[h.s.r]

Originally Posted by micrographics

Congrats on booking RxL with Option Pack.

Just want to know on following :

1. did they confirm that you will cget all 5 Alloy Wheels

2. Whether the Door Handles will be Body color or Black ?

3. Whether Roof Rail will have Silver section like RxZ or all black ?

4. How much price they confirmed ?

5. Also did you checked with them whether option pack will have Height Adjustable Seat and if NO then what will be additional cost involved in some one ask them ?

6. Also whether the company provided ICE can be changed and whether the Steering Mount Control will work with After market ICE ?

1. did they confirm that you will get all 5 Alloy Wheels

Yes spare wheel is also full size alloy.

2. Whether the Door Handles will be Body color or Black ?

Most probably Black

3. Whether Roof Rail will have Silver section like RxZ or all black ?

Black

4. Also did you checked with them whether option pack will have Height Adjustable Seat and if NO then what will be additional cost involved in some one ask them ?

No height adjustment in option pack.

6. Also whether the company provided ICE can be changed and whether the Steering Mount Control will work with After market ICE ?

Yes it can be changed,provided one doesn't void the warranty.

Guys,Renault Delhi West confirming 700+ bookings of the Duster.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

When compared to Rapid, Duster does look overpriced but I liked the space inside Duster. So I just might be forced to go the caaaar way. Unfortunately Sunny is not a fun car on the highways, and most of my usage will be on highway. The good part is all that space is available for under 11L OTR.

I think you should buy based on your priority. Rapid will get you the pleasure of a sedan. Also I don't think the Duster 85ps
engine will stand against the 1.6L diesel of the Rapid.

So it finally depends on the what your requirements are. For example for me a sedan will not give me the pleasure of what
I have been having with my Fusion. The tall seating, road visibility and GC is something which is more important to me.
To that extent I would have X-overs like Duster and Ecosport rather than a sedan.

Similarly you should balance that aspect of priority before you decide.
Yes budget does matter, but if finally a purchased product does not satisfy you, then its not worth it. Thats the only point
I am trying to bring about.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

When compared to Rapid, Duster does look overpriced but I liked the space inside Duster. So I just might be forced to go the caaaar way. Unfortunately Sunny is not a fun car on the highways, and most of my usage will be on highway. The good part is all that space is available for under 11L OTR.

IMO the duster is overpriced. I find the Rxe to be the best but it doesn't have safety features which is very important for you, since you need a highway machine. This would force you to get the 85ps Rxl + pack or the 110ps Rxz. This will shoot up the budget by a huge margin. If you are not keen on high ground clearance and SUV look, settle down for the rapid. It would be punchier and fun around the corners. If you like, you can try the linea 2012. Good ground clearance, fully loaded, great efficiency. The only downer would be the A.S.S (even the Skoda isn't popular in that regard) and relatively lower power (even people testing the 110 duster are annoyed with the turbo lag)!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

I find the Rxe to be the best but it doesn't have safety features which is very important for you, since you need a highway machine. This would force you to get the 85ps Rxl + pack or the 110ps Rxz. This will shoot up the budget by a huge margin.

How true! Renault India has payed only lip service to their commitment to safety here. They should have offered ABS in the RxE if they really were serious about safety.

However, it would have killed the higher 85bhp variants.

[shankar.balan]

I am submitting the following as a long time SUV user and a long time M&M loyalist. I still appreciate them for the value they bring.
However, the world has moved on a bit and we do now have nice modern new options like the Duster, for the budget conscious SUV seeking Indian.

In all fairness we should compare like for like.
Hence, the Renault Duster 85BHp Diesel RXL option pack ought to be compared to the Scorpio SLE BS4 and Safari GX 4x2 BS4.

I shall only illustrate the safety bit here:

In terms of safety the Duster with options comes with Airbags, ABS and EBD.
The Scorpio comes with ABS.
The Safari GX also has ABS

However, the overall differences between these three vehicles include but are not limited to the above mentioned things.

