Introduction

The arrival of the Renault Duster Turbo in India was quite an anticipated one for it was going to be the most powerful Duster ever! And very self-evidently, this 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a product of the Renault-Nissan alliance with Daimler's collaboration, is also seen under the hood of the Duster's cousin - the Nissan Kicks. We've put both these SUVs under our V-Box testing regime to do an in-depth analysis of their power-packed performance. Here's a brief summary of the same.

Acceleration

0-60kmph

0-100kmph

As the engine that puts out 154bhp of power and 254Nm of torque is the same, both were expected to be on par with each other and that's also the case. Both are available with a choice of an automatic transmission, but the ones sampled here are equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

First up, the 0-60kmph run was completed by the Duster in 4.76 seconds, while the Kicks did it in 5.07 seconds. Similarly, the speed builds up effortlessly in both as the 0-100kmph sprint times are almost similar, with the Renault clocking it in 9.71 seconds and the Nissan in 10.24 seconds. And we believe the Kicks is a tad slower only as its traction control couldn't be switched off to allow a little bit of slip.

Roll on times

20-80kmph in third gear

40-100kmph in fourth gear

And now, when it comes to the in-gear acceleration times, I must say drivability has improved in both these SUVs. The outright pulling power feels good thanks to this variable geometry turbocharger. In the 20-80kmph roll-on test in third gear, the Renault took 9.28 seconds with the Nissan coming very close at 9.41 seconds.

Similarly, the Duster took 11.52 seconds with the Kicks taking 12.51 seconds in the 40-100kmph test in fourth gear. So you see, on paper, both put out a similar performance. And the good thing is that even out on the road it’s not very different as proven in our acceleration tests. Overall, it’s quite impressive especially when it comes to the response at low rpm from these force-induction iterations.

Conclusion

This new turbo-powered engine has certainly given a new lease of life to these SUVs. Yes, the Duster and the Kicks are completely different products when it comes to their body shells, though they sit on a similar platform. And, there's certainly more to consider before making a buying decision. But we hope this performance analysis has given you a fair idea if not a profound comparison of the two.

Nissan Kicks Turbo First Drive Review

Renault Duster Turbo First Drive Review