Snapshot: On the sidelines of the Indian Auto Expo, Marc Nassif, the ex-India head of French car maker Renault has confirmed to CarToq that the Duster SUV with a 4X4 option will be launched during October-November 2014. The timing of the launch indicates that the Duster 4X4 is being primed for a festive season launch by Renault India.
Notably, the Duster 4X4 is already being built by Renault in India. The 4X4 variants of the Duster are built for the export market. For the Indian car market, expect the Duster 4X4 to be offered as a top end variant, with the 108 Bhp-248 Nm state of tune that the 1.5 liter K9K turbo diesel engine can be specified with.
The 4 wheel drive system of the Duster 4X4 will feature a Haldex clutch. The 4X4 system will have three modes: 2H which is the default front wheel drive mode, 4H which can be engaged if the situation demands and an auto mode that will automatically deploy the 4H four wheel drive mode if it detects wheel slip.
The whole 4X4 system can be controlled by the driver through a rotary switch mounted just ahead of the gear lever. We expect the Duster 4X4 to be priced about a lakh rupees more than the top end RxZ 110 PS variant. A price of around 13.2 lakh rupees should be where the Duster 4X4 RxZ 110 PS variant lands at.
