Renault Duster : Official Review

[dkaile]

Great review GTO, as always.

Has Renault read the market right? To an extent, Yes and No. The SUV shape is what the market needs, right? That is the extent to where Renault has got it right. Good frugal diesel engine and the solid ride are the others. Rest is all No, INMHO.

Too many variants will spoil the broth. Half the number of variants would have been better. Slightly better interiors would have taken the game to the next level. Quirky design flaws are always a Renault trademark. Why oh why could the Power window controls not hold the central locking and outside rear view adjust controls, as is the norm. There are many such quirks. Service network is iffy and we don't have a dealership in Meerut to even go and see the vehicle in flesh. Team BHP as always comes to the rescue. The 10L bracket Indian car buyer has become more discerning and demands more than just a SUV shape.

Duster will create an initial hype like the XUV (whose waiting has fizzled after Duster launch). But will it last? Not, in my opinion.

[sunsetorange]

My only question about the Duster is- How easy do you find it on the 85 bhp Diesel engine version to ascend hills ? Is it as effortless as in a Scorpio or is it as laboured as in a Ford Figo ( I own a new Figo which I am happy with on the plains, but is a pain in the hills with Multijets running rings around me)

[skandyhere]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

- To add to all this, I live in Bangalore, talk about killer road tax.
So I am in a bind, is it worth stretching my budget to 12.4L and getting the 85 PS Duster? May be I should wait for EcoSport also .
Kindly share your thoughts dear members.

My feeling is, you should wait it out till a couple of other options arrive, if you can. In any case, I am skeptical about an SUV-like car retailing for under 10L OTR in Bangalore anytime soon. Maybe pushing the budget is inevitable if high GC is priority for you.

The Ecosport, clearly, is the next beacon of hope (we all live on hopes, don't we?) and making a rather baseless but safe assumption that it will cost somewhere around the same price range as the Duster, you might be happy that you waited if it meets your requirements a wee bit better.

A lot of us are frustrated with the cunningly packaged variants that force us to spend well over 1.5 lacs for airbags and ABS. My grouse isn't the pricing. It is the packaging - forcing consumers to buy the top-end models in the search for a basic safety kit?

It's fun to imagine a better future, so I'm just imagining an Ecosport variant shorn of all the bling that I don't want, but with the substance that I do and trying to fight the urge to yield to the Duster temptation.

[mercedised]

I did'nt see the armrests. Are they absent in the top-end model too? The interiors although better than Safari but still in pictures too, feel like China plastic.

A Suggestion from my side it will be a bonus if the approx. costs of regular consumables like filters, oil are also mentioned. Although, it is easy saying this, sitting in front of a PC, but I just stated a point then.


At the end another, EXCELLENT review!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by prakasse

so that one can decide if it makes sense to go for 85 ps engine and go for aftermarket tuning.

Whatever tuning you guys do, please ensure that you don't lose out on the best-in-class driveability (which is really a USP of that engine).

Originally Posted by lifebuoy

@anshuman, the ARIA excels in both these departments

So true. Except for the price, the Aria is a superb ride.

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

Despite that plastic skidplate, the engine gets a metal under-plate protector - at least in the 110 version.

Yep.

Certain other versions of Duster do have the 60:40 split rear seat, unlike the Indian version. Would rather have had that instead of those interior garnishings.

Originally Posted by silverado

Our Humble Tata Nano also offers a 4 year/60000km warranty as standard

Ah yes! Thank you for pointing it out.

Does the rear parcel shelf fold in between? Is it a 2 piece parcel shelf ?

The back half of the parcel shelf can be made to fold up / down with the tail-gate.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

One question, why does this car have a parking sensor ON/OFF button? For front sensors thats fine but does it have those? If not it doesnt make sense as reverse sensors are automatic, they come on when we engage reverse?

Guys like me prefer to have the parking sensors off, even in reverse. God bless that OFF button.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

We all have blamed Maruti when it was matter of weight

The Swift (and derivatives) aren't that light anymore (like the WagonR, for instance). Remember, the car is built for sale in Europe too.

How would you rate the 109 bhp duster's performance w.r.t to
a: Swift/Dzire
b: Innova
c: Ertiga
d: Xylo
for highway driving ( since you have already mentioned that 109 bhp is not good in city ).

Driveability : Xylo & Innova are the best of the lot.
Performance, of course the Swift & Dzire, even though their latest 1.3L MJD tune is softer. Xylo's performance is also excellent by MUV standards.

Originally Posted by skandyhere

Why did Dacia/Renault have to get extra innovative and have the fuel lid opener connected with the door locks?

It has its advantages & disadvantages, no doubt. Having an independent fuel-lid release will be preferred by most. But many European manufacturers (including Mercedes) hook the fuel lid up to the central lock / unlock button.

Why do we need to have a hydraulic-strut-for-the-hood gimmick instead of a basic one-touch window up/down or a speed-sensitive auto-locking feature?

Considering the car-like nature of the Duster, and it's intended market, the hydraulic bonnet lift is a must-have. The bonnet should be very heavy otherwise (going by how solid it felt).

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

I see a lot of complaint about the wiper blades. Is it possible to get them changed to better after market ones?

I don't see why replacing them with high quality after-market stuff (e.g. Bosch) should be a problem.

Originally Posted by DRIVEN-TWEEL

Had read about the airbag. Another name is given than the usual srs airbag. Can i know the differences between the two types of airbags. Is it superior to srs or inferior to it.

Please refer to my review; already covered. Thanks.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I positively loathe that faux wood trim. It's ghastly.

Subjective area. I loved it (though the piano black is my 1st choice).

