to craft a modern, solid style with clean, confident lines.

The straightforward shapes and volumes contribute to its commanding design, including the sharp, vertical front, angled wheel-arch guards, sizable tailgate, and sleek side windows extending seamlessly from front to back.

Wrapped in a stylish belt, the All-New Duster boasts underbody shields that connect to the wheel arches and bumpers, enhancing its robustness for outdoor adventures.

Consistent and contemporary: The All-New Duster combines its adventurous spirit with sustainability.

The front and rear skid plates utilise a mass-dyed plastic, eliminating paint usage, and benefiting both the environment and customers by maintaining the original colour despite scrapes and scratches.

Materials like Starkle®, used in the side underbody shields, wheel-arch guards, hallmarks, and other parts, contain up to 20% recycled content. Designed by Dacia’s engineers and LyondellBasell’s chemists, Starkle® flaunts its mottled appearance from white particles, a deliberate choice by Dacia to showcase its unique composition instead of conventional painting.

David Durand continues: “We wanted the exterior and interior design to be consistent. The taut and tough style inside makes you feel properly protected.”

This sense is amplified by the towering, vertical dashboard. The air vents, resembling wheel arches, contribute to this unified impression.

Similar to the exterior, the interior is equipped with all the essentials—features that serve a clear purpose. Meticulous attention was paid to ergonomics, such as the 10.1-inch centre screen strategically positioned within the driver’s line of sight at a 10° angle. The new automatic transmission controls are notably user-friendly. Additionally, the flattened surfaces at the top and bottom of the steering wheel enhance its comfort and handling.

David Durand said: “Duster wouldn’t be Duster without a clever and practical interior that makes daily life easier for users. Everything is designed to make you feel at home, front and back”.

New ‘Y-shaped signature’

Furthermore, there is a new ‘Y-shaped signature’ that bridges the gap between the All-New Duster’s interior and exterior:

• Inside, the air vents sport a Y-shaped design (Copper in the Extreme trim), echoed around the door-panel armrests. The steering wheel’s central brand name has been replaced with the Dacia logo.
• Externally, the All-New Duster’s head and rear lamps form a Y-shaped pattern, mirrored on the alloy wheels. These wheels are also chrome-free, achieving their shine through material polishing techniques.

David Durand said: “We wanted to make the All-New Duster’s design more attractive than ever, by making the style even more quintessentially Duster and Dacia, by vigorously and proudly reasserting our values: ‘Robust and Outdoor’, ‘Essential but Cool’, and ‘Eco-Smart’.”

CMF-B platform enhances performance

The CMF-B platform is a game-changer for performance in the All-New Duster, playing a pivotal role in Dacia’s industrial strategy. Initially employed in the latest Sandero, Logan models, and Jogger, this competitive and incredibly adaptable platform serves as the linchpin for Dacia’s ambitious product roadmap.

With the All-New Duster on the CMF-B platform, there’s increased room for passengers and luggage compared to the previous generation, despite only a marginal increase in overall length. Advanced engineering within the platform diminishes road noise and vibrations, enhancing the driver’s comfort and providing an unparalleled connection to the road, elevating the driving experience significantly.

This platform marks the All-New Duster’s journey towards electrification, accommodating both mild-hybrid and full-hybrid powertrains.

Patrice Lévy Bencheton, Dacia VP of Product Performance, explains: “The new CMF-B platform is a key asset to develop the Dacia line-up both today and tomorrow. We can see all its potential on the All-New Duster. It houses high-efficiency electrified powertrains, significantly enhances performance across the board and keeps the appeal and accessibility that have made it a hit.”

Bolder Than Ever: Robust and Outdoor

The All-New Duster’s off-road prowess remains unmatched in the non-expert 4×4 market (referring to 4×4 vehicles without close-ratio transmissions), ensuring outdoor enthusiasts can embrace its capabilities worry-free.

Elevated Off-Road Performance with the 4×4 Variant

The All-New Duster offers a 4×4 Terrain Control transmission, providing access to five distinct driving modes:

• Auto: Automatically distributes power between front and rear axles based on wheel grip and speed.
• Snow: Optimises trajectory on slippery roads through specific ESC and anti-skid settings.
• Mud/Sand: Tailored for unsteady terrain.
• Off-Road: Achieves peak performance on challenging terrain, similar to the current Duster’s 4×4 Lock mode, yet with the added advantage of optimally distributing torque to the front and rear wheels according to grip and speed.
• Eco: Maximises fuel efficiency by regulating air conditioning and vehicle performance, optimising torque distribution to the front and rear axles while adapting to road grip.

In its 4×4 version, the All-New Duster boasts a ground clearance of 217 mm (measured between axles), the highest in its market segment.

