Auto Expo 2020: Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo-Petrol, Force Gurkha Customised, Suzuki Jimny unveiled

The Force Gurkha Customised is a beast on display at the Auto Expo 2020 and will take no time in getting your attention

The 1.3-litre, four-cylinder, turbo petrol engine set to power the BS6 compliant Renault Duster puts out 48 bhp more, while torque has gone up by a hefty 108 Nm, compared to the existing petrol model.

• The Renault Duster BS6 will get a new 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine
• The new 1.3-litre turbo-petrol makes 153 bhp and 250 Nm torque
• The 1.3-litre turbo petrol will replace both the existing engines

We all were pleasantly surprised when Renault announced two new turbo engines for the Auto Expo 2020. So yes! Both 1.0-litre, turbo petrol and 1.3-litre turbo petrol have made their debut at the biennial motor show and we anticipated them to power the upcoming HBC subcompact SUV. That said, Renault pulled another surprise when it announced that the 1.3-litre motor will be the BS6 petrol engine that will power the Renault Duster compact SUV. The news in itself is welcoming, more so as the new motor comes just months after Duster received a comprehensive facelift.

The new 1.3-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol engine is tuned to churn out 153 bhp and develop 250 Nm of peak torque. So the power figure is up by about 48 bhp now while torque has gone up by a hefty 108 Nm, compared to the older 1.5-litre petrol mill. The engine will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission, along with an optional CVT automatic transmission. This also confirms that the existing 1.5-litre petrol engine will be phased out and won’t make the shift to BS6 like the 1.5-litre diesel unit.

Visually, there are no new updates made to the Duster facelift. It already came with quite a few upgrades made to its front end with the addition of a new grille flanked by new projector headlamp units with DRLs along with LED tail lamps and beefier bumpers at both ends.

The Turbo petrol Duster subtly builds upon the styling with tweaked curtains on the bumper and new 17-inch machined alloy wheels. There is no final word about its launch, but we expect it to arrive in the second quarter of 2020.

Force Gurkha

If there’s one model that can effortlessly bulldoze any other product on display at the Auto Expo 2020, it has to be this customised Force Gurkha. It’s a hulk of sorts even among SUVs here and instantly caught our attention. It’s a true blue off-roader, going by the specs and looks of it and probably can even climb Himalayas, if you will! It’s fitted with double hydraulics coil spring independent suspension at all corners and those 17-inch wheels shod in humongous off-road tyres can take it across pretty much anything and everything.

Butch, brawny or even colossal sound an understatement when you talk about its appearance, it’s that gigantic. Just to give you a hint, you need to stack up two Gurkha’s to match its height. The tall stance is further accentuated with elements like supremely beefy bumpers, wheel arch claddings, and the wide Gurkha grille flanked by round projector headlamps with LED DRLs. Then you also see typical off-road kits like a winch, bull-guard, a snorkel tunnel, two spare tanks mounted on the boot and rollover protection cage.

Now we know that this customised Gurkha will not go into production and is a special project that Force Motors has come up with. The engine under the hood of this display model is 2.6-litre, BS6 compliant diesel motor that churns out 88 bhp and we still don’t know the torque figure. It is mated to a five-speed manual transmission that channelizes power to live, rigid axles at both ends, powering all four wheels. However, if Force ever thinks about to actually go off-roading with it, we’re sure that the engine will be tuned to get more grunts.

The Suzuki Gypsy/Jimmy

The new Suzuki Gypsy/Jimny will be sold through the Nexa retail channel and will have a premium positioning.

Highlights

• The Suzuki Jimny Sierra has been showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo
• Maruti says Jimny is here to assess the response of the Indian consumers
• The Jimny Sierra gets the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the Ciaz, Ertiga

Maruti Suzuki wants to up its game in the SUV space and while the Futuro-e concept gives us a peek into what to expect, the company has also brought the Jimny to India at the 2020 Auto Expo. The model that has come to your shore is the bigger Suzuki Jimny Sierra, sold in Europe, instead of the shorter Kei car version of the SUV that is sold in Japan. The reigning 2019 World Urban Car of the Year may be rebadged Gypsy for India – since that model has had a cult following in urban and rural India. But the Jimny name has also been catapulted to stardom in India over the past few months.

Maruti Suzuki says that the Jimny has been showcased at Auto Expo just to assess response of the Indian consumers to the product. If and when it arrives, the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy/Jimny is likely to be sold via the Nexa retail channel and will have a premium positioning. This will help separate it from sibling Vitara Brezza, which will continue to sell through the Maruti Suzuki Arena retail channel.