The Renault Duster-based Bigster, a seven-seat SUV, has been spotted on the road for the first time, signaling the commencement of its road tests. This comes ahead of its global debut slated for later this year.
The Bigster will share many design cues and body panels with the Duster. However, it will also feature some design differences, along with differentiated tech, equipment, and features lists. The Bigster will be approximately 4.6 meters long, around 300mm longer than the new Duster, which measures in at 4.34 meters in length. The wheelbase will also be slightly longer, and the rear door will be larger than the Duster.
The Bigster will get rugged looks and interior bits from the Duster, but there will be more upmarket materials used and additional creature comforts to justify the SUV’s higher price tag.
The three-row SUV is expected to share its powertrain line-up with the latest-gen Duster. The Duster comes with three engine options – two of which are electrified. The first is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid that gets two electric motors. This engine comes with an automatic gearbox. It also comes with regenerative braking and a 1.2 kWh battery, enabling pure electric driving for up to 80 percent of the time in the city.
The other engine is the 130 hp, 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol coupled with a 48V starter motor. While the Duster will also come with a 1.0-litre petrol-LPG option in some markets, there is no diesel option in any market right now.
The Bigster will get 4×2 and 4×4 options, depending on the market. Just like the new Duster, it won’t get a proper 4×4 setup like the ladder-frame-based Jimny, but it does get terrain modes that include Auto, Snow, Mud/Sand, off-road, and Eco.
The new Duster will make a comeback in the second half of 2025. The India launch of the Bigster will follow the Duster, which means the three-row SUV’s arrival is still some time away. Also, there will be Nissan derivatives of these two SUVs, and those are expected to go on sale after the new Duster is launched in India.
When launched, the Bigster will rival the likes of the Safari, XUV700, and the Hector Plus while the Duster will be competing with the Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, Elevate, and Hyryder, among others in this segment.
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