Geneva Motor Show 2015: new 125PS petrol engine for Dacia Duster

Dacia has introduced a new 125PS 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine for the Duster at the Geneva Motor Show. The new engine makes a useful 205Nm of torque from 2000rpm, so should prove tractable and responsive on the road.

It is available linked to Dacia’s four-wheel drive system and incorporates a short ratio first gear for dealing with steep hills and rough terrain. The manual transmission has six gear ratios in total, with a tall final gear for quiet, economical motorway cruising.

The 1.2 TCe petrol already appears in the Nissan Qashqai as the DIG-T. In that car it delivers economy of 50.4mpg and emissions of 129g/km thanks in part to a stop/start system, so you can expect similar figures for the Duster – though they are to be confirmed.

Also to be confirmed is an on-sale date and a price, though we don’t imagine you’ll have to wait all that long or pay that much of a premium. We estimate a cost of around £13,000.