Renault Global Modular Platform (RGMP) – an Insight into the new Duster

With the new Renault Duster, India receives more than just a car. The underlying all-new Renault Global Modular Platform (RGMP) will be the basis for a slew of new models.

The new RGMP that the Duster is built on supports combustion engines, flex-fuel (E85), CNG, HEV, EV with 2WD and 4WD or e4WD. Given the chassis design for India, the electric four-wheel drive seems likely with the lack of a transmission tunnel and the addition of rear a-c vents.

Different proportions are possible with a wheelbase of between 2,632 and 2,748 mm possible, together with a front overhang of 780-860 mm and a rear overhang up to 1,020 mm. It also supports wheel sizes from 16-19 inches and tyre sections from 205 to 225 mm.

All body styles are possible from hatchbacks and sedans to SUVs and Coupé SUVs, that is, from a sub-four-metre car to a C-SUV with configurations of five, six or seven seats.

This is not the CMF-B architecture . That one doesn’t allow certain electric applications and Google inside, which the new RGMP does. And it’s 90 per cent localised. It is engineered for five-star safety so we’ll have to wait and see how it goes when the new Renault Duster hits the BNCAP test-bed.

What’s sets the Duster apart is its higher 212-mm ground clearance, 26.9° approach and 34.7° departure angles. The quick steering, India-specific tuning for the ADAS, and multi-valve damped suspension represents a major change in approach and the goal to exceed all expectations. Underneath there is a MacPherson strut front suspension with a thick 25-mm anti-roll bar—the thickest in the segment, along with a transverse arm. At the rear, the semi-independent “super twist beam” with coil springs and an anti-roll bar on a C-shape vertical plane makes for exceptional cornering control and no oversteer, at least that’s the promise.

Now the braking, the front disc rotors are joined by the largest -in-segment rear discs, 280 mm in diameter (280×9.6). Made of low steel 10-30% steel/copper.

The Duster is being offered with three engine options, the familiar Kiger’s TCe 100 three-pot turbo-petrol, a 1.8 E-Tech 160 hybrid and this: the 1.33-litre TCe160 turbo petrol with 163 hp and 280 Nm. It uses advanced direct fuel injection which actually uses dual injection for the petrol allowing for a pre-injection and a main injection to help develop this sort of high peak torque. This engine, is shared with certain three-pointed star models as well, so its credibility is indeed solid.

The six-speed dual-clutch automatic uses a wet-clutch system that makes transitions smoother and improves efficiency. Of course, it’s equipped with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) for maximum emission control.