[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Saw a duster here in Pondy just now. They are having a mela kind of thing, there is no official showroom for Renault here. They had a Duster and a Pulse for test drive. Hope I can do one on the way home.

Looked much bigger than the ecosport and much much better looking too. Had 215 width tyres. Could not see much and could not TD it on my way back. Will try tomorrow.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

I think space wise Duster is bad, front seat pushed completely back only a tiny adult can fit behind the driver seat. and i dont know how 5 big/meduim built adults will fit in this car.

Lohith, I also checked the back seat. I found it to be fairly decent. (One level better to my Fusion) A medium to tall (5-8 to 5-10) was seated in the front and I found decent space in the back seat. There was quite some leg room.

Also if you discount the AC vent, three could sit nicely (like in a C-segment regular sedan).

May be a 6 footer when on the driving seat, would leave hardly any space in the back.

[lohithrao]

Yes, and thats what happened when i tried, me being slightly over 6ft and who likes to have the sit pushed to the max, at rear you have hardly any space left.

This was the issue wit my Adventure and later a deal breaker for Bolero too, so even if i had waited for this launch i think this would have made me turn away from Duster.

Originally Posted by ampere

Lohith, I also checked the back seat. I found it to be fairly decent. (One level better to my Fusion) A medium to tall (5-8 to 5-10) was seated in the front and I found decent space in the back seat. There was quite some leg room.

Also if you discount the AC vent, three could sit nicely (like in a C-segment regular sedan).

May be a 6 footer when on the driving seat, would leave hardly any space in the back.

[joshguy]

Visited renault showroom 2 days back. I guess enough is discussed, so will just share the price alone. My only comment is, it is not a comfortable seat for a 6ft driver like me ;-(

[rameshnanda]

Yesterday, I happened to see the Renault Duster in flesh. I went to EA where I saw that Renault has put up a stall for the new Duster and Pulse. As far as the looks goes, I really liked it. The front view is indeed stunning. The back is average though. I stepped into the drivers seat and looked at the interiors as well. The plastic quality is not top notch but not bad either. Very surprising thing here is that I did not feel like I am in a SUV. It looked a tad higher than Sedans from the driver's seat.

Interestingly, Toyota has also put a stall to promote the Etios Liva. They brought in a group of boys and girls. They were dancing, conducting games, asking questions and giving gifts as well. For this reason, the whole crowd was thronging at this stall. Five day old Duster had very few visitors. I really felt bad for Duster .

Ok, coming back to Renault Duster. My verdict (only based on look and feel, No TD though) is, honestly I liked the vehicle. I was bowled over after seeing the front of the Duster. I feel the Duster might have been a huge hit if priced a lakh less than the current price.

Now, time for some pictures.

[himadrimondal]

Ultimately took the test drive of the Duster 110PS version. Since cosmetic interiors and exteriors have been discussed extensively in this forum, not going into it any further.
In my prespective and a long time Safari user, I found it to be just fantastic.
At one point I was crusing at 20km/hr in third gear with no engne clutter. Though much hyped in this forum, I found almost negligible turbo lag. Pickup was top notch.
With one hand on the gear knob(shifting gears is a breeze) and the other on the wheel, I glided through traffic. Touched 100 on Red Road(Kolkata) in 6th gear, I experineced absolutely no body roll. Could not feel the small potholes. It actually feels like driving a sedan.
Regarding interiors and plastic, its much better than the safari or scorpio and I will be happy to live with it.
With a massive GC, I will surely be in safe hands even in some non existance roads in Sikkim in my future birding trips.
What model will I be choosing? Choose the RxZ. Awaiting the delivery.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

Apologize if this has been answered somewhere above in the thread.

Is there an option to go for the Diesel 85 PS RxL and opt for only ABS + Airbags ?
Or at least only for ABS ?

Other than these 2 I see all the other additional features are all in-significant ones which you can always get aftermarket.

No, we have to take the complete options pack. We can not pick and choose. I confirmed this with the sales people at Renault.

[isldhn]

Originally Posted by 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.

I too checked out and drove the brown one. The sales guy was instructed to take the new under construction flyover as I sat in the car at around 11 am. As I started driving and checking out the 2nd and 3rd gear pickups from low speeds, the sales guy appreciated my way of checking the drivability of the car. And then as we turned back, I asked him whether we could extend the drive. He agreed and i took the car towards the airport. That is when I floored it, and by God, the salesman loved it. My opinions :
1. The car has adequate space. Not huge like the caaar, but ok sorts.
2. Interiors are functional, not beautiful, but functional.
3. If I were looking for the top end model, I would look elsewhere, coz the rear ac is a pain in the rear( pun intended).
4. The brakes on the top end model were very spongy. There was far too much play for my liking.
5. The handling seems good for a suv touted car.
6. The pick up seems adequate. Am doubtful how the 85 ps model would fare.
7. The front end is the best looking view of the suv. The rear end is frog like. Fat and squat.

I've booked the 85 ps, base model in red. I am having second thoughts about the same in terms of the bland interiors and would be lack of power for the 85 ps model. Will take another drive once that model comes.

