[shankar.balan]

I would actually be rather pleased if it did indeed bite both that W201 and the present Scorpio very hard.

The Scorpio badly needs proper, quality upgradation and M&M are too lazy and lackadaisical in their approach to bother.

Im rooting for the Duster and hope it brings a whole new perspective of affordable choice to the utility seeking Indian Motorist.

Originally Posted by ajmat

The Duster might bite the Mahindra World Car

[ampere]

Shankar, I know your views about Duster being small. I remember right from day you mentioned Yeti being small, when you went for a test drive.

But for me, it fits like a T! Something bigger than Fusion for sure and also not as big as a Scorpio. That is exactly my requirement. With the 1.5D, good GC, and all bells/whistles, its ideal for me.

Renault service is the only sore point. They have not even made any start there. They need to concentrate on that direction.

[shankar.balan]

agreed. that was my view. now I am wavering. Because they are comparing it in size to the Nissan QashQai and thats a pretty nice size. The Qashqai is more or less about as big as the new Subaru Forester/ Outlander etc etc. Possibly a tad smaller than the X Trail give or take.
Hence the Duster to me becomes a serious contender for my idea of dumping the Scorp and replacing the same!

Your point is very well appreciated in ref service or the lack of it though. Renault have to move their backsides quickly on this aspect if they are to make headway. Else the Duster and Fluence and Koleos - all lovely vehicles in their own right, might end up being a big fat flop on account of lack of servicing network etc. I would not want that to happen because I think it is about time the M&M Scorp and Tata Safari and the likes got taken down a peg or three!!

Originally Posted by ampere

Shankar, I know your views about Duster being small. I remember right from day you mentioned Yeti being small, when you went for a test drive.

But for me, it fits like a T! Something bigger than Fusion for sure and also not as big as a Scorpio. That is exactly my requirement. With the 1.5D, good GC, and all bells/whistles, its ideal for me.

Renault service is the only sore point. They have not even made any start there. They need to concentrate on that direction.

[shankar.balan]

another informative link on this DUSTER
the more I see of it and the more I read about it the more I feel like buying one
Renault.com - Dacia Duster

[ampere]

The other thing I noticed: GC is 210mm. That is really needed even for a city with humps!
Still all quiet on the Renault front. Have not heard anything even about Fluence.

[shankar.balan]

yes 210mm GC is the same as whats available on the famed Maruti Gypsy. With this kind of clearance the vehicle should be able to tackle most issues in its path (atleast on Indian roads). Importantly it comes with underbody protection both in front and at rear so thats an added plus.

This could be just the right vehicle for us in India. It certainly seems to have a very good mix of features, functionality, diesel power, size, looks, price and overall efficiency. Main drawbacks could be "Brand Value" from our 'snobbish' consumer perspective + the non availability of a large Sales & Servicing network. Cost of spares, maintenance and Reliability of course hang in question until they are proven in India. But all in all, I wouldnt mind being an early adopter to this vehicle.

Ampere- looks like you and me seem very keen on this vehicle. what about connecting off line and seeing if we can make a representation to Renault India for more info and stuff? Need to connect with someone in Renault Corporate Office AND their plant in Chennai - what say?

Originally Posted by ampere

The other thing I noticed: GC is 210mm. That is really needed even for a city with humps!
Still all quiet on the Renault front. Have not heard anything even about Fluence.

[shankar.balan]

Here is another interesting PDF file on the Duster that I found while trawling the net.

Particularly interesting is the brief that they appear to have begun with, when conceptualizing this vehicle.

The GENESIS of the vehicle is equally insightful as are some of the comments in the article about "functional and affordable all terrain vehicles".

I cannot understand that when manufacturers like Renault can think from a consumer perspective and design something ground up which meets simple requirements, then why cant our great global aspirants like M&M and gang do the same?

This article only seems to bolster my belief that the Duster seems like a perfect fit for the Indian scenario.

I hope Renault brings it in as soon as possible at a reasonable rate.

[ashutoshb]

As a Logan owner, shifting to the Duster for me would make perfect sense. I am a big fan of Logan's sturdy, plush ride plus the space it offers. Unfortunate that I can't wait till mid 2012.

[shankar.balan]

ive been writing to Renault/ Dacia on facebook about the DUSTER since today and have been getting some replies from them too. they are saying the India launch is under discussion and that the various comments I ve made to them have been forwarded to their Marketing chaps. lets see what happens.

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

As a Logan owner, shifting to the Duster for me would make perfect sense. I am a big fan of Logan's sturdy, plush ride plus the space it offers. Unfortunate that I can't wait till mid 2012.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

As a Logan owner, shifting to the Duster for me would make perfect sense. I am a big fan of Logan's sturdy, plush ride plus the space it offers. Unfortunate that I can't wait till mid 2012.

Wow! It could have been me speaking this. :-) I have also been following the Duster keenly, but 2012 is a bit far off. I wanted to get a new vehicle last year, but couldn't make up my mind. Still in the same dilemma even now.

By the way, I'll be keeping the Logan and not selling it.
I don't think I'll find such a VFM, niggle free and reliable package easily. Moreover, after 65K kms, it gives me a lot of confidence on Renault engineering.

Let's just hope we see some official announcement on the Duster soon.

[shankar.balan]

that Duster really presses all the right buttons as far as I am concerned anyway.
instead of the Koleos they should advance the launch of the Duster - they will definitely succeed in capturing the imagination and wallets of many guys like us who want/ need an utilitarian SUV. Renault engineering is definitely of a high order so Im sure the vehicle will be quite niggle free too.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Here is another interesting PDF file on the Duster that I found while trawling the net.

Particularly interesting is the brief that they appear to have begun with, when conceptualizing this vehicle.

The GENESIS of the vehicle is equally insightful as are some of the comments in the article about "functional and affordable all terrain vehicles".

Shankar, thanks for sharing this with the community. After seeing multiple reviews, videos and after reading this pdf, my inclination to wait out 2011, and see this being launched in India, has increased many fold. I just hope Renault doesn't make us wait too long for this.

Honestly, whilst our Desi manufacturers might sell a lot of vehicles, I frankly do not think they are ever capable of this type of vision. They are all, as we say in Hindi - "Lala ki Dukaan"!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Ampere- looks like you and me seem very keen on this vehicle. what about connecting off line and seeing if we can make a representation to Renault India for more info and stuff? Need to connect with someone in Renault Corporate Office AND their plant in Chennai - what say?

Sure sir! I would love to see this vehicle in India. We should check this out. But I think we can already guess their answers:

"We are preparing for Fluence and related service networks."

So hopefully by the time Dacia arrives, things would be in place!

[shankar.balan]

Our chaps are very shortsighted. They get on to a good thing and milk it for what its worth. Then they go and kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Short term gains and achievement of monthly sales numbers always seem to outweigh long term consumer oriented thinking.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Honestly, whilst our Desi manufacturers might sell a lot of vehicles, I frankly do not think they are ever capable of this type of vision. They are all, as we say in Hindi - "Lala ki Dukaan"!

[shankar.balan]

here is one more pretty informative link to an article on the Dacia/ Renault Duster.
It is not very well written per se and appears to be a re-hash job of several other articles on this vehicle but it carries the essence through to the reader.
just as another point of reference.
Product Latest Price: 2011 Dacia Duster Price in india