Therefore I think it is worth doing a full feature comparo between the three before condemning the Duster out of hand.

The price of the Scorp SLE is Rs. 11.1 OTR BLR
The price of the Duster is 12.4 OTR BLR
The price of the Safari GX is 13.45 OTR BLR

I believe that the Duster seems to have clocked 7000 odd bookings so far, so they must be doing something right!

And, I want to submit here that if the M&M XUV deserves so much praise, then for what it does and the way that it does it, so does the Duster deserve a little appreciation.
The same goes for Duster compared with the Scorpio and Safari.
Don't forget that both Scorp and Safari are ten plus years old now, whereas the Duster is more modern and has a number of other things going for it too not least being ts driving dynamics and ergonomics etc.
Perhaps the Renault folks want to concentrate and sell numbers in the top spec 110 and the 85 with Options.

[Off Roadie]

Balan sir, thanks for your reply.
There's a lot of people who'd stay away from Safari and Scorpio due to their lack of quality and buy a sedan instead.
The Duster will definitely impact the Scorpio and Safari but I think that it will lure a lot of sedan buyers as well. It's not too big like the other two SUV's in question and seems to have a good road presence.
I am just waiting for the Ecosport now, it could be the first compact, mainstream SUV that will do what the Premier Rio couldn't.

[luvurride]

I went and checked out the Duster today and also took a TD of the 110, here in Coimbatore. No 85 available yet for TD.

Here are my observations:
1. Absolutely a delight to drive. Exceptional handling! Good brakes.
2. Contrary to the views posted, I did not find the turbo lag irritating. In fact, I could hardly notice the turbo kicking in. I drove only within the city and had to mostly keep it in 2, 3 and 4 gears, but still felt comfortable. I cannot imagine how good the 85 version will be.
3. Low quality of plastics, inside out. Doors feel hollow, I mean real hollow. Dashboard plastics look they won't last a couple of years.
4. I could find a comfortable driving position and got very comfortable behind the wheel within minutes. It'll be a great highway cruiser no doubt.

But 13.66L for 110 RxZ OTR Coimbatore is a bit too much! I'm sure we could have all the options of a C+segment and even D segment if stretched a little. The Duster will NOT give you a premium feel sitting inside for 13+ lacs. Or maybe I have to grow up and accept the fact that we Indians are taken for a ride by the manufacturers!

The 85+Option pack might be a good value. But here is what Renault has done to screw up this as well. The 85RxL+Option pack costs 10.16 ex-showroom which attracts higher tax for going over 10lacs. Although the actual difference in ex-showroom price between the RxL and RxL+Option pack is only 1 lac, the on-road price difference is a whopping 1.6lacs! IMO, they could've cut one or other feature(alloy wheels cost 35k) and kept it below 10lacs to offer the tax benefit to the customer. I'm pretty sure that this variant at 11.5lacs then would've been the favorite and would've sold like hot cakes! But then again, the taxing is not the same across the country and hence probably Renault might've decided to ignore this point.

Oh and did I say that it was garnering great following at the showroom for its looks?

[AWD]

Checked out the Duster in flesh today, was waiting for the crowds to settle down & chose Sunday to further the cause but the rush around Duster failed to die down. Well TD was not available yet but here are the 1st impressions(most have been shared earlier by members I guess):

- Think SUV & massive height, weight, girth, etc. come to mind but Duster is a lean machine. It stands shorter than most SUV's in the Country. Height could be similar to tall hatches or sedans.

- Looks good from most angles, front end is appealing, side shows good length, rear is a bit quirky, some may like while some may not.

- Getting in-out is not as comfy as I thought it would be. Innova still the benchmark here. Blame it on the foot well which is not flush with the door sill.

- Overall cabin space is not lavish by any standards, specially with what we are used to in SUV's. Head room not great either. Cabin space from roof to floor feels equal to some small hatches.

- Height adjustable seat feature only available on the top end variant. Telescopic steering could have helped matters.

