Dacia is important for Renault, and the Duster is actually the brand’s core model and its oldest product since it has been with us for around seven years. Now, it is high time for Romanian brand to introduce its second-generation SUV. Before the model is officially launched in the second half of 2017, the new Duster has been spotted testing for the first time, and this prototype is equipped with a lot of production ready parts.
Even though the vehicle wears thick covers, it is not too hard to tell that the 2018 Dacia Duster will come with an evolutionary design and it will be about the same size as the ongoing vehicle. If you are looking for a larger car, some speculations are suggesting that there will be Grand Duster which will have extended wheelbase and seven seats inside the cabin. The model caught on camera is a five-seater.
We can already see some of the differences such as the more rectangular shape of the headlights and redesigned rear door cutouts. However, the taillights of the new Duster are way too small for an SUV of this size, and they will come with the already familiar layout.
The 2018 model still comes with excellent ground clearance, whereas the company plans just to modify and enhance the ongoing platform instead of switching to the Renault-Nissan’s CMF architecture. The engine which will power this vehicle remains a mystery, but the prototypes used a turbocharged unit because as we could notice the intercooler behind the lower grille segment plus perhaps a slightly larger grille.
One of the tested cars could have been an upper trim because of the shiny trinkets located on the upper grille. Unfortunately, all photos show only the exterior, but fortunately, we could catch glimpses of a cabin in some of the images. Unlike the ongoing Duster that has two circular air vents slightly low on the dash, the new model will come with three located in the middle, and we can just hope for the touchscreen for the infotainment system to be placed right under these vents because the one on the currently available SUV is positioned too low.
2018 Dacia Duster Release Date
Dacia will introduce the next-gen Duster at Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. Follow us for more details.
