Dacia Duster EDC Dual Clutch Transmission
The Romanian-built Sport Utility Vehicle just became
the most affordable automatic crossover on the market. It just received a brand new automatic
six-speed EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) transmission.
According to the company,
the new unit combines the comfort and smoothness of an automatic gearbox with
the fuel economy and low CO2 emissions of a manual transmission, making the
Duster an even more appealing proposition.
Especially considering the model’s price, as the
Lauréate dCi 110 4x2 Auto has a starting MSPR of £ 14,895 (US$ 19,355) in the U.K,
while the flagship Prestige can be bought for as little as £ 15,795 (US$ 20,521).
The EDC transmission comes mated exclusively to the
1.5 dCi 110 hp turbodiesel engine. A pairing that returns a combined fuel
economy of 62.8 mpg and CO2 emissions of 116 g/km. The new Duster also comes with
a lot of changes for the 2017 model year, including new upholstery for all
versions (including part-leather ‘Aspira’ seats), DAB as standard from Ambiance
trim upwards, new head lights, and 16-inch ‘Tyrol’ diamond-cut alloy wheels.
The Laureate and Prestige variants can also be
commissioned with a rear parking camera, while their visuals can be improved
with a Pennine Green metallic paint. The update also lets customers configure
the Duster with the 1.2 TCe 125 hp engine, so that now every trim level can be
either commissioned with a petrol or diesel powerplant.
