[vishnuvijay]

i went and had a look at the duster today, didn't test drive however.

i would like to stress the fact that the real ac unit is a hinderance to seat 3 in comfort at the rear. the bench is wide enough to seat 3 adults comfortably but legroom is not as good as it seems from outside.

while we were at the showroom (at cochin), they announced that booking will close by wednesday (11th july) due to high booking.

[novice29]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I think you would do well to consider the Duster
.
The last row jump seat business just doesn't cut it in my opinion, for a vehicle like the Duster.
.
After all our families and friends and other civilized folk are more important than some scummy dirty politico goon, what say?

100%. None will be in agreement if I ask them to sit in the Jump seat of a usual 7-Seater. In Duster's case, I won't dare to ask that.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

The interiors are way too better than one in Tata/Mahindra. They don't look European but not horrible.I would say the quality in inconsistent.

Thats means I may be able to live with it. I understand that I should not compare this with my VW Polo.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I suggest you consider the RXL 110 PS version. There are no offers now, but with time some good offers and i bet RXL 110 is worth it.

That would be a good idea for me. Since there is no urgency, I can wait for sometime. Once the initial hype is over, I would like to see what is going to happen. Whether it is a price hike (as mentioned during launch) or some discounts/offers .

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Also the cruising speed is going to be less compared to 110 which means you have to keep pushing the car hard there by affecting FE.

Oh yes. During my Estilo and Swift (P) ownership days, I did not understand this. But along with the VW Polo TDi ownership, I understand how badly the FE could be affected by pushing hard.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by h.s.r

Is there Nissan launch of Duster in the Pipeline?

It is all hear and say, but i find it logical, since Renault did a Pulse from Micra and will do it a Scela from Sunny, Nissan will gain if they cross-label the Duster from Renault.

Found the following articles
a. Nissan readying its version of the upcoming Renault Duster | Motoroids

As we have been often mentioning, Renault and Nissan are present in Indian market as an alliance and we have been busy seeing a lot of badge engineering from this group. Renault is quite popular by now for having pasted a new fascia on Nissan Micra and Sunny to ‘Renaultise’ them. However, what goes around comes back around and seems like it is now Nissan who will come out with a new product that will be highly based on the partner’s car. As quite obvious, we are talking about the Duster SUV that will be soon launched by Renault. Renault is in final stages of readying the car for Indian market and it is only a matter of time before the Duster arrives in our market. However, the news here is that Nissan seems to have already started developing a ‘Nissaned’ version of the Duster and the Jap car maker should launch it within months of the launch of the Renault Duster. While the name for Nissan’s version of the Duster hasn’t been finalised yet, we expect the rebadged car to sport a softer front end that will be less ‘in your face’.

b. Montagens Automotivas: Nissan Duster

Nissan Duster
Posted by Matias Brandão
The Renault Duster is a car with an interesting proposal to align the category off-road with the concepts of simplicity of the Logan family, and may thus offer a fair price for Brazilian standards for what it offers (unfortunately the Brazilian standard does not put us on equal terms the other markets). But her look "stocky" did not marry well with the style of Renault, leaving it a little strange to some like me. So I think this look would fall a little better with the identity of the "press" Japanese, with its line utilities such as Frontier, offer a better visual identity to the model. Break could fill a gap in the Nissan line, since it offered more luxury. I hope you enjoy!

c. And from this same thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...9-lacs-11.html

There are many more sites which mention this "expectation".

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Those who have checked the car in person - did any of you compare the interior quality, fit & finish, with other cars in the Renault stable? For example, Fluence is quite a quality product from the manufacturer. Does this comes to say around 70-75% of what Fluence offer (for the price, I expect that much), or the quality grade is same or lower than the Pulse. This will help to get an idea for those who have not seen the car, and does not have an option to go and check it out immediately.

Have you been inside a Logan? It's a bit like that. Maybe a little better. I think comparing just the quality of the interior of the Duster to say a (old-gen) Swift would be apt. I have not been in a Pulse yet. The Fluence is a quality product. The Duster is not close to it. Not 75% for sure.

EDIT: It will be interesting if Nissan bring in their version of the Duster i.e. with Nissan badging like the one above. It's quite possible. But I seem to prefer the look of the Nissan. That grill is straight off a Nissan Patrol/Pathfinder. Good to see the corporate grill injecting some more 'butch' into it.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by BUXX

Has anyone test driven the 85hp version anywhere in the country ?

I went for the test dive today. They told me the 85PS car will come around the 20th of next month.

[BUXX]

^^ that's horrible. how is the customer expected to make up his mind without even seeing the damn thing..??

[manishk123]

Can you believe Renault has no dealer in south mumbai! My nearest dealer is in Andheri which is a drive of atleast 1 1/2 hours for me. I called the dealer to ask if they could send the car here but I was told they have only 3 cars on display and with the current rush at the showroom it could be a couple of weeks till they send someone.
Its amazing these companies spend so much money on new product launches and advertising campaigns, but dont have a dealer in one of the most lucrative market segment's in India.