- Feature packed 85bhp model costs similar to 110bhp base model which is equally equipped.

- Rear A.C. outlet in top model interrupts the driver elbow room badly. Apart from hampering the 3rd passenger room at the rear.

- Interior plastics are poor quality but doesnt bug me much because the purpose of vehicle is different.

- Boot space is great. Wish they offered rear split seats & pushed the rear seats backwards to liberate more room for passengers.

- We love big tyres but I felt Duster did not need this big a size. 15 inchers would have been sufficient, its a softroader afterall.

- Not a big fan but feel rear tyre mounted on tail gate could have added to appeal.

- ABS should have been offered on most variants.

- Somehow sitting inside the vehicle had a weird feeling of after sales & maintainence costs being higher in this Renault.

- Must applaud Renault for exploring a new segment & offering something of International standards which beats the homegrown products hollow on most counts. Specially if you compare with the likes of Scorpio, Safari, Xylo, Bolero, etc, these all do not stand a chance against this offering. XUV sure is competition & a good one at that.

- XUV & Innova are in safe territory.

- Ertiga is brilliantly packaged on the insides compared to Duster.

- Target customer remains to be defined. Off-roaders will stay at bay because of no 4x4 option.

- Light adventure seekers, on road - off-road conditions will suit this vehicle.

- 7th row seating would have given more sales numbers.

- Will I buy this now? Both Yes & No. Yes because its a lifestyle vehicle, suits small families, adventure seekers, is a cut above/different from everyday hatches/sedans we are so damn bored off. No because Im not sure about Renaut, its after sales, prices/costs & spares availability. Will prefer to wait for a year or so atleast for a clearer picture to emerge. At the same time feel quickies will not repent the purchase!

- More will be evident after a TD.

[idofsuresh]

Safety
Talk about safety, we have been looking at all vehicles in the range of 9 - 12L ex-showroom for my ride. Safety is our primary concern. So much has been said about the lack of safety of Duster. I would have been excellent if they provided 2 airbags and ABS in all variants. However, their competitors (price wise) Vento, Rapid and Verna also do not provide them except for the top variant. Why are we singling out Duster ? My co -passenger's life is as important as mine, so one airbag is a ridiculous idea. I would feel terrible if something happens to my co-passenger and I come out alive because of air bag in an accident. If I cannot afford it I would go a segment lower or an engine spec lower and get 2 air bags.

We can talk about ESP, but Fluence is the cheapest ESP diesel car you can have - Fiesta, thumbs down - no ESP in Diesel. So, the life of a Diesel vehicle owner or a manual petrol owner is any less ? Come on, Ford. There are intelligent people here who value ESP more than beige and leather. Bad luck for us, Indian market has to mature a lot and till then we will continue to get glossy marketing material paying lip service to safety. Totally sucks.

Finally, drove the Duster after an hour wait. My feelings about the drive:

Good Things
- Feels almost like a car - none of the roughness of a cheap SUV.
- Easy to maneuver and a take "U" turns in short space
- Steering is light and excellent for city
- Outstanding ride quality in bad roads. Clearly better than Civic
- Huge ground clearance. Stress free go anywhere. We tested it over a real nasty crater. Civic can only dream.
- A rapid lane change at 60 KPH: Much better behavior than I expected and I had no nervousness. Not in the league of Civic though.
- Very silent for Diesel. More silent than Vento.
- Motor felt refined.
- Offers great view outside that sedans can only dream of.

