[reignofchaos]

14 lacs for a cheap low rent romanian car with a renault badge just doesn't cut in for me. Yes it has ground clearance so what? The duster is basically a cheap sedan (logan) on stilts. If it was priced at 10 lac OTR for the top end, then it would have made sense for someone looking for a cheap UV.

However for the current price, it virtually makes no sense to me. If you look at the interior, it looks cheaper than 5 lac rupee hatchbacks, let alone well appointed sedans in the 10 lac range like the Vento/Rapid.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

14 lacs for a cheap low rent romanian car with a renault badge just doesn't cut in for me. Yes it has ground clearance so what? The duster is basically a cheap sedan (logan) on stilts. If it was priced at 10 lac OTR for the top end, then it would have made sense for someone looking for a cheap UV.

However for the current price, it virtually makes no sense to me. If you look at the interior, it looks cheaper than 5 lac rupee hatchbacks, let alone well appointed sedans in the 10 lac range like the Vento/Rapid.

The low rent Romanian jibe is quite irrelevant, its Euro-engineered by Renault and it shows, by comparison the CRV is a Civic on stilts without any significant advantage, unless 6kmpl on petrol is something anybody looks forward to. The 14 lakh price tag is OTR in places with insane taxes, the top end used to be around 12 in Kerala some time ago. GC is a big deal outside the urban areas and the Duster is a vehicle of choice because it rides well on good roads and is unsettled by bad stretches. 10L OTR is not possible because of taxes, Renault have priced it competitively.

The sedans in that price range are not worth comparing, load up five people and their luggage in a sedan and hit a patch of road, most people would hate it if the car bottomed out every 10 metres or so, you don’t face that problem in the Duster. The interiors are forgivable, after all when your other choices are about 3-4 lakhs more without the reliability of the 1.5 diesel.

[dockap]

4X4 duster ( 2WD with a sticker)

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The low rent Romanian jibe is quite irrelevant, its Euro-engineered by Renault and it shows, by comparison the CRV is a Civic on stilts without any significant advantage, unless 6kmpl on petrol is something anybody looks forward to. The 14 lakh price tag is OTR in places with insane taxes, the top end used to be around 12 in Kerala some time ago. GC is a big deal outside the urban areas and the Duster is a vehicle of choice because it rides well on good roads and is unsettled by bad stretches. 10L OTR is not possible because of taxes, Renault have priced it competitively.

The sedans in that price range are not worth comparing, load up five people and their luggage in a sedan and hit a patch of road, most people would hate it if the car bottomed out every 10 metres or so, you don’t face that problem in the Duster. The interiors are forgivable, after all when your other choices are about 3-4 lakhs more without the reliability of the 1.5 diesel.

There's nothing Renault in the duster other than the badge. The parts are all imports from Dacia's romania factory. Also in the EU, it is sold as a Dacia not a Renault. Only good thing about it is the fuel efficient K9K diesel.

As for why it can't be priced at 10L OTR, I don't see any reason why it can't. The top end diesel logan is around 7.5L after discounts. Considering the mechanicals are pretty much the same, 2.5L extra sounds like a fair price, atleast for the 85HP diesel.

If maruti can price the ertiga around 10L OTR for the fully loaded model, there's no reason for the duster to be more expensive.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by BUXX

actually these were just bad roads.. Nothing that would require a 4X4.
Moreover, you can see a M800 traversing the same route !

an SUV/4X4 could give one the extra confidence to go over such roads, but its not a necessity...

Yep but that is what I bought the Safari and later the Aria to cover 99.99% of the time. The speed, confidence and comfort with which one can go over bad roads (which are plenty in the route for some people) justify SUV's and Crossovers. I would dread to drive my i10 at anything beyond 10-20kmph on such a road but the Duster, Scorpio, Safari, XUV, Aria, etc would go over easily at 60 kmph and one would not feel the jolts still to the extent at which a sedan passes at 10 kmph.

Besides in cities that have experience major flooding in recent times (like Mumbai) higher ground clearance is good to have, also on highways at night one does not get blinded by on coming head lamps to the same extent. Yes a Sedan butter smooth roads is a joy to drive that SUV's cannot match but then there are those who prefer to reduce the burden in not so favourable conditions.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by BUXX

actually these were just bad roads.. Nothing that would require a 4X4.
Moreover, you can see a M800 traversing the same route !

an SUV/4X4 could give one the extra confidence to go over such roads, but its not a necessity...

