[shankar.balan]

Appreciate the fairness in this post, but me, I am 6 ft 2 inches tall and even I found that under-thigh support was not sufficient in the XUV.
Otherwise as regards space and general roominess etc it is a no brainer as to who wins!
My Yeti is more comfy than the XUV and Duster because it offers much better under-thigh support for a tall guy - probably because it is an European vehicle.

Originally Posted by Off Roadie

Woo hoo.
Easy there I'll give it everything else but there's no way the Duster is miles ahead in terms of Comfort.
The only people who may not be able to differentiate much in that respect may be short in height and I am just stating that factually with no prejudice.
Taller guys need more legroom and underthigh support to get comfy. The XUV is miles ahead in that department.

[raul]

Originally Posted by floyd.bell

Absolutely disagree. Except for space, Duster is miles miles ahead of XUV in terms of comfort, engine refinement, fit/finish quality, et all.

The XUV has had its share of niggles but let's not be unfair to this fantastic effort from Mahindra. The Duster is not in any customers hands yet, it will have to be in the market like the XUV for 6 months plus before we can draw conclusions on the quality etc.

The XUV is more way more spacious than the Duster which makes it more comfortable for passengers. The 2.2 140bhp is not a slough and as refined as any diesel engine with little turbo lag and effortless acceleration. Fit and finish is one area where XUV is facing issues. But with all round disk brakes, independent rear suspension, climate control its much better featured than the Duster.

But the most important things is the XUV was not designed to be a cheap SUV, the Duster was and you can see these compromises in the Duster that you will not see in the XUV. Wind insulation, fittings like the wiper, quality of plastics, basic things like an arm rest, and these are things we can see. Remember this is a car from Dacia and not Renault, and its reason for existing is a low cost SUV.

But these are nearly 2 categories, the XUV more of a conventional softroader and the Duster a small crossover. I like both for what they bring to the table.

[Shandy1981]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Still no news on the delivery or allotment schedule for Duster. Even the SA has no idea when the first lot is ...

Neil, I spoke with one of the SA's from Khivraj Pearl, I was told that they are expecting to get about 80 cars in the first week of August. Not sure how true the info is.

[shankar.balan]

A well balanced and fair post indeed. Well appreciated.
Both are good vehicles in their own right.
As with most things in life, there is always scope for improvement.
Let us not take away from the good things and the positives that they have achieved with the XUV AND the Duster.
I am the first to admit that I am a big fat 'crib-o-logist' but I do try to exhibit fairness at all times in spirit and in letter!

Originally Posted by raul

The XUV has had its share of niggles but let's not be unfair to this fantastic effort from Mahindra. The Duster is not in any customers hands yet, it will have to be in the market like the XUV for 6 months plus before we can draw conclusions on the quality etc.

But the most important things is the XUV was not designed to be a cheap SUV, the Duster was and you can see these compromises in the Duster that you will not see in the XUV. Wind insulation, fittings like the wiper, quality of plastics, basic things like an arm rest, and these are things we can see. Remember this is a car from Dacia and not Renault, and its reason for existing is a low cost SUV.

But these are nearly 2 categories, the XUV more of a conventional softroader and the Duster a small crossover. I like both for what they bring to the table.

[apachelongbow]

Having seen Duster in flesh in that Maroon/Red and in Black, it is a beautiful car!! Especially black highlights all the curves and muscle in the body. I think black will be a big seller

[johy]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Having seen Duster in flesh in that Maroon/Red and in Black, it is a beautiful car!! Especially black highlights all the curves and muscle in the body. I think black will be a big seller

Have you seen the metallic grey or silver? Unfortunately only one brown one where I live.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by johy

Have you seen the metallic grey or silver? Unfortunately only one brown one where I live.

No mate, not yet. I have yet to see the other colors. I have only seen black/maroon/brown

[Oreen]

Originally Posted by DRIVEN-TWEEL

I do have to travel to wayand frequently which is a hill station, and was worried if 85 would get sluggish on ghats. As u said i cannot get into conclusions without testing the 85bhp. Renault is doing something fishy by not providing 85 for test anywhere in india. Anyway i guess team bhp would solve my problem. Im afraid if its too late because i got a delivery date for my vehicle which is 10 days away.