Featuring up to 31° at the front and 36° at the rear (4×4 versions), the approach and departure angles enable the vehicle to navigate over various obstacles. It maintains a 24° ventral angle.

The All-New Duster introduces downhill speed control, particularly valuable on rough terrain and steep slopes. The system primarily uses brakes to regulate the vehicle’s speed (based on driver input) between 0 and 30 km/h. It operates irrespective of the selected gear (including reverse), allowing the driver to focus solely on steering by disregarding the accelerator and brake pedals.

A new All Road Info system debuts, displaying crucial information during off-road driving on the 10.1-inch centre screen. Information includes lateral tilt, uphill and downhill pitch, and power distribution to the front and rear axles (4×4 version).

Heavy-Duty Protection and Materials

Exterior: Comprehensive shielding safeguards the vehicle from minor impacts and scratches. The flank shields interconnect with wheel-arch guards and front and rear bumpers, forming a protective belt. Large skid plates beneath the bumpers shield the underbody.

Interior: The cabin is resilient, especially in the Extreme trim, which includes washable TEP MicroCloud upholstery as standard, along with 20% recycled rubber mats in the front, rear, and boot.

Sturdier Materials

The front and rear skid plates undergo dyeing in the mass, ensuring the plastic is pre-coloured during the part-making process. This unalterable colour, unlike paint, conceals any incidental scrapes or scratches, rendering them nearly invisible without affecting the colour.

The shields encompassing the car are crafted from Starkle®, a novel material engineered by Dacia. Unpainted, it avoids noticeable markings from scrapes or scratches.

The All-New Duster introduces additional InNature accessories:

• Sleep Pack, initially introduced for the Jogger, is now available for the All-New Duster. Customised for this model, it’s a simple, detachable 3-in-1 box containing a foldable double bed (expanding in under two minutes), a tray table, and storage space. Measuring 1.90 metres in length and up to 1.30 metres in width.
• A new roof rack, incredibly practical for outdoor pursuits, capable of carrying up to 80 kg (maximum dynamic weight). It easily secures onto the modular roof bars in the transverse position or onto aftermarket roof bars.

Eco-Smart: More Sustainable, Equally Affordable

True to Dacia’s ethos, the All-New Duster offers an economical option for sustainable driving, integrating new hybrid powertrains and more recycled materials.

New Hybrid Powertrains

• All-New Dacia Duster HYBRID 140: Adopted for the Jogger previously, this powertrain is now available for the All-New Duster. Incorporating tried-and-tested Renault Group technologies, it features a 4-cylinder, 1.6-litre petrol engine, two electric motors (a power plant and a high-voltage starter generator), and an electric automatic gearbox. Its clutchless system enables seamless integration, allowing driving in all-electric mode up to 80% of the time in cities, reducing consumption by 20% (mixed cycle) to 40% (urban cycle).
• All-New Dacia Duster TCe 130: Marking its debut in Dacia vehicles, this powertrain introduces an initial level of electrification. It combines a new-generation 3-cylinder, 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 48 V mild hybrid motor, reducing average consumption and CO2 emissions by about 10% compared to an equivalent internal combustion engine. It also enhances acceleration, providing a more responsive and smoother drive.
• All-New Dacia Duster TCe 100 Bi-Fuel: As a leader in LPG technology in Europe, Dacia offers a dual-fuel (petrol and LPG) option for its internal combustion models under the Bi-Fuel label. With the All-New Duster TCe 100 Bi-Fuel, running on LPG releases on average 10% less CO2 than a comparable petrol engine and can cover up to 1,300 km (WLTP) with its 100-litre tanks—50 litres of petrol and 50 litres of LPG, the latter housed under the boot floor without compromising cargo capacity. Seamless dashboard integration allows instantaneous and imperceptible fuel switching.

Eco-Friendlier Materials

The All-New Duster pioneers the use of Starkle, a groundbreaking material devised by Dacia’s engineers. Comprising 20% reused polypropylene and devoid of paint, its production process yields a smaller carbon footprint. Starkle® forms the side underbody shields, wheel-arch guards, hallmarks, triangles on the front bumper, front and rear skid plates, and rear shield tail. Additionally, employing dyed-in-the-mass material for the front and rear skid plates reduces paint usage.

Approximately 20%* of the plastic in the All-New Duster is recycled—a significant increase within its segment, marking an 8-point rise from the previous generation. In alignment with environmental considerations, Dacia opts out of using leather and decorative chrome in all its models.

To minimise paper usage, the user manual is downsized, with the complete version accessible online through the MyDacia app.

*As per the proposed polymer category in the future regulation on end-of-life vehicles (ELV).