Driving a 4x4 in 4wd on a normal road at high speed is a sure shot way of ruining your differential. 4wd is for crawling speeds not for going at high speeds.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Why sacrifice?All these things you ask can be had in a car and I personally feel that for similar or lesser money, you can buy a sedan that feels a lot more premium and is good to drive. Why on earth a built to a price Duster when you can buy a Honda City or a VW Vento. Drive these two sedans and then switch to a Duster and it is only then will you understand my point. I see a lot of folk disagreeing with me on this as a sedan and crossover should not be compared. Why pay so much for something that is essentially built around the Logan chassis. Its supposed to be cheap, not 14lac.

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

14 lacs for a cheap low rent romanian car with a renault badge just doesn't cut in for me. Yes it has ground clearance so what? The duster is basically a cheap sedan (logan) on stilts. If it was priced at 10 lac OTR for the top end, then it would have made sense for someone looking for a cheap UV.

However for the current price, it virtually makes no sense to me. If you look at the interior, it looks cheaper than 5 lac rupee hatchbacks, let alone well appointed sedans in the 10 lac range like the Vento/Rapid.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The low rent Romanian jibe is quite irrelevant, its Euro-engineered by Renault and it shows, by comparison the CRV is a Civic on stilts without any significant advantage, unless 6kmpl on petrol is something anybody looks forward to. The 14 lakh price tag is OTR in places with insane taxes, the top end used to be around 12 in Kerala some time ago. GC is a big deal outside the urban areas and the Duster is a vehicle of choice because it rides well on good roads and is unsettled by bad stretches. 10L OTR is not possible because of taxes, Renault have priced it competitively.

The sedans in that price range are not worth comparing, load up five people and their luggage in a sedan and hit a patch of road, most people would hate it if the car bottomed out every 10 metres or so, you don’t face that problem in the Duster. The interiors are forgivable, after all when your other choices are about 3-4 lakhs more without the reliability of the 1.5 diesel.

I have a simpler way of looking at this and it answers the Civic - CR-V analogy as well. A sedan for the same money as the Duster makes you feel good every time you sit in it. My lasting impression after test driving the Duster was that it will always make me feel short changed on getting inside.

I just can't look past the low-rent interior after spending about 13.5 lakhs on a Duster (NCR prices) - all its advantages notwithstanding. A CR-V, for all that money and lousy FE, makes you feel good. In the final analysis, that's all that matters.

[djpeesh]

StarScream: I agree with you. The Duster feels like its built to cost... Just not the cost you're paying. And that contributes to the sense that its a ripoff.

Unless you price yourself competitively, get your A.s.s in place and proper dealerships, you can kiss those post hysteria sales goodbye.

[claxtoncorreya]

The price of the dacia duster 110 and the suzuki swift 5 door 1.2 petrol are pretty similar in the UK. If the duster localisation is indeed high (not sure if this is true) then the pricing seems like a rip off.

The 4x4 is around 2000 pounds (1.7 lacs INR approx) costlier compared to a 4x2. So we should expect the price difference to be in a similar range as the current Bangalore ex-showroom cost are pretty similar to UK ex-showroom price if we do a conversion on from GBP to INR

[desidino]

I think all this talk about Duster, Fortuner and other high selling models being ripoff is moot. People are still lapping them up. Ripoff talk makes sense when discussing models that are selling poorly and yet are priced high. For example, new fiesta.

We moved up from Spark to Duster. So interiors were never part of decision process. Probably if we had owned a sedan and then contemplated buying Duster, the interiors would have been looked at closely. Once we saw Duster, we did not even consider any other vehicle. We were sold on the Duster due to the following:

- high ground clearance. Very important in tier 2 cities such as Haridwar, especially when the himalayas beckon next door. So sedans were not considered.
- roads in tier 2 cities are too narrow and crowded. So big SUVs were not considered.
- we wanted a vehicle that was car like to drive so that dad (retired) could drive it without straining himself too much. So Bolero, Scorpio, Safari etc were not considered.
- our budget was 10 lacs. So Yeti was not considered.
- we were smitten by the looks of Duster. So quanto was not considered.

Duster currently stands alone, especially its sub 10 lacs variants, and is milking its TINA factor. There Is No Alternative.

And I believe it will enjoy this run till Ecosport comes in.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by StarScream

I have a simpler way of looking at this and it answers the Civic - CR-V analogy as well. A sedan for the same money as the Duster makes you feel good every time you sit in it. My lasting impression after test driving the Duster was that it will always make me feel short changed on getting inside.
I just can't look past the low-rent interior after spending about 13.5 lakhs on a Duster (NCR prices) - all its advantages notwithstanding. A CR-V, for all that money and lousy FE, makes you feel good. In the final analysis, that's all that matters.

