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Old 4th July 2012, 22:44   #1621
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

At the Renault Showroom near Cauvery theatre, there was a huge crowd, there were test drives going on, a lot of people were waiting for test drives and the showroom guys were having a tough time managing the customers. The Vehicle does look good from outside.

Last edited by rbp : 4th July 2012 at 22:45.
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Old 4th July 2012, 23:01   #1622
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Saw a Duster blast past me on ORR this afternoon. Wondering if my booking of T-jet is a mistake now as the petrol duster comes at the same price. Pensive...very pensive if I am missing out an opportunity to own a good SUv !!
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Old 4th July 2012, 23:06   #1623
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by rganeshiyer View Post
Saw a Duster blast past me on ORR this afternoon. Wondering if my booking of T-jet is a mistake now as the petrol duster comes at the same price. Pensive...very pensive if I am missing out an opportunity to own a good SUv !!
Is it too late to take a test drive of Duster and then change plans? I am not telling you that Duster will be better, but it might be a good idea to take a decision after the test drive.
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Old 4th July 2012, 23:08   #1624
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I can only agree with many of the sentiments on here that the Duster is a bit overpriced. If I'm spending 13+ lakh OTR for a top end variant car I would expect good quality interiors and probably some other things like auto climate control, etc.
Now it's back to the comparison charts for me... In this price band the new Verna / Fiesta need to be reconsidered along with the Duster. Too bad the Ecosport is still so far away.
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Old 4th July 2012, 23:54   #1625
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

It seems there a 50k difference between the ex showroom prices in Delhi and Mumbai? This from indiaautoblog for Mumbai ex factory prices:

Renault Duster petrol

RxE – 7.47 lakhs
RxL – 8.52 lakhs

Renault Duster diesel

RxE – 8.31 lakhs
RxL – 9.36 lakhs
RxL option pack – 10.41 lakhs
RxL 110 PS – 10.41 lakhs
RxZ – 11.46 lakhs
RxZ option pack – 11.77 lakhs

This makes the RXZ equivalent to the XUV in Mumbai, and with option pack more expensive! The RXL with no airbags (apparently driver side has one but not confirmed) and steel wheels for 13 lakhs plus Mumbai!

This is 3 lakhs more than any other country, in a much lower paid economy, how do you get volumes then, and what can explain the premium? At least price it like in western countries.

I don't know about others but this is completing inflating car prices and reducing value to customers in India. A supposed 'low cost' basic car is 13-14 lakhs for the 110 bhp version, then is it really a 'low cost' car. I would think 13-14 lakhs is lot of money for most folks and there would be some expectations attached to that. If Renault can get away with this I don't see why Yeti, XUV and others which deliver far more value do not think about raising prices.

Last edited by raul : 5th July 2012 at 00:02.
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Old 5th July 2012, 00:01   #1626
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Went to the Showroom to check out the Duster today. Had got 2 of my friends to book this car. Somehow the car was what I had expected. Looked decent, nice aggressive stance but poor interiors. The pricing was perhaps 25 to 50k more than what we expected. We drove the 110PS engine and it was certainly better to drive than my Fluence E2D. I must say the Ride Quality was amazing. The car is perfectly sized for a city like Mumbai. The XUV and Innova are a tad too cumbersome to drive in the city.
The quality of the materials was leagues behind the Fluence and to be honest the thud of the Swift door closing is better than the Duster. The car is quirky looking but butch and people were going ga ga over its looks in the showroom. But the design isn't cohesive or beautiful like the Civic or Fluence. Its definitely something we are going to tire off when there are a lot of Dusters on the road.
Overall I still think it is a decent buy. SUV stance and feel. Solid and hard wearing engine. Nice manoeuvrable size. And a car that I feel can be enhanced a lot with mods/kits. In my opinion it is the perfect upgrade for someone who drives a premium hatch.
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Old 5th July 2012, 00:15   #1627
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by raul View Post

This makes the RXZ equivalent to the XUV in Mumbai, and with option pack more expensive! The RXL with no airbags (apparently driver side has one but not confirmed) and steel wheels for 13 lakhs plus Mumbai!
The only thing going for Duster vis-a-vis XUV is lower buying in price point, less niggling issues (its a Renault) & less size to fit into tight parking spaces. The last point was a deal breaker for me, caz even though I have enough parking in my house for XUV, but as a daily and only drive I was hesitant that I would not be able to park/go places that I generally goto in crowded areas. Duster here will fit the bill.
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Old 5th July 2012, 00:18   #1628
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I visited Gurgaon showroom of Renault and not surprisingly the all the attention was on Duster with other models being ignored by the crowd. duster comes across as a mixed bag!!