[h.s.r]

@MAS: Thanks for the info.It would be great if Nissan go ahead and launch their own version of Duster.
I would like to see better name for Duster.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

It will be interesting if Nissan bring in their version of the Duster i.e. with Nissan badging like the one above. It's quite possible. But I seem to prefer the look of the Nissan. That grill is straight off a Nissan Patrol/Pathfinder. Good to see the corporate grill injecting some more 'butch' into it.

It would be great if Nissan launch Duster in their own avatar.I feel more connected to Nissan rather Renault.When i think of Nissan few things come in my mind are Nissan Patrol, legandary GTR & japanese brand.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Have you been inside a Logan? It's a bit like that. Maybe a little better. I think comparing just the quality of the interior of the Duster to say a (old-gen) Swift would be apt. I have not been in a Pulse yet. The Fluence is a quality product. The Duster is not close to it. Not 75% for sure.

Thanks Suhaas. I have been in a Logan and the previous gen Swift. If the quality and feel is around there, it’s a bit disappointing. I mean, with this car if they are targeting those potential C2 segment sedan buyers, better would have if they brought something comparable.

That said, I feel they have succeeded in creating an euphoria among the buyers, and it may last until the arrival of a worthy competitor.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by manishk123

Can you believe Renault has no dealer in south mumbai! My nearest dealer is in Andheri which is a drive of atleast 1 1/2 hours for me. I called the dealer to ask if they could send the car here but I was told they have only 3 cars on display and with the current rush at the showroom it could be a couple of weeks till they send someone.
Its amazing these companies spend so much money on new product launches and advertising campaigns, but dont have a dealer in one of the most lucrative market segment's in India.

That's a pity! I pass by Pedder Road daily and see the hoarding with Andheri numbers of the dealer. That way MSIL is better, even Ford has a small showroom at Queens Road; how about opening one at Worli? or Prabhadevi!

[ampere]

I just checked the kerb weight of the 85 bhp 5 speed 4x2 Duster . It comes to about 1180kg.
A similar spec'ed Nissan Sunny comes to 1100kg (1097 to be precise).

Dont know how that 80 kg difference in weight can cause to the drivability as compared to Sunny.


Apart from what all has been mentioned I found the following:

- Doors were really light. Could have been heavier.
- Door handles (not to mention)
- Its wide enough to seat three. But the issue is bad AC vent design. It takes quite an effort for someone to sit in the middle.
- But once seated the position is comfortable. It again becomes bad, when he/she has to shift.
- The steering could have been adjustable/telescopic. That would have helped a lot. As then one need not push the seat back
to get the right position and thus giving valuable space to occupant in the back seat

Other than the three I found the vehicle pretty much passable. The product has an understated elegance and hence can easily pass
through without people giving another look. This actually I like because I dont want undue attention being given to the vehicle.
(Ecosport I am sure would be a head turner).

Suhaas pretty much echoed my thoughts. If you are in the market for a 5 seater, GC, space and diesel, this one is for you.
If you are in the market for what best an amount can get you, this one is not, for the simple reason, one does not want to lug around
a huge SUV, when all he needs is a decent 5 seater. Again I found loaded premium segment hatchbacks, lacking in space.

Fusion/Adventure had pretty much the practicality of what I described above. This one takes it to the next level in terms of space and a good diesel.
I think the 85bhp version would be worth driving. But no one seems to have seen that engine at any dealership across the country!
I would any day sacrifice the extra bhp for low end torque for city drivability. The other thing again I have not read about is the steering
feedback. Is it vague or precise? In other words is it a real deal breaker?

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by condor

The specs look good. The 84BHP /1.4 mill with 20KgM is more than sufficient to drive the 1180 kg (kerb).

I too feel that 85 bhp makes sense for most people who do 80% of their driving in the city or in rural roads, where the will rarely get a chance to use the 6th gear.

Originally Posted by condor

On another note, wonder if this will have any effect on the pricing of bigger SUV's - like for the Storme

Although people on this forum keep saying that XUV/Storme/Duster don't belong in the same class, soft roader, body on frame etc.. for majority of buyers, they need a people mover with features at a price. They don't know or care about ladder frame uni-body etc.. Duster will definitely affect sales of Scorpio/Safari/XUV/Storme/Aria etc...

Originally Posted by advaitlele

4. I would put it as a soft-roader than a true SUV. It has good GC but lack of ABS and 4x4 option means it sorely loses out on Scorpio and Safari.

Originally Posted by Tgo

Was really hoping to see the 4x4 version to be launched.

Originally Posted by brraj

They should have left Duster 4x4 atleast in top-end model.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

They really ought to have given the option of 4WD too.

Originally Posted by condor

4x4 option is missed.

