New Renault Duster Scores 5-Star Bharat NCAP Safety Rating
Renault launched the new, third-generation Duster in India in mid-March. The compact SUV was first revealed on January 26, this year. Even at launch, the carmaker did not announce the Bharat NCAP crash test results of the SUV. We knew that it was already sent for the crash tests and the results were awaited. Now, Renault India has officially revealed the Bharat NCAP (BNCAP) safety ratings of the new Duster. The SUV has earned a full five-star safety rating. It scored five stars in both adult and child safety.
The new Duster has become the 31st car to secure five-star rating in Bharat NCAP crash tests. It scored 30.49 points out of 32.00 points for Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 45.00 out of 49.00 points for Child Occupant Protection (COP). These ratings, Bharat NCAP says, apply to all variants and powertrains. Safety remains consistent across the lineup. That said, they are still less than what the Seltos scored in BNCAP crash tests recently.
In the AOP test, the Duster delivered an impressive performance. It scored 30.49 points, and offered ‘good’ protection to the driver’s head, neck, pelvis, and thighs. However, protection for the chest and tibia regions was marked as ‘adequate’, indicating room for improvement. The front passenger enjoyed better protection for most body regions.
The SUV exhibited balanced structural integrity across various impact scenarios. In the frontal offset deformable barrier test, it scored 14.49 out of 16 points.
In the side movable deformable barrier test, it scored full marks- 16 out of 16. It performed well even in the side pole impact test and received the highest possible ‘OK’ rating in its category. These results show the Duster’s strong structural integrity.
In Child safety tests, it scored 45.00 points out of 49.00. Crash tests were conducted using rearward-facing child dummies representing 18-month-old and 3-year-old children. In both cases, the SUV scored a perfect 24 points in dynamic tests. The child restraint system (CRS) also received a full 12 points.
The vehicle assessment score was 9 out of 13. This reflected in the overall scores as well- 45 out of 49. One notable limitation of the new Duster is that the ISOFIX anchor points are available only on the outboard seats of the second row.
Renault has ensured that the Duster offers a robust safety package right from the base variant. six airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), hill-hold assist, hill-descent control, a tyre pressure monitoring system, and three-point seatbelts for all occupants, ISOFIX mounts are all standard.
On top of these, higher variants even offer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features. These include the likes of adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot detection.
The new Duster is priced in the range of Rs 10.49 lakh and Rs 18.69 lakh, ex-showroom. On the design front, the India-spec Duster comes with differentiation like eyebrow-like LED DRLs and connected LED tail lamps.
The cabin is modern, well laid-out and tech-heavy. It comes with features like a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, Arkamys audio, panoramic sunroof, wireless charger, ventilated seats, digital instrument cluster, built-in Google integration, powered front seats, powered tailgate, and more.
The Duster is underpinned by Renault’s RGMP platform (Renault Global Modular Platform). Designed for emerging markets like India, this comes with a modern electrical and electronics backbone, co-developed with Google, that facilitates various connected and software-driven functions.
Two engines are now available- 1.0L turbocharged petrol and 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol. The former makes 98hp and 160Nm while the latter makes 160hp and 280Nm. Around Diwali, we expect the Duster to get a strong hybrid powertrain as well.