Originally Posted by MAS

I took your advice seriously and this week picked up a pre-worshipped 2010 Dec 4x4 Endeavour run 19K kms with 5 speed Automatic along with all bells and whistles and an extended 3 rd year warranty for 14.5 Lakhs.

Heartiest congratulations! I'm glad that more & more BHPians are convinced of pre-worshipped lateral upgrades. You get so much more car for the money.

[condor]

An excellent review, as other official reviews have been !

The Duster also looks good - nothing out of the ordinary, but pleasingly normal.

One point - the ORVM adjust knob is placed below the handbrake. While this is not a problem because the knob should not really be used much. But could have been better if it was mounted on the dash and the current spot could have been used as another cubby-hole.

[niv26]

Any idea about audio system configuration, I was told it is Pioneer make.

[BUXX]

I will ask a simple question here: For the money one is spending, i.e 11-13Lac- is this all what we should expect?? Does it bring a smile to your face??
The damn thing just reeks of mediocrity & the deal seems more of a compromise.And in favour of the manufacturer!

TDed the 110 again today.
The engine doesn't excite , interiors are mediocre , plenty of quirks and just plain pathetic service network. God forbid, if the vehicle breaks down when I am out of a big city?? What option would I have then??

Sure, its seeing good bookings today. But what about next year, when the other established manufacturers roll out their Crossovers; where will Renault stand then??
As it is this would be there first "success". And if it turns out to be shortlived- their commitment to this Market will be very much in doldrums...
And that makes me very jittery to plonk my money on this car.

However much we curse it's competition; for ex, the XUV-it just seems to give so much more & has a decent service network to back it up.

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by BUXX

I
Sure, its seeing good bookings today. But what about next year, when the other established manufacturers roll out their Crossovers; where will Renault stand then??
As it is this would be there first "success". And if it turns out to be shortlived- their commitment to this Market will be very much in doldrums...
And that makes me very jittery to plonk my money on this car.

I personally don't think this success will be short lived. The car may not have much bling, but Dacia cars are generally proven workhorses.

And then I am thinking, if Renault did Fluence like interiors, and priced it higher, and it would have been fully in the Yeti territory, and the market would've swiftly labelled it as an overpriced dud. So I guess Renault got it right with this one - have managed to create quite a buzz.

[idofsuresh]

@GTO: How bad is the wind noise ? You mentioned that it is like keeping a window slightly open. If that is the case it will really tire the occupants over a long drive. Do you consider it a deal breaker for someone coming from a quite sedan (Civic)? If the cabin is as quite as a B segment hatch (say, a Santro) I can bear with it. I really could not test the car in high speeds in a highway as the test drive was too short in city roads.

[raul]

I think this is the whole problem with the frenzy we are seeing with the XUV, the Ertiga and now the Duster.

I really don't like buying stuff in a frenzy, you can hardly get any info from the harried sales folks, test drives are short and just going through the motions, there is so much rush at the showrooms you barely even see the car or sit properly. You are literally hurried into a decision, everyone behaves like they are doing you a favour selling you the car and you are lucky to get a 3 month waiting period as opposed to 6!

This kind of experience for a 10 lakh plus purchase is not value for your money.

[smartcat]

Disappointments -

- No dead pedal
- No 4WD in any model (Even if I don't use 4WD, it has to be there in a SUV. Just like a watch that is waterproof for 100m, even though I can't imagine what I'll be doing at those depths!)
- No armrest for the driver.
- Stripped out petrol variant with no safety features.
- 3 out of 5 Euro NCAP rating
- Top end diesel doesn't have the same engine characteristics of the Fluence. .
- Wind noise at speed

Delights -

- The Price Is Right!
- Interiors / Exteriors look great. Are you guys really sure this is based on the Logan platform?
- Happy to hear about the good ride & handling balance.
- Nice steering (from driving point of view) - I love it when steering wheel forcefully comes back to the center position. I got to test drive a Duster!
- Big useable boot.

Since Renault has been stealing cars from Nissan and rebadging them all this time, will Nissan turn tables and come up with a "Coaster" (it's variant of the Duster)?

[floyd.bell]

Originally Posted by skandyhere

This is not a 'miss'; it is meaningless and nonsense. You don't have to design this right... even the cheapest cars have had a simple lever on the floor since a decade now, and Renault just had to stay in line. Is Renault trying so hard to be different that they make this foolish mistake? As I was saying in a previous post, over a period of time, it will be common knowledge that the best chance of flicking a laptop from the rear seat of a duster will be when it stops for fuel because you're forced to unlock all doors just to open the fuel lid!

Sorry Boss, but I would have to completely disagree with you here. Its absolutely not meaningless or nonsense. My 1996 W124 Merc has the exact same mechanism and I quite love it rather than bending over each time to unlock the fuel lid. As it is, I stand out of the car while the fuel is being filled. So no chance of anything getting flicked away from my car.
I think this is a common design with some Euro manufacturers.

[carwatcher]

My Ford Fusion also has fuel lid opener connected with central locking and till date I haven't found any trouble with that, infact it is very convenient for me.
While going through the general expectations I can summarize that people want better quality from EcoSport but at the lesser price wrt Duster. Honestly, I don't think its a realistic expectation. At the same time, few are ready to pay more for the quality. Quite a tricky situation.
Yes, a slight common sense on Renault's part (pricing the top variant at Rs.9,99,999/- would have helped customers as well as Renault (in higher volumes of that variant).
As GTO has mentioned at many places on T-BHP, govt. taxes account for approximately 40% of the value of a car. Even if the manufacturer gives massive discount, govt. collects tax on ex-showroom price.

[oscarninan]

I have to agree with Floyd.bell here.. I remember my old 1997 c class being exactly the same.. Not having to unlock the fuel lid. I quite liked the touch. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.