[nair]

Duster hands down. Changed the competition. Look at the number of mini-SUV's it has inspired. Voted for Duster. Hopefully can afford one in couple of years.

[ashis89]

Duster it is for me. It has changed the defination of an affordable SUVish UV( i say this because Duster lacks 4WD, I hope they bring one soon). Though I had been and remain a die-hard Safari fan, I feel the award should go to Duster.

[rajshenoy]

I chose Ertiga, because it opened a new segment and it is a real VFM and best suited for people in the other side of 30s with a family to move around. we can already see the impact on the sedans in the same price range and also higher segment(credit shared by Duster as well)

I did want to choose duster, but after the price hikes it does not look attractive anymore and with the kind of interior it has it looks overpriced

If i were to buy a car today, its going to be Ertiga.

[luvurride]

For me, the contenders were Duster and Ertiga. Duster is pathetic on the interiors for the price(only my personal view!). Ertiga scores here and with the overall space package that the Ertiga provides with the VFM tag, my vote is for the Maruti-Suzuki!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Tough choice and I'll have to spend some more time on it thinking between the 2.

I finally decided on the Ertiga. While the Duster did open up the compact SUV segment, it is nowhere close to perfect. It was just the first comer in the segment so it got the early bird advantage.

In the SUV segment you had old ladder frame SUV's like Scorpio and Safari. The Duster was the monocoque compact SUV.

Similarly the UV segment had the Xylo and Innova. The Ertiga was the monocoque compact version.

Both are similar, with the only difference being that Maruti has priced the ERtiga extremely well. As a vehicle the Ertiga has much lesser flaws than the Duster. Duster is milking the market because it is the only choice. Ertiga is a super hit because it is the best choice.

That tilted the decision in favour of Maruti.

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I finally decided on the Ertiga. While the Duster did open up the compact SUV segment, it is nowhere close to perfect. It was just the first comer in the segment so it got the early bird advantage.

In the SUV segment you had old ladder frame SUV's like Scorpio and Safari. The Duster was the monocoque compact SUV.

Similarly the UV segment had the Xylo and Innova. The Ertiga was the monocoque compact version.

Both are similar, with the only difference being that Maruti has priced the ERtiga extremely well. As a vehicle the Ertiga has much lesser flaws than the Duster. Duster is milking the market because it is the only choice. Ertiga is a super hit because it is the best choice.

That tilted the decision in favour of Maruti.

Very well put Vid. While Duster is a comptetent vehicle, it has a number of flaws (Poor interiors, lack of space, pricey). It got the advantage of Ford Ecosport's late arrival (the Ecosport's showcase at the Auto Expo 2012 created a lot of buzz in the compact UV segment) and lack of relevant competition. Ertiga too has been a first in the segment, but a far better overall product. Duster is just an international product launched in India at an appropriate time while Ertiga has been designed right from scratch to suit the needs of Indian consumers. This made me vote for Ertiga.

[.anshuman]

My vote goes to Maruti Ertiga. Based on the car platform i never expected the final product to be this well engineered, with none of the quirkiness associated with earlier Maruti jobs. It is a seriously good alternative to C segment sedans. For a 7 seater, at a price much lower than Innova, whilst retaining car like dynamics and efficiency it is a very attractive proposition as a family MUV. Being a Maruti it will hold the value for years to come and Maintenance costs might not be a concern.

Duster is a good product, just the right amount of SUV for most but i find it overpriced, especially the 110 hp variants post the price hike. Agreed the Ride, composure, performance... all are great for a vehicle of this price but the interiors and overall quality leaves a lot to be desired, the Logan like feel is hard to ignore. I find the Interiors crude, seating uncomfortable and dealership experience poor.

BMW 3 series is one brilliant car which took the game away from A4 and C Class, not voting for it because it is not as much relevant to the Indian car scene.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Both are similar, with the only difference being that Maruti has priced the ERtiga extremely well. As a vehicle the Ertiga has much lesser flaws than the Duster. Duster is milking the market because it is the only choice. Ertiga is a super hit because it is the best choice.

That tilted the decision in favour of Maruti.

