[agbenny]

Originally Posted by amitg79

This car's suddenly struck a chord somewhere in my heart. Suddenly I'm a Duster fan. The 110 PS engine's said to be quite meaty. Waiting for the team bhp official report.

+1 :-)

It has something new. An SUV at an affordable price, Diesel with good quality materials. Long time players like Hyundai, Maruthi has never thought of this. M&M and Tata has still a long way with their cheap materials used, as I see the plastics are acceptable and design is welcoming. Overall a Good SUV for the Indian buyer for 10L!, which Ford, GM, HM didn't touched even after a decade of their presence.

I hope Renault will do it!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Being a monocoque the Duster may not have eat the bad roads kind of long travel soft suspension, this quality is reserved for chassis based proper SUV with suspension travel running into feet rather than inches. But expect it to have a car like flat composed ride with very safe and predictable handling.

Incidentally the Yeti which is also a monocoque does have pretty long travelled suspension. Works well on the bad roads that I ve gone on. My surmise is that the Duster can pretty much be comparable if not actually better on bad roads! It can and certainly will handle better than the Scorpio and Safari on the bad roads of India.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

It can and certainly will handle better than the Scorpio and Safari on the bad roads of India.

In fact Duster might handle bad roads with very minimal body roll too. I have seen Scorpios wobble about when running over bad roads. I am sure Duster can maintain a much more stable stance under such conditions...

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Incidentally the Yeti which is also a monocoque does have pretty long travelled suspension. Works well on the bad roads that I ve gone on. My surmise is that the Duster can pretty much be comparable if not actually better on bad roads! It can and certainly will handle better than the Scorpio and Safari on the bad roads of India.

The suspension travel in Yeti is good by sedan standards but not even half of what proper chassis type SUVs have. It is not a bad thing at all, just that it cannot gobble up one foot deep potholes. Even Yeti has ride and handling closer to sedans, that's what the Duster is expected to have.

Personally i am not a SUV person, i prefer low slung Sedans.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

In fact Duster might handle bad roads with very minimal body roll too. I have seen Scorpios wobble about when running over bad roads. I am sure Duster can maintain a much more stable stance under such conditions...

100% correct. The Scorpio handles potholes, speedbreakers and bad roads like a boat. It wallows like the blazes. I got back-ache using it over the 4 years that I used it! On account of its ride, driving on bad roads can also make one prone to Spondylitis and other such things. Seriously!.
The Duster, Yeti and all these modern crossovers are of monocoque construction and this imparts a significantly car-like handling characteristic.
This is one of the reasons that cross overs like this one are the way to the future - people want the best of both worlds in the urban environment and they also want a bit of ruggedness when going mildly off the road too. Plus there is a perception of safety in these crossovers on account of their AWD and other electronic driver aids/ gizmos, especially in conditions which involve a lot of snow, gravel, slush and stuff in the countryside.

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Plus there is a perception of safety in these crossovers on account of their AWD and other electronic driver aids/ gizmos, especially in conditions which involve a lot of snow, gravel, slush and stuff in the countryside.

None of which is present in the Indian Duster...

[wanderluster]

No 4WD? I thought that would at least come as an option.

[Guna]

Some updates from ACI report

84 bhp diesel;
0-100 kmph in 14.54 secs

108 bhp diesel:
0-100 kmph in 12.59 secs

4X4 is not expected before late 2013

[raul]

From the elk tests of the Duster ESP looks like a necessity. Scary stuff.

Test dell'alce: cappottamenti vari senza ESP (Moose Test) - YouTube

[shineshine]

Originally Posted by raul

From the elk tests of the Duster ESP looks like a necessity. Scary stuff.

Test dell'alce: cappottamenti vari senza ESP (Moose Test) - YouTube

Though Duster needs an ESP in that context, it has done a commendable job compared to other cars with that huge body. Can you imagine a Scorpio or Safari in that place

[kailashnj]

Originally Posted by shineshine

Though Duster needs an ESP in that context, it has done a commendable job compared to other cars with that huge body. Can you imagine a Scorpio or Safari in that place

Well said. Scorpio or Safari would have toppled at the first instance itself.

Man I seriously hope Renault price the Duster in the sweet spot.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by shineshine

Though Duster needs an ESP in that context, it has done a commendable job compared to other cars with that huge body. Can you imagine a Scorpio or Safari in that place

+1

Duster did an excellent job when compared to other cars. It also has to do with the overall dimensions of the Duster, wide and not so tall. This contributes to a low CG and better stability. The Duster tested in the video is a 4x4, which anyways (atleast) in European countries will come fully equipped with the safety features.

[raul]

It difficult to make out from the video but I think its tested twice, once with ESP and once without, both times on the 4X4 with independent rear suspension. I understand only the 4X4 comes with ESP, which is not the best thing.

The 4X2 without ESP and independent rear suspension could be a handful on this test.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by raul

From the elk tests of the Duster ESP looks like a necessity. Scary stuff.

Test dell'alce: cappottamenti vari senza ESP (Moose Test) - YouTube

Terrific!
That poor Citroen!

I wonder if there is a comparative test back to back, with these parameters, between the Duster and the Yeti.
That would indeed be interesting from a capability perspective.

[BUXX]

^^ I don't think that the cars are too different capability wise..
ESP is not a standard feature on the Duster and is available in select countries only.