Dacia has updated the third-generation Duster SUV in Israel with a new hybrid powertrain, making it the strongest Duster offered so far. The model is currently sold only with front-wheel drive, but a four-wheel-drive version is planned for later.
The new hybrid system is the same one already used in the larger Bigster. It combines a 1.8-liter gasoline engine, rated at about 107 hp, with an electric motor, for a total output of 155 hp. Torque is listed at 17.5 kgm from the gasoline engine at 3,000 rpm and 20.9 kgm from the electric motor. Power goes through a smart automatic transmission with four gears for the gasoline engine and two for the electric motor, creating 15 possible combinations.
Performance improves over the previous hybrid Duster, with 0 to 100 km/h taking 9.4 seconds and combined fuel economy reaching 21.3 km per liter. Dacia says the new setup is 15 hp stronger, adds 2.4 kgm of torque from the gasoline engine, delivers that torque 600 rpm earlier, accelerates 0.7 seconds quicker, and uses 1.3 km per liter less fuel.
The hybrid Duster now costs from 150,000 to 163,000 shekels, depending on trim, which is 6,000 to 7,000 shekels cheaper than the previous hybrid pricing at the start of the year. The article also notes light equipment updates and lists the trim levels as Adventure, Ultimate and Discover.
