If you were among the early adopters to purchase a second-generation Duster with a diesel engine, we're afraid we have some bad news as you've missed out on the new Blue dCi powertrains. The budget-friendly SUV from Dacia is already receiving a pretty important update underneath the hood where the familiar four-cylinder 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine has been massaged to deliver an extra horsepower.
The bump in output is for both versions of the diesel engine, which means the old dCi 90 is being promoted to the dCi 95 moniker while the stronger dCi 110 shall be known from now on as the dCi 115, with both adding the "Blue" affix. There's more good news to share as the lesser version of the diesel offers an additional 30 Newton-meters (22 pound-feet) for a grand total of 240 Nm (177 lb0-ft) of torque at 1,750 rpm. The more powerful of the two diesels will soldier on with 260 Nm (192 lb-ft).
The diesel-powered Duster with either of the two Blue dCi units is now quicker in the sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) by more than a second. Go for the lesser of the two diesels and it will need 12.6 seconds to complete the task (down from 13.8s) while the beefier one will achieve the run in 10.5 seconds (down from 11.8s). Top speed has also slightly increased, from 158 to 167 kph (98 to 104 mph) in the case of the former and from 171 to 179 kph (106 to 111 mph) for the latter.
Aside from gaining slightly more muscle, the pair of 1.5-liter diesel engines comes with the latest technologies meant to cut polluting emissions. Therefore, the oxidation catalytic converter located in the exhaust line now encompasses the Selective Catalytic Reduction technology (SCR). It works with AdBlue to get rid of more nitrogen dioxide emissions (NOx) while at the same time increasing the performance and efficiency of the engine.
Fuel consumption hasn't changed compared to the previous-gen diesel engines, with both needing 4.4 liters / 100 km, which works out to CO2 emissions of 115 g/km as per NEDC.
Dacia says it will introduce the pair of Blue dCi engines across its entire lineup in the weeks to come.
