[hubolt]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

The ACI article seems to praise the space and comfort of rear bench. "The highlight of the SUV is its back seat that offers excellent thigh, back and shoulder support with ample knee – and headroom too."
The photograph does not seem to support that to such an extent. Even the rear AC unit seems to eat up a lot of space.

"For 2 people" That I think completes the statement.

For the middle passenger , from the pics, the rear blower may obstruct knee movement hence it's a comfy 2+2.

Secondly if peak torque in the higher tune version kicks in at 2000 rpm with turbo lag after the improvements announced in the fluence then that shows a incoherent approach on Renault's part for the Duster. While the Engineering team wants to water it down in line with the rest of the interiors, the marketing team wants to price it up , as indications go.

The body roll visible on the ACI image betrays the monocoque underpinnings - declared earlier. They have not matched the price-package expectations of the whole thing.

[C300]

Not sure if its shared earlier - Duster review by ZigWheels:

Renault Duster: First Drive Page - 1| Zigwheels.com

[thalavoy]

And from BSM - Renault Duster Test Drive and Review
Apologies if it was already posted.

[itwasntme]

Sharing pictures from the Zigwheels review for convenience.

Few thoughts:
1. The red colour looks much better than the white (IMO). However, the lower models will have less/no chrome i.e. replaced with black and THAT may make the white look better
2. Rear seat space looks more in these pictures {compared to the ACI review} as the front seats seem to be pushed well forward.
3. Rear AC vent will be present only on the top variants (?); so ironically, the lower variants will neither gain the better cooling nor have that mounting between the middle passenger's legs :-)
4. General switchgear looks tacky
5. Seats look comfortable enough

Full album on Buy New Cars, Selling a Car, Auto Car Reviews, Car News, Zigwheels

[nik_kapur]

Wow that AC unit at the back is going to cause some problems! It has seriously eaten into the 3rd passengers space.

If you look at it from a point of view of 2 passengers at the back then i feel the ac setup will be a real boon and make the passengers real comfy.

[agbenny]

Friends,

Pardon my ignorance. This questions comes to my mind as we discuss a lot about car crash test.

Do all car manufacturers in India have their own crash-testing facilities? Do imported cars are retested in India? Do we have certification like NCAP? Or do they comply with any ARAI testing?

Can Euro NCAP be a standard in India too?

Do we get the same quality component in India from suppliers around that would help he manufacturer to produce the same NCAP rated vehicle in India - like in this case, Duster - will it be worse than 3 Star in India?

Finally, I assume start rating for FE, Safety and maintenance should be made compulsory for every car in India, after all these increasing number of Road accidents.

Kind Regards,
Benny

[thalavoy]

Originally Posted by Guna

Rear AC vent seems bit crude not well designed (they could have incorporated armrest on the top)
It also seem to foul in to the legroom of the center passenger.

Yes. They should have done a better job with the rear AC.
Integrating into the arm rest would be a good idea. I guess, since this is an option, they wanted a 'removable' solution rather than integrating somewhere.
Also, I wish they had given a dual vent solution than a single one. That way, two passengers in the rear can have the air blowing in directions towards them rather than a generic in the middle. Don't know how effective it will be as it is.
Will wait for detailed review.

[revintup]

The rear AC unit is sticking out so much only because the front seats have been pushed to the maximum forward position. Think it will align with the front seats in normal usage pattern.

[man_and_machine]

If the rear blower just a blower (seems like it might be connected to the AC unit, and now a mere fan for air circulation. Now when I look at the image below,

(Just re-posted it for convenience) What is this thing on the sides? Is that of sucking hot air (used during internal circulation or is that the cool air sucker, meaning its just a fan).?

[racer_ash]

Seems like Renault is opening bookings of Duster by end of June as per this link.

Renault to begin taking orders for Duster by June end | CarTrade.com

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by man_and_machine

If the rear blower just a blower (seems like it might be connected to the AC unit, and now a mere fan for air circulation.
What is this thing on the sides? Is that of sucking hot air (used during internal circulation or is that the cool air sucker, meaning its just a fan).?

It's confirmed that the rear AC is the real thing with a separate evaporator/cooling coils etc and blower. It is NOT a simple fan which sucks up and throws back cool air (emanating from the front AC vents) like the Sunny.

Would have been great to get the 2 vent version though Refer pictures and permalink below from the Sunny official review:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2512993

[Guna]

Originally Posted by agbenny

Do we get the same quality component in India from suppliers around that would help he manufacturer to produce the same NCAP rated vehicle in India - like in this case, Duster - will it be worse than 3 Star in India?

I don't if the top of the line model in Europe comes with 6 airbags, rear disk brakes, stability package etc and if the model tested had all these. If that is the case, the model being launched in India will certainly not get even 3 stars.

[raul]

Doesn't the rear AC only come as an option on the top end? That's what it seemed like from the specs sheet for the various versions leaked on pg 51 of this thread. The option pack on the top end reads rear AC, navigation and leather seats, in which case one can choose not to have the rear AC.

[BUXX]

^^ yes you can , but the pricing is already so absurd and a true disappointment.
The top variant is priced similar to higher versions of the Scorpio! Ridiculous!

Also, missing from the Indian version is :

Foldable back tray
Boot space lights.
Boot Utility box.
ABS ,airbags ( only as option and not part of standard equipment in lower variants)

[sumeshmani]

This might sound silly, but I am not a big fan of the steering wheel. It just does not seem to be inspired by the rest of the design. It has just been carried forward form Dacia.