You know what, the 85 has 200 nm of torque at a lower rpm than the 110, so you don't really need better pickup to travel in the ghats section. You need more torque at lower rpm, so that the engine can effectively pull a lot of load without straining itself. I had earlier compared the Bolero XD3P torque with that of the 85 (152 nm, pulling 1600 kgs versus 200 nm pulling 1180 kgs of the Duster) and if you see lots of Boleros faring fine in Wayanad, you know that your 85 will be way better than them.

Don't know why Renault is not getting the 85, but I guess bringing the 85 might dent the sales of the 110 once people realize that it has less turbo lag and pulls probably a little better than the 110 at lower RPMs. It also has a better fuel efficiency. On the highway, it will run out of steam as compared to the 110, but in Wayanad it will serve you a tad longer than the 110 (less strain on the engine = increased life).

[DieselDon]

Originally Posted by johy

Have you seen the metallic grey or silver? Unfortunately only one brown one where I live.

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

No mate, not yet. I have yet to see the other colors. I have only seen black/maroon/brown

Collected the following pics earlier during my hunt for information. Every color looks good in my opinion.

Strangely, the pictures do not depict the real color. When I went for the TD, the real color seemed to be a little different.

& there is a survey running on fb Renault page on the 'best' color.

Cheers, D













EDIT :
Links to the pics :
Black - http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/phot...342429448.html
Grey - http://www.oncars.in/Renault-cars/Re...11470792/1/296
Red - http://www.gaadi.com/auto-reviews/re...t-drive-review
Silver - http://www.autojunction.in/expert-re...rive-34854.cms
White - http://www.cardekho.com/road-test/re...-dusted-83.htm
Brown & Silver - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2808141 (Renault (including Duster Unveil) @ Auto Expo 2012 - EDIT: Now launched at 7.19 Lacs)

[raul]

Thanks for posting these DieselDon! The test cars are brown, red and white so most folks have not seen the other colours.

Is it just me or does red look the best? Strange because I am normally not a 'red' person. Usually prefer Silver or Grey.

[lohithrao]

Silver looks nice in real, am sure "Red" as always be striker!

thanks for sharing...

Originally Posted by DieselDon

Collected the following pics earlier during my hunt for information. Every color looks good in my opinion.

Strangely, the pictures do not depict the real color. When I went for the TD, the real color seemed to be a little different.

& there is a survey running on fb Renault page on the 'best' color.

Cheers, D

[mohandasnikhil]

Originally Posted by Off Roadie

Woo hoo.
Easy there I'll give it everything else but there's no way the Duster is miles ahead in terms of Comfort.
The only people who may not be able to differentiate much in that respect may be short in height and I am just stating that factually with no prejudice.
Taller guys need more legroom and underthigh support to get comfy. The XUV is miles ahead in that department.

Well to be honest, the ride quality which translates to comfort is much better on the Duster than the XUV. The XUV has a tendency to pitch and bounce which makes it quite uncomfortable. Ofcourse space in the XUV is miles ahead of the Duster

[monty9991]

There are about 470 Duster bookings only in Ludhiana, that's a huge number and seems people are loving the car in North.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by DieselDon

Collected the following pics earlier during my hunt for information. Every color looks good in my opinion.

Strangely, the pictures do not depict the real color. When I went for the TD, the real color seemed to be a little different.

& there is a survey running on fb Renault page on the 'best' color.

Cheers, D

Thanks for this collection of images. I believe that Silver looks most balanced/coordinated with the silver mirrors, alloys and the roof rail. However black looks the best as per me.
OT: Most of car advertisements/website run disclaimers stating: colors and equipment as shown may change in the actual vehicle etc

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by DieselDon

Collected the following pics earlier during my hunt for information. Every color looks good in my opinion.

Strangely, the pictures do not depict the real color. When I went for the TD, the real color seemed to be a little different.

& there is a survey running on fb Renault page on the 'best' color.

Cheers, D

I really like the sober plain jane Silver and the Grey best. The Brown is too in your face for my taste. The White is too stark. The Red is too blingy by half. I wish these chaps would also give us the option of a Jungle Green or Khaki so as to be able to blend in with the natural surroundings. I hate standing out from the crowd in terms of car colour. i love anonymity. Maybe I am just an old fuddy duddy bore, I don't know!