[skandyhere]

Following this thread so far, here are my thoughts.

The widespread excitement about the Duster is perhaps justified because it's a first of its kind in certain ways. I'm basically trying to weigh my own needs against what's on offer, trying to look at it unaffected by the excitement. The Duster seems as close to the ideal answer to my needs as I can practically expect. My needs are rather simple and basic. Here they are:

1. Frugal diesel that I can drive as much and as far as I want
2. Should ride comfortably over bad roads (I'm likely to have my family along with me on a lot of my trips) with a strong suspension
3. Should offer the freedom of high GC (which Indian won't need this, right?)
4. Should drive & handle like a decent car - that's very important to keep me happy behind the wheel
5. Basic safety of ABS & airbags - you can't thank that stuff enough if & when it's had to bail you out!
6. Refinement in drivetrain and dynamics so I don't feel like I'm driving a jugaad.

The Duster seems to pander to my every need, as you can see.

What I don't really care much about is the interiors. Substance over form is macho. If it can't run 3 lac km without ever giving up on me, all the XUV's jazz on the insides can go to the trash can. No offense meant, but to me, too much emphasis on the interiors seems just a bit 'feminine'... doesn't sound like you're talking about a man's machine (must add an apology for the large number of prospective female buyers!). But each has his/her own needs, and I know all expectations will have evolved from a background, also reflecting the satisfaction of a previous, lesser one.

I'm guessing that maintenance could easily get more expensive than for homegrown breeds, but it may not necessarily be by a heavy margin. Hinging my hopes around greater reliability and fewer visits to the station.

Space might be a let-down. I can't see why price should be. Good dynamics + refinement + particularly reliable engine + diesel + ABS + airbags + firm underpinnings for bad roads + alloys = 10 L (RXL(O) 85, ex-showroom B'lore). What's to complain? Aren't we used to paying that kind of money for a set of wheels by now? Diesel Puntos & i20s go deep into 8L territory here in Bangalore (on-the-road, of course)... and the Swifts aren't far behind either.

I think the single biggest reason for me to get sold over the Duster is that I see it has the potential to allow me to do what I truly love to do - 'set off on an unwinding long drive or an adventurous road trip', as the official website has it. Sounds cliched maybe, but remember it's not all too easy to actually get to do that. With most other vehicles, what is initially intended as an unwinding drive can soon become an adventurous road trip all by itself, what with the kind of roads and rogues we have to bear with on our highways to hell.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by DRIVEN-TWEEL

I cant afford it. Its not that i take safety for granted, i dont go above 100 very often. I dont like the car feeling sluggish. I was worried if the 85bhp would become too slow when the vehicle is seated with 5 persons and luggage. My ritz does not have abs or airbag, but i do travel long distance at times. Might be because im used to it. If the 110rxl was 40k more and had airbags,i woudnt mind paying the extra money.. In my place rxz has 10% tax compared to rxl which is 8%

Originally Posted by skandyhere

What I don't really care much about is the interiors. Substance over form is macho. If it can't run 3 lac km without ever giving up on me, all the XUV's jazz on the insides can go to the trash can. No offense meant, but to me, too much emphasis on the interiors seems just a bit 'feminine'... doesn't sound like you're talking about a man's machine (must add an apology for the large number of prospective female buyers!). But each has his/her own needs, and I know all expectations will have evolved from a background, also reflecting the satisfaction of a previous, lesser one.

The above two statements pretty well sums up that Renault has done its homework while deciding on trim-levels (leaving safety in option-pack), and interior configuration. Even though it’s so wrong to say 'I don’t need safety aids as I don’t go above 100kmph', there is vast majority who think on those lines.

Originally Posted by skandyhere

I think the single biggest reason for me to get sold over the Duster is that I see it has the potential to allow me to do what I truly love to do - 'set off on an unwinding long drive or an adventurous road trip', as the official website has it. Sounds cliched maybe, but remember it's not all too easy to actually get to do that. With most other vehicles, what is initially intended as an unwinding drive can soon become an adventurous road trip all by itself, what with the kind of roads and rogues we have to bear with on our highways to hell.

Very well said. And there are not too many options to do so. That said, I believe men are more finicky on the form factor than women .

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by skandyhere

My needs are rather simple and basic. Here they are:

1. Frugal diesel that I can drive as much and as far as I want
2. Should ride comfortably over bad roads (I'm likely to have my family along with me on a lot of my trips) with a strong suspension
3. Should offer the freedom of high GC (which Indian won't need this, right?)
4. Should drive & handle like a decent car - that's very important to keep me happy behind the wheel
5. Basic safety of ABS & airbags - you can't thank that stuff enough if & when it's had to bail you out!
6. Refinement in drivetrain and dynamics so I don't feel like I'm driving a jugaad.

Offtopic post, but could not resist commenting. Till a few years back, the Ford Fusion did this very job (well almost, didn't offer airbags) at a much lower price. Surprisingly it had no takers. The market has matured now.

[skandyhere]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Offtopic post, but could not resist commenting. Till a few years back, the Ford Fusion did this very job (well almost, didn't offer airbags) at a much lower price. Surprisingly it had no takers. The market has matured now.

Not only the market... the pocket too, maybe?

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by skandyhere

If it can't run 3 lac km without ever giving up on me, all the XUV's jazz on the insides can go to the trash can.

Well said. Basics matter. The stuff below the hood is more important than feature creep. Core engineering matters. Longevity/reliability matters.

Market will eventually reject a badly engineered product even though it comes with a long feature list. Case in point Tata Aria.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

I can understand your apprehension having met with an accident

I think you misunderstood my point. What i tried to imply you was you get a better powered vehicle Rxl110 at the same cost of Rxl85(o) minus airbag and not a better choice at safety point of view but only if u could not prefer top variant due to some reasons.