The All-New Duster Continues to Offer Exceptional Value

Staying true to Dacia’s commitment to value for money, the All-New Duster combines the most competitive prices in its segment with an expanded passenger compartment, cementing its position as the best bargain available.

It incorporates enhanced technology, including a new 7-inch digital dashboard, a fresh 10.1-inch centre touchscreen, and a new infotainment system.

The All-New Duster introduces smarter features, such as modular roof bars and the innovative Dacia YouClip accessory system.

Advanced Technology and Smart Innovations

The All-New Duster embodies Dacia’s philosophy of technological advancement—sound, intelligent, cost-effective, and simplifying users’ lives.

A Digital, Connected Interior

Standard in Expression trim and above, a new infotainment system featuring a 10.1-inch centre touchscreen comes with both Media Display and Media Nav Live:

Media Display, factory-installed in the All-New Duster Expression models, includes four speakers and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Media Nav Live, standard in Journey and Extreme models, adds a connected navigation system with real-time traffic updates and a six-speaker Arkamys 3D Sound System to the above features.

Essential trim showcases Media Control—an integrated infotainment system controllable from the steering wheel. It incorporates four speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, and a dashboard-mounted smartphone stand. Coupled with the free Dacia Media Control app, it allows control of radio and other media features via the smartphone screen.

Complying with new European GSR2 requirements, versions with Media Display and Media Nav Live offer additional connected services, including Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) for software updates and connected maintenance through the MyDacia app.

The All-New Duster introduces a customisable 7-inch colour digital dashboard as standard in Expression trim and above, allowing drivers to display preferred information in their chosen layout.

Versions with Media Display and Media Nav Live incorporate two USB-C ports at the front and back, accommodating up to four devices, all illuminated.

All trim levels offer a dedicated phone slot. Versions equipped with Media Display and Media Nav Live feature a YouClip smartphone holder, along with two USB-C sockets at the front and back, supporting four device charges.

A wireless smartphone charger within the centre console, accessible to front passengers, is standard in all upper trim levels.

New Driver Assistance Systems

Standardised across all trims, the cruise control/speed limiter now comes as standard. Automatic low-beam headlights are available in all trims, while automatic switching between low-beam and high-beam headlights is standard in Extreme and Journey models.

To meet European safety standards, the All-New Dacia Duster introduces new driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, rear parking assist, and more, making driving safer and more convenient. The My Safety button allows quick configuration of preferred driver assistance systems.

Optimised Comfort

Switching to the CMF-B platform maximises space within the All-New Duster, particularly increasing front width and rear legroom by 30mm. Furthermore, its lower boot floor, wider, higher boot opening, and increased boot space by up to 6% (472 litres under the parcel tray in the All-New Duster 4×2) further enhance its comfort and practicality.

Focusing on driver comfort, the All-New Duster comes with conveniences such as an electric parking brake from Expression trim onwards. Extreme and Journey trims feature electrically adjustable and foldable door mirrors. For harsh conditions, heated steering wheels and windscreen de-icing systems are available.

Introducing the innovative YouClip system, featuring three (in Essential trim) or five grips throughout the car, allows secure placement of various accessories. From a tablet stand to a “3 in 1” cup holder, bag hook, and movable light—all factory-built into Duster Extreme—these accessories offer convenience, available through the Dacia Retailer Network.

A Straightforward Line Up with All the Essentials

Finally, nearly 70% of Duster customers gravitate towards the higher-tier trims. As a result, the All-New Dacia Duster range is streamlined into three tiers: Essential, Expression, and a fresh selection offering two distinct yet complementary top trims—Extreme, catering to outdoor enthusiasts seeking an exhilarating driving experience, and Journey, tailored for those inclined towards refined elegance and comfort. Both of the latter trims will be available at comparable prices.

Key standard equipment and features encompass:

• Duster Essential: Includes media control, fixed roof bars, six airbags, rear parking sensors, and more.
• Duster Expression: Incorporates all Essential features plus 17-inch alloy wheels, a 7-inch digital dashboard, a 10.1-inch centre touchscreen featuring the Media Display infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto wireless replication, a reversing camera, and more.
• Duster Extreme: Encompasses Essential features and adds modular roof bars, washable TEP MicroCloud upholstery, rubber floor and boot mats, automatic air conditioning, the Media Nav Live infotainment system with connected navigation, hands-free key card, electric door mirrors, the YouClip 3-in-1 system, Copper Brown decorative touches inside and out, and more.
• Duster Journey: Includes Essential features along with 18-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, automatic air conditioning, hands-free key card, electric parking brake, wireless smartphone charger, the Media Nav Live infotainment system with connected navigation, a 6-speaker Arkamys 3D Sound System, and more.