[raul]

Given the bulk of folks are not seeing value in the 110, there is bit of a risk with the RXL 110 without airbags. If it doesn't take off and Renault changes its mind and equips it with airbags which it should or offer it as an option later on, the resale value for those who take the plunge now without airbags will sink!

In my cancellation note I had to fill in my reasons and my feedback was without airbags standard or as an option, a 12 lakh car does not make sense. Its not that folks are expecting too much, most would be willing to pay extra for it.

For folks who would like airbags on the RXL 110, the RXL 85 (O) with 84 bhp and a 5 speed may be underpowered. At least that's what some reviews say. See this review for instance and this is a 90 bhp - http://auto.mail.ru/testdrive.html?id=37176

The RXZ is simply not value at nearly 14 lakhs, plus the rear ac should also be an option for those who don't need it. I personally find it and the wood finish tacky. BTW the lower versions RXE/RXL will not get silver/grey scuff plates at the front and back, it will be all black as will be the roof bars.

I read here some other folks are cancelling the 110 for similar reasons. Please do give the feedback to Renault customer care on their email id.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by raul

Given the bulk of folks are not seeing value in the 110, there is bit of a risk with the RXL 110 without airbags. If it doesn't take off and Renault changes its mind and equips it with airbags which it should or offer it as an option later on, the resale value for those who take the plunge now without airbags will sink!

In my cancellation note I had to fill in my reasons and my feedback was without airbags standard or as an option, a 12 lakh car does not make sense. Its not that folks are expecting too much, most would be willing to pay extra for it.

For folks who would like airbags on the RXL 110, the RXL 85 (O) with 84 bhp and a 5 speed may be underpowered. At least that's what some reviews say. See this review for instance and this is a 90 bhp - http://auto.mail.ru/testdrive.html?id=37176

The RXZ is simply not value at nearly 14 lakhs, plus the rear ac should also be an option for those who don't need it. I personally find it and the wood finish tacky. BTW the lower versions RXE/RXL will not get silver/grey scuff plates at the front and back, it will be all black as will be the roof bars.

I read here some other folks are cancelling the 110 for similar reasons. Please do give the feedback to Renault customer care on their email id.

Raul

I completely agree.
Most of these manufacturers seem to think that they can get away with silly beige and dirty faux wood in India.
Take a look at the 2004 - 2005 Toyota Corollas also, all of those had that horrible dirty false brown speckled wood finish trim. It really looks cheap.

In stead of wasting money on all that cosmetic junk, they should have given ABS and EBD as standard across variants and Tranpction Control, Stability Control and two front Airbags as optional.

That rear AC looks like an after thought. Its almost like a big tower at the rear and can really be a pain for the passengers.

[skandyhere]

I'm out of the country for a few months and so unfortunately, I'll have to make do with being an internet spectator until year-end. There's a remote possibility I might end up booking the 85 RXL(O) early next year, and I'm usually poor with containing my curiosity too well.

I have a couple of questions.
1. A lot of people have said the doors feel light and tinny. Does this mean they swing open like a restaurant kitchen door, or do they show some firmness at 1 or 2 stages (surely not expecting Linea-like solidity)?
Could anyone clicking Duster pics also take a snap of the door when it's open, so I can see the thickness of its cross-section, please?
2. How do you think the FE of the 85 would possibly compare against the 110? I'm thinking the 110 is in a higher state of tune, but has a 6th cog to ease its thirst. How would it fare viz. a viz. the 85?

[jkdas]

The 110 bhp isnt exactly cheap.
11.44, 12.30, 12.70 OTR prices for the 3 models of Duster 110bhp at Trivandrum.
Co-bro says its VFM for the price and there is noticable turbo lag for the 110bhp one. Maybe he found too much lag coz he was there to check Pulse ( he drives a Vdi).

[AWD]

Urban population will prefer Duster to Scorpio, Safari but if they require versatality more than appeal, Ertiga would do better. I mean Ertiga is reasonably loaded, GC is good & seating much more comfortable than Duster & interiors are a nice place to be in too.

Maruti really gave Ertiga a good price, Renault had to do better but this is where they faultered. Not to forget the features hotch-potch too! Considering how pro-active Renault has been with Fluence w.r.t. engine changes, etc, a reworked Duster based on Customer feedback could come in sooner than we could expect. Say if Renault was to reposition the rear A.C. vent, increase the rear legroom, rear split seats, ABS on lower variants & maybe a slight price cut..., an updated Duster would be much more appealing. So who all are waiting for a V-2 Duster...?

[arunrajk81]

Anyone got chance to TD 85 BHP diesel ..
Its not avail for TD in Cochin and Blr
I read some where its having minimal turbo lag compared to 110 and I already booked 85 Bhp one..

-Arun

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by arunrajk81

Anyone got chance to TD 85 BHP diesel ..
Its not avail for TD in Cochin and Blr
I read some where its having minimal turbo lag compared to 110 and I already booked 85 Bhp one.

Congrats on your booking. You have booked without a TD?

Cheers!