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Old 12th July 2012, 15:51   #421
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

So very well said indeed!
An excellent point made by you and my good buddy and fellow member Ampere feels exactly the same.
Cheers!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Cesc View Post
85HP should not necessarily feel underpowered for a a vehicle with a gross weight < 1200kgs.

Putting down 1L+ for 25 extra horses may not necessarily be a wise decision for people driving in average conditions. Unless the driveability of the 85HP is real bad, IMO that 1L+ is beter invested in the option pack (ABS+Airbags+alloys+rear parking sensors).
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Old 12th July 2012, 15:59   #422
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cesc View Post
Unless the driveability of the 85HP is real bad
As per reports driveability is apparently better with lesser turbo lag. However it is supposed to be noisier and less refined than the 110.

By how much, remains to be felt/heard.
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Old 12th July 2012, 16:09   #423
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

Oreen Bhai its all about money isnt it and if money was not a concern sky is the limit

if you are ready to pay 12+lacs( this is the bracket where 110 starts), then your options expands, you can aswel look into Safari and Scorpio. Even RxL85 is close to 11.

few months back i was in the market to pick a SUV and with this price tag Duster would have been out of my list, i picked Safari.

btw, was i buying your Bolero? i was considering used Boleros before i decided upon a new Safari

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oreen View Post
money, money, Lohit bhai...
if i didn't have to think about money, it would be a Ducati Monster 795 and a Pajero Sport...not an Enfield and a Bolero.

The Duster is suddenly this beautiful Tucson-like SUV within my buying range. So thinking hard, also trying to justify the 110 over the 85, weighing the pros and cons. Can't really concentrate on work much. Now weigh it against the natural upgrade, which is Scorpio SLE. Scorpio is ten years old, never looked as good as the Safari, handles like a boat, but has a rock-solid engine and decent service backup all over the country. Even the parts basket is pretty reasonable. Has ABS, lots of space, and as Shankar Balan says, a Duster can't compete with it in many respects, definitely not space.

But there's also the matter of the heart. Of aesthetics. Of falling in love with Steffi (all the expensive SUVs), and actually having a Steffi lookalike (Duster) as your neighbor, within touching distance. Can't be ignored, right? I can discount the fact that my Steffi lookalike isn't so good at tennis as long as she brings home the oomph.

btw, Lohith, You were buying my Bolero, right? What happened to that?

-- Oreen
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Old 12th July 2012, 16:13   #424
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

I loved test drive of Duster as I have mentioned in my earlier post yet my primary interest is for 85 PS Model , which Renault is not offering for TD at any of it's dealerships.

What can be the reason behind this ? Why can't they bring 85 PS ,along with 110 PS for Test drive. Sales guy at Renault Delhi West was confident about of performance of 85 PS , which claimed to have test driven at training and boasted about booking one for himself too

only reassurance I can have is it's Sunny Engine too , and which is pretty nice for City Driving and Occasional Highway trips


and also There is almost negligible number of Bookings for Petrol version.
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Old 12th July 2012, 17:43   #425
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Closing to 10,000 bookings??

It appears that bookings for the Duster may be approaching the 10,000 mark!
Check out this article dated 11 Jul on the Hindu Business Line -
Business Line : Companies News :
If that's indeed the fact, then it would appear that the reservations of most Team BHP members on the Duster's VFM and pricing are not representative of the views of the general public??
PS - that blur you almost don't see is just me ducking from the inevitable brickbats
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Old 12th July 2012, 18:41   #426
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Re: Closing to 10,000 bookings??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor View Post
PS - that blur you almost don't see is just me ducking from the inevitable brickbats
You have no reason to duck. We are definitely not the complete representation of the entire car buying community. We are just a smaller community that dwell much much more before we give into our instincts and go buy the car we want to buy in spite of reading a 1000 posts that say don't do it! The average car buyer doesn't stress as much as we do.

But am not surprised by the initial number of bookings. It was almost certain to get a bumper opening. But these numbers don't represent the long term outlook for the car. Look at the Ertiga numbers in GTO's thread around June'12 sales figures. It will be interesting to check the thread for Sept'12 sales figures and see how does Duster stack up then.

Last edited by Nilesh5417 : 12th July 2012 at 18:43.
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Old 12th July 2012, 18:56   #427
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One more thing. Disposable income has clearly risen significantly. Recession fears notwithstanding it doesn't look like the Indian consumer will let anything get between him and the value he seeks! The consumer clearly sees value in the Duster. It will be interesting to see which variant clocks the best numbers though, just for academic interest.
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Old 12th July 2012, 19:49   #428
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Re: Closing to 10,000 bookings??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor View Post
If that's indeed the fact, then it would appear that the reservations of most Team BHP members on the Duster's VFM and pricing are not representative of the views of the general public??
PS - that blur you almost don't see is just me ducking from the inevitable brickbats
I did see quite a number of TBHP folks reporting their bookings(and a few cancellations) of the Duster.
& I would be surprised to see TBHP representing the general public.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nilesh5417 View Post
The average car buyer doesn't stress as much as we do.
It will be interesting to check the thread for Sept'12 sales figures and see how does Duster stack up then.
My guess - would be a fabulous 2012 for Duster.
Capacity is 50K per year. ~ 3000 per month for Indian Market. Do the math !
It is 10K bookings already & I have not TD'd it yet.
To top it all @GTO's review has not come out.