The CRV comparison against the Duster is way off, I doubt the average duster buyer has 10 lakhs in loose change to upgrade to the CRV which doesn't have impressive interiors unless you opt for a higher spec, that straightaway doubles the cost. A lot of buyers understand that cheaper prices means cost cutting, Renault hasn't offered the Duster as luxury, the focus is on functionality all the way and unlike the CRV, it has good tolerance when it comes to bad roads. A 4x4 Duster will have atleast some buyers, the majority I guess will stick to the 2wd because it meets their requirements.

The average buyer aspires for an SUV and the Duster and XUV fill that market gap at different price tags, the CRV is a dud in comparison. The sales of the Duster shows that the average buyer likes space, GC and fuel economy which the Duster offers in a well priced package. There are rare exceptions when interiors are a deal breaker. People look for practicality and the FE is part of the equation, I doubt there is a significant minority out there that is willing to triple their fuel bills to get better interiors. Damage to the underbody can blow a hole in your pocket and fully loaded sedans are always at risk.

[pgsagar]

More than 4x4, I would welcome an AT Duster. Why is Renault so keen on 4X4? Most SUVs never leave tarmac. 4x4 also means more cost up-front, more weight, more moving parts and hence more parts that may wear. Also, Duster class SUV may not be an effective off-roader, given its small engine. Rather, I would like to see an AT on its diesel engine.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The CRV comparison against the Duster is way off, I doubt the average duster buyer has 10 lakhs in loose change to upgrade to the CRV which doesn't have impressive interiors unless you opt for a higher spec, that straightaway doubles the cost. A lot of buyers understand that cheaper prices means cost cutting, Renault hasn't offered the Duster as luxury, the focus is on functionality all the way and unlike the CRV, it has good tolerance when it comes to bad roads. A 4x4 Duster will have atleast some buyers, the majority I guess will stick to the 2wd because it meets their requirements.

The average buyer aspires for an SUV and the Duster and XUV fill that market gap at different price tags, the CRV is a dud in comparison. The sales of the Duster shows that the average buyer likes space, GC and fuel economy which the Duster offers in a well priced package. There are rare exceptions when interiors are a deal breaker. People look for practicality and the FE is part of the equation, I doubt there is a significant minority out there that is willing to triple their fuel bills to get better interiors. Damage to the underbody can blow a hole in your pocket and fully loaded sedans are always at risk.

You missed the point avira_tk. No one compared the CR-V with the Duster. No one said the Duster doesn't have advantages. My point was all its benefits didn't compensate for the interiors, which for me were a deal breaker.

Some people will overlook these issues as the advantages outweigh the quality aspects. As desidino said, coming from a Spark the Duster was a great step up.

In India there tends to be a lot of cross shopping. If one has 15 lakhs to spend on a car, one will look at everything from the Innova to the Jetta. In that sort of scenario, the Duster has too many compromises for the money being asked, especially when there are nicer cars available.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by StarScream

I just can't look past the low-rent interior after spending about 13.5 lakhs on a Duster (NCR prices) - all its advantages notwithstanding. A CR-V, for all that money and lousy FE, makes you feel good. In the final analysis, that's all that matters.

Originally Posted by StarScream

In India there tends to be a lot of cross shopping. If one has 15 lakhs to spend on a car, one will look at everything from the Innova to the Jetta. In that sort of scenario, the Duster has too many compromises for the money being asked, especially when there are nicer cars available.

+1. This is exactly what I keep harping about. Its ALL about priority of the buyer. If he knows what he wants, he will accept the product the way it is.
Simply because, he knows he has made that choice weighing in his priorities.

But if he has a budget and he wants the best for that budget then that aspect outweighs the priorities. He then just wants the best value that he can gets for his money.
In that case he compares products across the spectrum. Its not a wrong thing to do that. Its just that its a different scenario.

One may argue, why can't one put the budget part and cross apply it with the priorities. But still having said that, one has to chose or forgo one aspect against the other.

[Junaid42465]

All said and done about the quality of the interior etc etc. But a car like SUV with good ground clearance, good power to weight ratio and the best of all 4x4 with differential lock, which if I'm not wrong, even the Thar doesn't have. I think when plonked with a good winch, it will be a very capable SUV.

I have driven MG 410, MG 413, MM 530, MM 540 & MM 550 in road, desert, waist-deep water and about a foot deep mud. I always missed the differential lock. Except for the MM 530, in which I had to do it manually, in the desert. And I don't think that a non mod Jeep, for good articulation, extra lift and good tires, can actually do some real rock crawling.

So how about some expert comments about the Duster then?