Dacia Duster AMT to make Frankfurt debut

The popular Dacia Duster now gets a new five-speed AMT autobox along with a stop/start system

Romanian car maker Dacia who gave birth to the extremely popular Duster, has announced that it will showcase an AMT equipped model of the SUV at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. There has been an automatic model of the Duster with a four-speed autobox in the past. Badged as the Easy-R automated manual transmission, this unit will be more affordable considering that the unit is based on the five-speed manual gearbox that it currently employs in a number of models. The Dacia Duster AMT will also feature a stop/start system. Considering the target customer base for Dacia, this AMT unit should work really well for the brand. Dacia will be using the new five-speed automated manual transmission on the Duster, Logan, Logan MCV, Sandero and Sandero Stepway.

The new Easy-R automated manual transmission from Dacia will first be married to the TCe 90 petrol engine that has a maximum power output of 90 bhp and peak torque output of 140Nm. The new five-speed AMT unit gearbox from Dacia will also have a manual mode that allows for tiptronic style gear changes. The gearbox also has a crawl function to allow the vehicle to creep forward as the brake pedal is being released, just like on a conventional automatic gearbox.

Dacia will also be fitting all its engines hereon with stop/start systems and brake energy recovery systems in order to comply with Euro 6 emissions norms. In addition, all Dacia diesel engines will be fitted with Lean Nox Trap as a maintenance free solution.

The 2016 Dacia Duster will also get two new upholstery choices, diamond effect black wheels a Media NAV Evolution infotainment system along with a rear view camera.

Here in India, the Duster is Renault’s highest selling vehicle. It is available in both 85PS and 110PS versions in diesel and a 104PS petrol model. The 85PS and 104PS models are offered with five-speed manual gearboxes and the new five-speed AMT unit would be suitable for these Indian models as well.