Not so good things
- Low end torque could be better. But it can be driven inside city comfortably. Should not be a deal breaker for most people.
- Driver seat has only two height settings. High and low. But I could find an acceptable driving position. May not be to everyone's taste. However, better than the Verna's base incline adjust solution.
- Gear shift is short throw but outright bad shift quality. Vento and Rapid are leagues ahead.
- Hard clutch. The high driving position compensates it though. Felt more comfortable to operate the clutch compared to low slung cramped sedans (Read Vento and Rapid)

Things that I cannot comment about (the drive was short)
- High speed stability and handling
- Wind noise and road noise
- Long distance comfort (Don't see a reason why it should not be comfy)
- High speed braking

Interiors
Had looked at it once with parents. Today a second look with wife. Some comments from them. (Not everyone made all comments)

- Ingress/Egress better than Civic but worse than Nano.
- Seats more supportive than Vento but worse than Civic/Fluence.
- No hand rest in the front seat (used to Civics superb hand rest)
- Yuck, cheap plastics in the dash. However, my Indica's plastics lasted for 7+ years very well before I sold. I don't see a reason why these should break. Maybe we don't fiddle with them too much.
- No auto climate control ?
- No telescopic steering ?
- The car is small from outside. Looks like a grown up hatch. Ok, front is imposing.
- 5th passenger more welcome than Sunny, Vento or Rapid. Come on, the seat is supportive and the compound is soft.

[skandyhere]

Originally Posted by JishD

Dont know whether anyone on the thread has already mentioned this - the front of the Duster looks like a straight rip-off from the 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara !

Why rip off a decade old design for a 2012 new launch ?

Maybe because that design is simple and classy like most timeless ones are. I don't think that just moving to a new decade is enough reason to settle for a wacky weird design in an all-out effort to avoid the good old ones.

Maybe the credit for a handsome face goes to this rip-off. I wish they had taken inspiration from someone else while designing the rear of this car too; then we wouldn't have gotten this very-Renault, quirky behind.

[floyd.bell]

Just came back from checking out the Duster in flesh. Just one word, Absolutely Gorgeous, sorry two words actually Complete European styling and I am loving it to the core. For all those who think Duster doesn't have road presence, I have just one thing to say "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder". Somewhere on this thread I read about Duster being compared with Swift in terms of size and road presence I still haven't recovered myself from controlling my laughter falling off the ground.
Now, coming to the criticism revolving around the price tag. I mean I don't get this, yaar!!! For instance, take the case of BMW X1 which is again a 5-seater mini-SUV like Duster. Does the car actually justify a price tag of 30L OTR. I know its a great car in terms of handling, build quality, et all. But, I think its the brand name that takes away the cake and hence people are buying it. In that sense, I feel even the Yeti is overpriced. So, if Renault is making a genuine attempt to get to us a 5-seater mini-SUV with good handling, quality, etc. (if not comparable to BMW or Skoda) at half or 3/4th the price, I don't think they are doing anything wrong here. And for people who say at 14L price tag they can instead grab a fully loaded C/D segment sedan, then for them I would say please go ahead and grab it. One should buy an SUV because you WANT an SUV and not simply as a substitute for sedan using price as the ice breaker.
Interestingly, nobody is talking about the petrol variant. What if it has more pulling power and better refined than the diesel mill. If that is true and the petrol RxL had ABS, I would had surely gone for it. After all, I am a petrolhead and I would be getting an amazing SUV for under 10L.
Will have to wait till next weekend before getting behind the wheel.

[agambhandari]

Just checked out the duster at the Renault showroom in Ludhiana. First of all they were closing early..we almost weren't allowed into the showroom, then when we got in , test drives were only available for those who had "booked"the drive in the morning. Luckily, a friend of ours had booked 2 test drives so we got a drive within 10 min, My initial impressions:
Its a nice car. Not GREAT.
It looks alright(but Renault should stop calling it Beautiful). "Handsome" would be better.
The space is good enough but not cavernous.
The build quality leaves a lot to be desired.
We(my father) drove the RxZ 110bhp(with Option). They were conducting test drives on a yet-to-be-innaugurated flyover. So open roads!.My father found the drive to be less solid than Yeti ( no surprises).
At 12 lacs on road, i dont find it great VFM.
But as could be seen from the rush in the showroom, it sure is set to be a huge hit. The Sales Executive told they had already gathered 14000 Bookings all over india!. BTW..They don't have any petrol or dCi85 variant right now here. The petrol doesn't even feature on the dealer price list.