I am not sure if this spec sheet was shared earlier. Should be applicable to the Indian version too.(also attaching a downloadable pdf)
Attached Thumbnails
Renault Duster : Official Launch Report-duster_4x4_dacia.jpg  

Attached Files
File Type: pdf Dacia Duster dimensions.pdf (636.5 KB, 1266 views)

Last edited by DieselDon : 12th July 2012 at 20:11.
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Old 12th July 2012, 20:34   #429
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

From what I have been able to find out from a reliable marketing / sales source of Renault,"RXL-85-PS (OP)" scores for 50 to 60 % of the bookings, closely followed by "RXZ-110-PS". "RXL-110-PS" and "RXZ-110-PS (OP)" are fewer in demand, but chugging along. Petrol numbers are not known but appear to be a write-off. May turn out to be the first ever SUV to have a substantial female customer base in India.

Some supplementary information, just in case it helps anybody in their decision making: (as some of these were discussed in the previous posts and certainly has some ambiguity around it)
  • Metal Finish Bumper Scuff Plates (Front and Back) are only available on RXZ variants
  • "RXL-85-PS (OP)" comes equipped with all 5 Alloys (Like RXZ)
  • MRF Wanderer is the only OEM (To start with)
  • Rear Defogger isn't equipped with Timer based Cut-Off
  • RXL variants are equipped with On Board Trip Computer
  • On Board Trip Computer will display:
    • Average Speed
    • Average Fuel Consumption
    • Distance to Empty
    • Distance covered from last fuel filling
    • Fuel consumed since last filling
  • RXE and RXL variant have a Natural Black finish on the following
    • Inside Door Handle
    • Stylish Roof Rails
    • Door Side Sill
Now some information on certain accessories and pricing:
  • Alloy Wheels : INR 9630/- per wheel
  • Reverse Parking Assist : INR 14256/-
  • Chrome Exhaust Pipe Finisher : INR 816/-
PS-1: I am sharing what was shared with me and therefore I hope the aforementioned stays true when the actual deliveries start.

PS-2: I invested my brass on a “RXL-85PS (OP)” on 20th June 2012.
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Old 12th July 2012, 21:25   #430
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by somjith_nair View Post
[*]Metal Finish Bumper Scuff Plates (Front and Back) are only available on RXZ variants
Thats a dampner. They look pretty good. Wonder what they have in the other variants.
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Old 12th July 2012, 21:47   #431
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by somjith_nair View Post
Metal Finish Bumper Scuff Plates (Front and Back) are only available on RXZ variants

Thanks for your informative post.

I am sure that a lot of our members would have opted for RXE and RXL models. If they do not have the Metal Finish Bumper Scuff Plates, then what would it have or how does it look ?

Also would we be able to get them as options like the other accessories as you have mentioned in your post. Wonder What all accessories could go missing befor we get to see the other versions in flesh.

Could somebody post the RXE and RXL versions exteriors photos ?

Last edited by .anshuman : 13th July 2012 at 12:10. Reason: Quote tags fixed. Thanks
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Old 12th July 2012, 22:00   #432
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cesc View Post
85HP should not necessarily feel underpowered for a a vehicle with a gross weight < 1200kgs. The 1.9 TDI Octy has 90HP and has a weight of 1350kgs. I have driven it in all sorts of conditions and have never felt a lack of power. The Octy does have more torque though (guess it is 230 or 240Nm). The way the power and torque is utilised over the rpm range makes a huge difference.

Putting down 1L+ for 25 extra horses may not necessarily be a wise decision for people driving in average conditions. Unless the driveability of the 85HP is real bad, IMO that 1L+ is beter invested in the option pack (ABS+Airbags+alloys+rear parking sensors).

Oncars.in who test drove the 110 PS Duster, feel that the vehicle is a tad underpowered.
To quote them "The acclaimed K9K diesel engine does the job well in the Duster, but the displacement deficit is evident on quite a few occassions." AND "the Duster fails to provide the kind of torque that you need to scale inclines – especially the off-road kind. In fact when we took our Duster on a tiny hill-climb mission, it did break a sweat and smell of a cooking clutch made us stop trying any further."

Renault Duster-Diesel Performance Review | On cars Reviews | Renault Duster-Diesel Cars | OnCars.in
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Old 12th July 2012, 22:14   #433
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I might be way off here, but when people say things like, the 110ps ran out of steam with 5 people in it, they are actually referring to the torque?
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Old 12th July 2012, 23:08   #434
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

I dont know why, but nobody who has TD a Duster seems to mention anywhere - it has only 2 speed Wiper. It shall take quite getting used to for a lot of people.
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Old 12th July 2012, 23:13   #435
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Re: Renault Duster : Official Launch Report

How long is the waiting period in Bangalore? I'm wondering how I should time my booking. I won't need delivery until late this year (not sure how late, though) since I can't be physically present. In fact, I don't see any major changes happening before mid-2013 that could influence my decision. I was thinking if I should just place my booking for the RXL(O) right away so I can take delivery on my terms, as immediately as I want to, upon return?

Or do you guys recommend I hang on a little for any specific reason?
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