Things I loved abt Duster

1. Duster has imposing exteriors, for me it is not outdated design
2. Paint finish was good,
3. Boot space
4. Ground clearance
5. View from the driver'sSeat

things I did not liked

1. Quality of plastics
2. Door Handles
3. Lack of automatic climate control
4. Pricing of Trim levels ( how do you justify one lakh extra for an option pack )
5. Rear Ac vent
6. No dual airbags in RXL 110 ps variant

My verdict : If the test drive for 85 RXL variant goes fine, I would go for it
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Old 5th July 2012, 00:40   #1629
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by rganeshiyer View Post
Saw a Duster blast past me on ORR this afternoon. Wondering if my booking of T-jet is a mistake now as the petrol duster comes at the same price. Pensive...very pensive if I am missing out an opportunity to own a good SUv !!
You're being tempted to compare two entirely different animals here. The T-Jet will drive like a thoroughbred car, giving you sharp handling, great driving pleasure, power on tap and an enormous torque wave to ride on, for a petrol (compare the T-Jet's 20+ kgm to Duster's 14+ kgm). It will give you the ALL-IMPORTANT safety net of airbags and ABS + EBD. It will make you feel good with its automatic climate control and alloy wheels.

The Duster is a bear. You will get none of the items I listed above in even the top-end petrol, but you will have a 2WD SUV ('SUV' in this context is reduced to a label with not much meaning attached because I don't know what sport you can play with the 2WD). It's a high-riding car with big wheels, some heavy-duty suspension and big underpinnings. The big-ness comes at a price - both financial and in terms of safety and equipment.

You're looking at two different things with equal price tags, and I don't think you can apply any logic to compare them. It's probably just got to be what you feel about each of them.
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Old 5th July 2012, 00:41   #1630
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
....what the Duster does offer is a good build, a reliable engine, and a sorted chassis. These 3 are big things for me. I just wish ABS at least was standard on all variants.
With three things you've written I would like to add one more important thing: better fuel efficiency. The diesel variants of the Duster have atleast 25-30% more fuel efficiency than the Safari / Scorpio / XUV. Not many of us use all seven seats of their SUVs (knowing what the third row is like in most vehicles except the Xylo), but a lot many of us will appreciate the fuel saved, even with the diesel prices we have now.
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Old 5th July 2012, 01:21   #1631
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Great Till Now.

Let's face it. It is not a cheap cargo vehicle in Indian context. What it is in Europe doesn't matter. Well, for that matter the aspirational Civic is a cheapo compact sedan in US. In reality, what a Duster to Europe is Bolero to India. Duster is a luxury vehicle in India. Period.

Scream and shout, but it is a starved market and there is no choice in compact cross overs. Price isn't too bad. No, I hate to lug 7 seats and don't want to tolerate the crudeness of Scorpio, Bolero and Safari. All I need is a go anywhere compact vehicle - that handles our war torn look alike roads, reliable, frugal and has some finesse. Can't see beyond Duster. Yeti is out of budget.

Exterior
Felt a tad too short but no complaints. Liked the looks. Most people in the show room liked the looks in flesh. The paint quality is top notch.

Interior, Space and Ergonomics
I must say it is par for the course. Felt better to sit inside Duster than a Vento or a Rapid or a Verna (same segment). It is not as chic or well put together as Civic but we are talking different segments here. Back seat comfort is good and ingress/egress is moderate. My mom's rating for ingress/egress: Nano > Duster > Civic. Space for a 6+ feet driver: Give me Duster any day than a Vento. Once inside, the seats are tad low for a SUV and it feels half way between a car and a SUV. Overall, more comfortable than Vento or Rapid even if not as sexy as Vento. Btw, Vento's interior isn't very sexy - actually, none of the cars in that segment.

What I miss in the top end (My target)
ESP, ESP and ESP
Telescopic steering
Auto Climate Control

Drive ?
Well, I did not drive it yet. Will do it in a week. If it is as maneuverable as Civic inside the city, if high speed stability is 80% of Civic and if it has a decent ride quality I will have very little reasons to take back my booking amount. The clutch did seem a little hard at rest compared to Vento but a lot lighter than a Safari I once drove.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mohandasnikhil View Post
We drove the 110PS engine and it was certainly better to drive than my Fluence E2D.
Your Fluence has the upgraded engine or the old one ? I understand the engine of Duster and the new E2D/E4D engine is just the same. I did not have too much turbo lag issue with the new engine of Fluence.

Last edited by idofsuresh : 5th July 2012 at 01:37.
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Old 5th July 2012, 01:56   #1632
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Finally they have updated their website..just checked it this evening.i quite like the looks of the car.Trying to sort out some hard to find funds.And will wait to for a few months to see how well its doing in the market.And then maybe maybe my garage will be spotting a new duster.But to think of it if and by the time i do decide to buy it their could be better options in the market.
imagine on seeing the sucess of the duster if skoda gets a bare basic but still loaded with essential features of the yeti.Now that would be sweet.
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Old 5th July 2012, 03:03   #1633
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Re: Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 L

Mod Note : The Renault Duster Official Review has been uploaded at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread.

Last edited by GTO : 23rd July 2012 at 10:15. Reason: Adding link to review
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