[METISWHG]

Checked out the duster yesterday in Gurgaon. Nice car, looks good and great space. Interiors and Plastics looked very fine to me, given that my refrence is a swift. Showroom was a. Complete chaos, they we lost with number of people there and cleraly staff seemed to be lot of temps hired for rush days.
Didnt take a TD as wife dropped the dusterfrom options after sitting in display vehicle for two minutes and saying the seats arent comfortable and i agreed.

We checked out the fluence then and quite impressed by its interiors. Sad part, noone form renault bothered to attend anyone on fluence. They are missing a trick there, u have got a car that is getting people to the showroom finally. This is your chance to showcase your range and make it feel premium and desirable,but they are just not bothered on any other car right now. Duster might help you sell a bit more of fluence as well, Renault are you listening.

[shankar.balan]

Yes. Absolutely fair point. Thanks for the useful perspective. I think we need to get real here!

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

Safety
Talk about safety, we have been looking at all vehicles in the range of 9 - 12L ex-showroom for my ride. Safety is our primary concern. So much has been said about the lack of safety of Duster. I would have been excellent if they provided 2 airbags and ABS in all variants. However, their competitors (price wise) Vento, Rapid and Verna also do not provide them except for the top variant. Why are we singling out Duster ? My co -passenger's life is as important as mine, so one airbag is a ridiculous idea. I would feel terrible if something happens to my co-passenger and I come out alive because of air bag in an accident. If I cannot afford it I would go a segment lower or an engine spec lower and get 2 air bags.
- 5th passenger more welcome than Sunny, Vento or Rapid. Come on, the seat is supportive and the compound is soft.

Appreciate this point of view too. I think we are slowly coming round to making a slightly "fairer" assessment of the poor Duster after all that flak initially.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by floyd.bell

Now, coming to the criticism revolving around the price tag. I mean I don't get this, yaar!!! For instance, take the case of BMW X1 which is again a 5-seater mini-SUV like Duster. Does the car actually justify a price tag of 30L OTR. I know its a great car in terms of handling, build quality, et all. But, I think its the brand name that takes away the cake and hence people are buying it. In that sense, I feel even the Yeti is overpriced. So, if Renault is making a genuine attempt to get to us a 5-seater mini-SUV with good handling, quality, etc. (if not comparable to BMW or Skoda) at half or 3/4th the price, I don't think they are doing anything wrong here. And for people who say at 14L price tag they can instead grab a fully loaded C/D segment sedan, then for them I would say please go ahead and grab it. One should buy an SUV because you WANT an SUV and not simply as a substitute for sedan using price as the ice breaker.
Interestingly, nobody is talking about the petrol variant. What if it has more pulling power and better refined than the diesel mill. If that is true and the petrol RxL had ABS, I would had surely gone for it. After all, I am a petrolhead and I would be getting an amazing SUV for under 10L.
Will have to wait till next weekend before getting behind the wheel.

[Neil Roy]

After catching up on weekend updates on team-bhp for duster, I'm happy that indian customers, at least on team-bhp are putting a high value on Safety more than cosmetic features. This is where Duster could have made the difference by making ABS mandatory. Why do I keep on harping about ABS on all my posts?
1) Airbag - After an accident
2)Impact sensing door Unlock - After an accident
3)Driver seat belt pretensioner - After an accident
ABS - Might prevent an accident in which case the first three safety measures need not be used hopefully forever.
We are living in an era where Govt. makes it mandatory to have headlight adjusters, no sun film etc, etc but who is bothered about the safety of the guy who is going to buy the vehicle. It is like saying, if you cannot "afford" safety, dont buy my car or get a lower variant which has "bluetooth connectivity" instead.
Enough of my rants. Sales rep told me that he will give the exact delivery date for my Duster RXL Option today, so fingers crossed. As I'm a pre launch booking customer, I hope they will deliver at least by this month end.