Nope mate. I have not misunderstood you at all. If safety was not our primary concern, we both would have booked a basic model Safari or Scorpio at sub 10 lakhs range and patted ourselves on our backs on our wise decision.I agree with you fully on how renault is forcing us to go for crazy choices on their range of product features.
I just love the way the 110 handles and i'm pretty sure if I change my driving style, I can get the best out of it. What I outright hate is the way renault is forcing me to accept that miserable excuse of a rear set blower if I want airbags on the 110. If XUV with a supposed lesser pickup can offer airbags for it's W6 variant, why not renault?
I read an interesting article about brain activity during driving. The inference is that higher the pickup,greater the brain activity as the brain gears up for anticipating all eventualities.
On the delivery front, still no concrete feedback.

[m_upreti]

Personally, I am not much convinced about the airbags (call me old fashioned) case in point the recent fatal XUV accident where air bags did get deployed. I would prefer the 110 BHP without the additional accessories but I am holding back to see the customer feedback before jumping in.

Originally Posted by JediKnight

Market will eventually reject a badly engineered product even though it comes with a long feature list. Case in point Tata Aria.

I thought Aria was badly priced rather than badly engineered

[Guna]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Offtopic post, but could not resist commenting. Till a few years back, the Ford Fusion did this very job (well almost, didn't offer airbags) at a much lower price. Surprisingly it had no takers. The market has matured now.

True. But I guess the Duster is little more bigger or big enough to be differentiated itself from a large hatch, which was the problem with fusion. Fusion, Duster (even station wagons) are ideal cars in my view, as they offer what a regular sedan can, in addition to the enhanced practicality. It is good to see such car is getting good response.

[Musa]

Here is CarTrade's review of the Duster. Quite a long one with lots of pics, some off-roading stuff too.

Renault Duster Review - Expert Review: Renault Duster Review: The Harpoon | CarTradeIndia.com

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Musa

Here is CarTrade's review of the Duster. Quite a long one with lots of pics, some off-roading stuff too.

Renault Duster Review - Expert Review: Renault Duster Review: The Harpoon | CarTradeIndia.com

In the "Renault Duster Competition Table", Duster has been listed as a 7 seater. Whats interesting is that Scorpio VX seems to stack up well against Duster in the features department.

[DRIVEN-TWEEL]

Originally Posted by m_upreti

Personally, I am not much convinced about the airbags (call me old fashioned) case in point the recent fatal XUV accident where air bags did get deployed. I would prefer the 110 BHP without the additional accessories but I am holding back to see the customer feedback before jumping in.

I thought Aria was badly priced rather than badly engineered

I had an accident in 2003 with my week old octavia. It was drizzling and the main cause of accident was that i dint have abs. Airbag was standard. The car skidded and hit a a concrete wall. The car toppled and did not deploy airbags. Luckly..My friend and i dint get hurt. He was wearing a seatbelt and i made a mistake of not wearing. The car was claimed for total loss. I still wonder why the airbags dint work. Octavia was a rock solid car.. that must have saved me. This might be a rare case. Its always good to have airbag as standard. Unfortunately im settling for 110 rxl because i dont have budget for rxz.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

The price comparision in the above link appears to be incorrect for Scorpio VLX.

If they are looking at Ex-Banglore than the prices should be:

BS3 2WD-HE1043657BS3 2WD-HE-Air Bag1064282BS4 2WD-HE1056687BS4 2WD-HE-Air Bag1077882BS4 4WD-HE-Air Bag1180243BS3 2WD-HE 1043657
BS3 2WD-HE-Air Bag 1064282
BS4 2WD-HE 1056687
BS4 2WD-HE-Air Bag 1077882
BS4 4WD-HE-Air Bag 1180243

Anyways, its a nice compilation and I am now just waiting for our own T-BHP review.

[razor4077]

Looks really nice in black, with those tea gardens as a backdrop. Would have been great if the European spec smoked headlamps and alloys were offered, even as options.

[sathyaprakash]

Originally Posted by DRIVEN-TWEEL

I had an accident in 2003 with my week old octavia. It was drizzling and the main cause of accident was that i dint have abs. Airbag was standard. The car skidded and hit a a concrete wall. The car toppled and did not deploy airbags. Luckly..My friend and i dint get hurt. He was wearing a seatbelt and i made a mistake of not wearing. The car was claimed for total loss. I still wonder why the airbags dint work. Octavia was a rock solid car.. that must have saved me. This might be a rare case. Its always good to have airbag as standard. Unfortunately im settling for 110 rxl because i dont have budget for rxz.

Even i am hearing a lot of stories about non deployment of airbag at critical accident scenario nowadays even from our members also.

Is there by any chance we can periodically check the effectiveness of the sensors or its functions? or we are taken for a ride?

In case of Renault according to Motoroids In spite of SRS (Supplemental Restraint System ) which takes into seat position factors for uniform deployment Renault has its own Airrbag system in Duster which is SRP ( System of Restraint and Position) where it takes into a lot of factors such as seat position, seat belt position, load limiter, values of pretensioner etc.. for optimizing airbag deployment to maximize occupant restraint.

[raul]

Originally Posted by m_upreti

Personally, I am not much convinced about the airbags (call me old fashioned) case in point the recent fatal XUV accident where air bags did get deployed. I would prefer the 110 BHP without the additional accessories but I am holding back to see the customer feedback before jumping in.



I thought Aria was badly priced rather than badly engineered

There will be many instances of folks getting saved due to airbags, and perhaps exceptions like this where unfortunately lives are not saved. Airbags and ESP should be standard.

If you are already spending 11 lakhs why not spend the lakh more and get the added assurance.