I totally agree with you guys regarding the 4x4 version. Since the are going to manufcture the RHD 4x4 version for export to UK, they should have offered it in the Indian Market also. It is not that they have to incur an extra costs for it. It is already rolling out of the same production line. I would have loved to replace my Scorpio 4WD with the Duster but without 4WD, I have to sadly settle for Aria/Storme or XUV unless I really hike my budget to 27 Lakhs.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

7. The rear AC intrudes a lot. Effectively this is a 4 seater vehicle because of that.

I too was appalled at the size and projection of the rear AC. If you dont have space to fit an extra cooling coil, just put some ducting like they have done in the Scorpio. The rear AC makes this vehicle a 4 seater as no one can sit in the middle without Thermal underwears and crotch guards.

[iceman7]

Prelude

A colleague of mine from work was looking at changing her 7 year old Santro. She'd heard about the Duster (from me) and was waiting for the past few months for its launch. We went for a test drive today.

The following are few of my observations (some of which may have been mentioned on the pages earlier). Also, I will make comparisons with the XUV 500 since I drove the Duster and the XUV back to back. So here goes:

Exteriors

• The Duster is a looker. Especially in the Copper/Brown shade. Expect the maximum number of Dusters you see on road to be in this shade.
• The silver finishing on the door handles and the external rear view mirrors is a big let down. Chrome or black finishing would have looked better.
• The chrome accents on the Front grill and the rear look pretty nice. I thought they were a bit tacky at first, but they grow on you
• The car seems proportionate from all angles and the wheels look just about the right size. Not too large, not too small.
• The bonnet, when opened, is controlled by a hydraulic mechanism. Thumbs up to this. All the people who came to see the Duster seemed to like this feature.
• The pull type door handles seem like the most outdated thing on the entire exterior. Lack of grab type handles on a 14L car?? Not done. Plus, the quality of the pull type handles wasn't to inspiring either. One hard knock, and you can crack it.

Interiors

• The duster seems to be fairly put together in the interiors.
• The interiors are built for function and are minimalistic.
• The wooden finish on the RXL (o) will be a hit or a miss amongst people. I liked it though.
• The Duster is a 5 seater. No seats in the 3rd row. This will be a deal breaker for many who will go an extra mile (read 2 lakh rupees) and buy the XUV 500 for the additional 2 seats.
• Because the Duster is a 5 seater, the boot is H-U-G-E
• No ACC on the top end version
• Dual Airbags on the Top model and 1 minus top model
• The instrument cluster lights up in an orangish shade. Can't say much here since there was too much daylight to see it properly
• I am 6'1. With the drivers seat adjusted to my comfort, there was ample space at the back for me.
• I am assuming 95% of people will be ok with the legroom in the Duster
• Drivers arm rest is sorely missed

The Drive

• Powered by Renault's 1.5 dci engine. I drove the 110 BHP version.
• Like all other cars which run on the 1.5 dci engine, the Duster is extremly drive-able and tractable at the lower end of the RPM range
• A slight turbo push is felt while the revs are building up
• Brakes felt inadequate - Will wait for GTO's official report on this one
• The 110 version gets a 6 speed box. Though I could not go through all 6 gears, I am assuming the 6th gear ratio will make the Duster a superb highway cruiser
• The Duster didn't seem to have the enormous amount of body roll seen in the Scorpio.
• I drove the XUV 500 right after the Duster and no doubt that the XUV is a monster, but the XUV seemed to have some body roll and bounciness as comapared to the Duster

Other points

• 10,000 kms or 1 year service interval
• 2 + 2 year, 80,000 kms standard warranty
• Deliveries begin next week in Thane. Expect a waiting of 45 -60 days if you book today in Thane
• Price difference between the Top end Duster 110 and the XUV500 W8 is around 2 lakhs in Thane
• The salesman had no idea when the 4x4 Duster would be launched
• If the rush at the showroom was anything to go by, I think this car will change Renault's fortunes in India
• Renault is rapidly expanding its sales & service network across India

... And yes, my colleague booked a Top of the line Brown Duster 110

[CARDEEP]

IMO Duster 85bhp could be more driveable than Sunny, because the torque figures read as 200Nm@1900rpm as compared to 200Nm@2000rpm for Sunny. The extra 80-90 kg could be a deterrent in real world performance through.

Even I am amongst those few who feel that this is over priced & could have been cheaper by a lac (max) or fraction (>Rs.50K).

[shankar.balan]

Thank you Iceman

Yes indeed - I completely forgot about this lovely feature when I posted my simple review.
The hydraulic arm to keep the bonnet open is surely a big help. It is an excellent feature and will be appreciated by many. Heck, I would love to have such a feature in my Yeti!

Great to hear that your colleague booked the 110 top spec. May she have great times in it!!
Cheers!

Originally Posted by iceman7

Prelude
[*]The bonnet, when opened, is controlled by a hydraulic mechanism. Thumbs up to this. All the people who came to see the Duster seemed to like this feature.
... And yes, my colleague booked a Top of the line Brown Duster 110