Same thought process. Lack of 4 wheel drive, not worth the price feel of features and interiors, not too great dealership experience and an inflated price tag goes against Duster- the main success factor being the absolute lack of new age competition.

Ertiga brings another dimension to UVs though. Even against stiff competition from Innova, Xylo and the lot. It can seat 5+2, drives like a car, got fantastic suspension, great interiors etc, at a very entry level price tag. My vote goes to Ertiga.

[vibbs]

My vote is for ertiga too. I feel Duster to be too overpriced. Infact there is no decent variant below 10 lac that I would like to buy. More than 10 for a compact SUV somehow doesn't make the cut for me. It defenitely has the first mover advantage and that is being seen in the sales as well.

Ertiga is a much more rounded product, well priced and a decent 7 seater for the size. Very economical, being maruti very reliable and looks a far more complete product to me. Though the diesel variants are priced a tad too high, I would still consider it as a very competent and value option against C segment sedans. A bigger diesel engine would have been icing on the cake. But still as things stand of now, the standout launch this year. A car truly designed for India.

[tsk1979]

MY candidates were the Rexton and the duster.
Eventually chose the Duster.
It has shown us that an softroader SUV need not be a big bulky house on wheels. And the market has lapped it up.

[Omtoatom]

Wow already looks like it is going to be a two-horse race! The Duster and the Ertiga have literally left the competition miles behind already! Honestly I wasn't expecting the Duster to get that popular vote on the forum.

A lot of folks have mentioned the BMW 3 series. It certainly merits more than a mention and I was seriously tempted to press the button against it. Hands down a winner that F30. But like I've stated previously, the COTY has to be practical as much as its relevance to a major section of the society. So better sense prevailed...

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I finally decided on the Ertiga. While the Duster did open up the compact SUV segment, it is nowhere close to perfect. It was just the first comer in the segment so it got the early bird advantage.

In the SUV segment you had old ladder frame SUV's like Scorpio and Safari. The Duster was the monocoque compact SUV.

Similarly the UV segment had the Xylo and Innova. The Ertiga was the monocoque compact version.

Both are similar, with the only difference being that Maruti has priced the ERtiga extremely well. As a vehicle the Ertiga has much lesser flaws than the Duster. Duster is milking the market because it is the only choice. Ertiga is a super hit because it is the best choice.

That tilted the decision in favour of Maruti.

Exactly, we share similar thoughts. I really loved duster when it was launched. it was OK priced too(tad expensive by 30-50K) but atleast there were options for people to choose from, but later on we only hear how Renault is trying to push only the 110Bhp over 85Bhp with option packs(ABS atleast should have been mandatory like in case of Ertiga)

Maruti too increased the prices, and came up with Alloys, steel price difference etc. but Not to the extent of Renault. Really makes one feel they went greedy looking at a market without any competition.

Car of the year is typically the car which we will end up seeing more and more on our roads in the next year. But i doubt that will be the case with duster in 2013 unless they do some reality check

[volkman10]

Voted for Ertiga, though Duster was a close contender.
Duster is nothing but a launch in India of an existing (ineurope, etc) product.

Ertiga has opened up a whole new segment which others treding that path now.
A design relatively new and cleverly based on an existing platform using
existing mechanicals. A UV consistently and appears unshakable at the 7K mark since its launch.
More so yet to come across an ownership that is nothing short of LUV!

Cheers!

[Aragorn]

My vote goes to the Ertiga. Having been involved in the purchase as a close relative bought it, I went through the thought process of a customer and how exactly Maruti has translated that into a product!

While my relative was buying it, he went straight from sedans (Manza, City etc.,) to Ertiga just after 1 test drive! For the sense of space, convenience, frugal running (diesel) and the sheer sense of owning a BIG vehicle, there is nothing that beats the Ertiga.

The Duster for me is a little overhyped. While the expectations were high, the product has failed to deliver on the one factor that defines the car of the year for me "Value for money".

The XUV achieved that last year along with a certain level of aspiration - the Duster does not. It is so over-priced, suddenly the Scorpios and Safaris seem like good value!

[MaddyCrew]

My vote goes for the Duster. Probably the only success story for Renault India; IMHO it is simply the best "overall package" in that list!!