[Rathore_13]

That grill reminds me of the new XUV's teeth... The duster chrome bits on grill are bigger but still seen from afar, that grill looks very familiar... maybe I'm just overanalyzing but that grill does seem like I've seen it somewhere on another car...

[ajmat]

Who are they kidding?

They merely fliched the now obsolete Nissan Terrano dashboard and plonked in the Duster

[Equus]

The diesel engine is still a gem and will see takers. They probably expect to discount higher in the next few months given the shift to BS VI. Discounts work wonders.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Who are they kidding?

They merely fliched the now obsolete Nissan Terrano dashboard and plonked in the Duster

If they had done this it would have been better, but they removed the small storage place above the circular AC vents. The front fascia has been modified with rectangular shape vents. The seat belt reminder light and the dummy switch still looks ugly on the dashboard. The place where we get the 12V socket could have been modified into a storage space. The ECO mode switch should have been placed on the dashboard. The door pads should have been provided with 1L bottle holders. When I analyze as a design engineer, these minor changes won't cost anything beyond ₹500.

[padmrajravi]

This is still the cheapest proper SUV out there with bare minimum safety features. And they have messed up the only differentiation they had by removing critical features from the AWD trim. Just having all the features in AWD trim would have got some numbers since the next AWD is atleast 6 lakhs away in on road pricing.

[civic-sense]

So a Duster with the Kwid grill. It has lost whatever character it had. Where do you go next?

I dunno how long they are going to persist with these (now obsolete) Logan derivatives. Is this all the world's third largest car maker has to offer to us Indians?

[bigron]

In one word Pointless!
The days of selling outdated cars with new paint is long over. Maruti has done it for years and even they could not sell these .
Duster needs a complete makeover, they have a nice base on which they need to build and move forward with the current market. Giving these half hearted old cars in new packages is not doing them any good reputation wise or sale wise.

[Nav-i-gator]

I just checked the Duster brochure since the petrol CVT @ 9.99L piqued my interest. In these times and year, a million Rupee car with no Auto AC, no height adjustable driver seat, no fog lamps, no rear wash/wipe (and these in a "so-called" SUV) is a laughable preposition.

It has reached to the point of being insulting (for us Indians) to be treated like fools by companies like Nissan. They would do better if they start selling second-hand (used) models from their global portfolio.

[yd_gli]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Renault shouldn't have bothered with this. This is seriously just sad. When you have Kia Seltos, MG Hector and others in this segment.

If I was in the market today, I don't think I would cross shop the Seltos and Duster. The Seltos will be an aspirational/premium product for those willing to spend >17-18akhs and upgrading from a Verna/City/Ecosport etc. The Duster on the other hand is a proven workhorse that fits more on the utility/VFM side of things at 10-11lakhs. They are two different ends of the same segment and the 8-9lakh difference in price means they will have an almost mutually exclusive set of buyers. Just as a Tiguan buyer will seldom consider a Seltos. I wouldn't be too surprised if Renault is actually making more money per Duster than MG or Kia will make with the Hector or Seltos.

[i74js]

The product has its own set of strengths but for how long can Renault continue with it when the competition is so stiff?

The 1.5 litre K9K cannot qualify for Euro VI emission norms; a serious player would have not only addressed the weakness of Duster but have also looked into the forthcoming compliance requirements ahead of time.

There is no point in building inventory with K9K which has very limited market demand when the new policy regime is just about to come into play. Renault needs a completely fresh approach for the segments in which it can compete with rivals like Maruti & Hyundai.

A tech enabled / feature rich vehicle is certainly required here, the way KWID shook the market at the time of its launch. An all new Duster is required to sustain buyer's interest and not what they have offered with this facelift.

Before launching this facelift Renault should have just asked a simple question to itself - Why should a customer visit our showroom in 2019-20?

[Aditya_Bhp]

Originally Posted by yd_gli

If I was in the market today, I don't think I would cross shop the Seltos and Duster.

Well, the Seltos and Hector do no consider Duster as as a competition.
Duster is now competing against the Ecosport, Brezza, Venue and XUV300, MPVs such as Ertiga and Marazzo, Sedans such as City and Verna.
All these competitors have moved ahead by a generation or two since launch, they are safer, more powerful, and more comfortable, also have better service backup.

There is no reason one should buy a Duster now as there is no USP other than AWD. The petrol is a bad engine and the diesel is good, but not good enough. With the BS6 rules coming up, and with Renault having no plans to upgrade the K9K diesel, the Duster will further be forgotten.

The Duster was outdated at launch and never was worthy of the Renault badge. Its a Dacia afterall!

[turbowhistle]

Don’t know who is the bigger idiot? Us or Renault for thinking they can sell anything in India?

When will Renault step up their game and give us a better product! Its not 2013 anymore and there are at least 10 competitors in the market with superior product for same money.

There is no reason to get this vehicle now unless you are fan of utilitarian vehicles for premium money or the diesel engine which was very good in 2013 but so many better and powerful engine options are available now.

I'd suggest to wait for 6-8 months until the discounts kick in!

[self_driven]

Found this walkaround video of Duster RxS on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/PbWyuJclwk4

This one costs 11.20 lakhs ex-showroom in 110 PS diesel trim.

Skip to 2:17 and look at the area around the handbrake! Reminds me of my 3-lakh-rupee Hyundai Eon

[Rigid Rotor]

Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp

…. With the BS6 rules coming up, and with Renault having no plans to upgrade the K9K diesel, the Duster will further be forgotten.

The Duster was outdated at launch and never was worthy of the Renault badge. Its a Dacia afterall!

Originally Posted by i74js

….The 1.5 litre K9K cannot qualify for Euro VI emission norms; a serious player would have not only addressed the weakness of Duster but have also looked into the forthcoming compliance requirements ahead of time....

I can't say about about Renault India's plans, but:
The K9K diesel 110 is very much in sale in UK in the Duster, where I believe Euro 6 is the norm. The engine there uses a Diesel Particulate Filter and Diesel Exhaust Fluid as additives. You can check it out in the UK Dacia Duster forums.

Back in 2010-11, when the Duster was launched in France, it was a very popular car and even had a long wait list. A pre-owned Duster with very low mileage (a few months old) would then usually sell at a premium even over the showroom price.

The Dacia Duster launch in Romania catered to a very different set of clientele. The vehicle then did not have power windows or even a radio, but had 4x4. It was targeted as a simple farmer's car then. The trappings of comfort were layered on later.

India launch was in 2012 and it was very much relevant then. Definitely NOT outdated at launch.

The game, of course has moved on since then. Renault India still seems to be stuck in a time warp of sorts. Or perhaps they seem to be targeting a lower price point in the market, which one wonders whether even exists?

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Renault shouldn't have bothered with this. This is seriously just sad. When you have Kia Seltos, MG Hector and others in this segment.

Couldn't possibly agree more with you Vid. This can probably be written of as

Dead On Arrival !!

While the competition (Hyundai, Kia, MG) are piling on features and platforms on some if their successful launches, deleting features on an otherwise bare minimum car is quite dumb by Renault India.

The competition is so fierce now that even the complacent and ignorant Maruti are updating their Brezza.
The least Renault could have done was to get rid of that ancient 'Pull type" door handle.