A set of photos taken by a driver on the Bucharest-Pitesti highway, in which the third generation Dacia Duster can be seen, have started circulating on Facebook. The car is due to be launched next year, but will have its world premiere at the very end of this year.
The first images of Duster 3 were published by a Facebook user, they were taken on the highway, during tests. The car has a number of samples, and the design elements, which emerge from under the black and white camouflage, are undoubtedly of the model that will take over the design of the Bigster concept. As Dacia designers have repeatedly stated, both Duster and Bigster will take over 90% of what we could see on the Bigster concept in 2021. In addition, the design of Dacia Duster 3 became public when Renault registered the design patent for a car that bore a striking resemblance to the Bigster, but was shorter in length.
In the photos published on Facebook, you can see both the headlights with the Y-shaped light signature and the rear optical blocks, with the already famous shape of an inverted letter A. Also, the profile of the side windows, even with the camouflage sticker present, shows the line found on the Bigster.
Dacia Duster 3 was developed on the CMF-B platform, the same on which Sandero, Logan and Jogger are built, but with its own characteristics, specific to an SUV. That means increased ground clearance and a longer wheelbase than the Sandero. The Duster will also have an all-wheel-drive engine, but it will most likely not be available at launch. The information so far shows that Dacia has resorted to an innovative solution, which uses an electric motor on the rear axle, thus abandoning the classic cardan, which increases the consumption and, implicitly, the emissions of the car.
As for engines, the classic 1.0-liter engines are also expected, including LPG, but there is no doubt that the Duster will also benefit from the hybrid engine that was introduced on the Jogger, 1.6-liter accompanied by an electric motor, which will replace basically the diesel engine in the Duster range. New engines are also likely to be introduced in light of the proposals for Euro 7 norms, but these could come much later, depending on the evolution of EU legislation.
Last but not least, the Duster 3 is expected to be priced higher than the previous generation due to the technological innovations included in the new model.
