[ashutoshb]

From Renault.com - Renault Duster :

On the active safety front, Renault Duster features, depending on versions, Bosch 8.1 ABS, as well as EBV electronic brakeforce distribution and EBA emergency brake assist.

On the passive safety front, Renault Duster is fitted, as standard, with two front airbags (depending on market) and three-point seat belts with load limiters for the front seats, to which pyrotechnic pretensioners can be added. Depending on the version, two lateral head/thorax airbags are fitted in addition to the driver and passenger front airbags.

[Mpower]

After the failure of the Logan, Renault will think twice before bringing any more Dacia products into India.

[shankar.balan]

thanks ashutosh for the info.

Mpower - I dont agree with your statement.
In fact the magazine articles which have recently been published are completely to the contrary.
It appears that Renault is trying to resurrect its image in the country by following what seems to be the preferred strategy of european manufacturers - apparently they are bringing in the higher end vehicles first in the form of the Fluence and the Koleos and then following through with mid segment vehicles like the Duster etc.
The Duster is a Dacia product and shares the same platform as the Logan, incidentally.

[shankar.balan]

Duster - more news of a speculative nature from BS Motoring latest issue.

They are all speculating that the pricing would be 7-10 lacs.

This would indeed shake up the Scorpio/ Safari dominated market segment.
However, the Duster will at best be a 5 seater - a little like the Yeti more or less - a small, compact, inexpensive, utilitarian sort of SUV which is playing in a completely different segment.

Really keen to get more info on possible launch dates and specs etc.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Duster - more news of a speculative nature from BS Motoring latest issue.

They are all speculating that the pricing would be 7-10 lacs.

This would indeed shake up the Scorpio/ Safari dominated market segment.
However, the Duster will at best be a 5 seater - a little like the Yeti more or less - a small, compact, inexpensive, utilitarian sort of SUV which is playing in a completely different segment.

Really keen to get more info on possible launch dates and specs etc.

The line 'cheapest SUV in the world' rings in my mind; created a mental block :(

Scorpio sells better because of the 7 seater configuration IMHO and the butch looks. Hope they do really price it at 7-8 lac (starting) to sell it in good numbers

[shankar.balan]

yes that line was a little disconcerting - but from the European context it was probably a fair assessment. the articles on Duster go on to say that the fit, feel and finish levels are very good - in comparison to the Scorpio I am sure they will be much better. Plus the "utilitarian" nature of this particular SUV has been stressed. It is not meant for the luxe SUV seeker or image seeking poseur - it is meant more for people who will use it the way it is supposed to be used.
Another advantage is that Renault/ Dacia have an edge over M&M in terms of "design" heritage - so we can be reasonably sure that the vehicle per se would quite possibly be better designed than our desi SUV's.
Pricing of the Duster in the 7-10 lac range would be excellent indeed. lets hope for the best. I really do hope that they offer 4WD and all safety kit at a fair price, with at least safety kit being offered across variants, because this will offer us consumers some choice at least in an environment where there is next to no choice as of now!

Originally Posted by jkdas

The line 'cheapest SUV in the world' rings in my mind; created a mental block :(

Scorpio sells better because of the 7 seater configuration IMHO and the butch looks. Hope they do really price it at 7-8 lac (starting) to sell it in good numbers

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Pricing of the Duster in the 7-10 lac range would be excellent indeed. lets hope for the best. I really do hope that they offer 4WD and all safety kit at a fair price, with at least safety kit being offered across variants, because this will offer us consumers some choice at least in an environment where there is next to no choice as of now!

This brings back the same point of the price being proportional to engine capacity. A 2L diesel in 7-10 would be a game-changer no doubt. But that would be highly unlikely as well. 12-15L seems more practical and a possibility as well. My guesstimate says 16 OTR for the higest end to be the maximum to which it can be dragged.

[shankar.balan]

the Duster will most probably come in with a similar 1.5 as the Logan has. Might be a different version of the Nissan 1.5DCi too. Plus it will have to be a CKD or at worst case an SKD. This is why they may be able to position it in this 7-10 price range as is being speculated.

Originally Posted by ampere

This brings back the same point of the price being proportional to engine capacity. A 2L diesel in 7-10 would be a game-changer no doubt. But that would be highly unlikely as well. 12-15L seems more practical and a possibility as well. My guesstimate says 16 OTR for the higest end to be the maximum to which it can be dragged.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the Duster will most probably come in with a similar 1.5 as the Logan has. Might be a different version of the Nissan 1.5DCi too. Plus it will have to be a CKD or at worst case an SKD. This is why they may be able to position it in this 7-10 price range as is being speculated.

Duster I thought was a 2L option. If they come with 1.5 Logan or Nissan version, then yes 7-10. Was it not a 2L version?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the Duster will most probably come in with a similar 1.5 as the Logan has. Might be a different version of the Nissan 1.5DCi too. Plus it will have to be a CKD or at worst case an SKD. This is why they may be able to position it in this 7-10 price range as is being speculated.

Duster I thought was a 2L option. If they come with 1.5 Logan or Nissan version, then yes 7-10. Was it not a 2L version?

[shankar.balan]

no buddy. as per the articles I read recently it was a 1.5 litre option - albeit tuned up to provide around 105PS of power and plenty of torque thrown in as well.
all in all an utilitarian, small, vfm, tough little SUV is what I ve been reading.
frankly I cant wait to see it - thats the only way to figure if it is a worthy replacement for my current beast.

Originally Posted by ampere

Duster I thought was a 2L option. If they come with 1.5 Logan or Nissan version, then yes 7-10. Was it not a 2L version?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

no buddy. as per the articles I read recently it was a 1.5 litre option - albeit tuned up to provide around 105PS of power and plenty of torque thrown in as well.
all in all an utilitarian, small, vfm, tough little SUV is what I ve been reading.
frankly I cant wait to see it - thats the only way to figure if it is a worthy replacement for my current beast.

If that is the case, then I will just lap it up! Definitely engine may be a next gen Nissan one which the Fluence would come on with.
That would push the price down and would be ideal.

[shankar.balan]

yeah! you and many many others - all hanging about on the fringes like vultures spying a yummy dinner ahead! (Me included)

A potential concern area would be the interior boot space available.
If the Duster is built on the Logan chassis it might end up being more or less YETI-ish in terms of overall size, space etc. 1.5 Diesel engine which develops 105 PS would be nice. Frugal too in terms of FE.

I found the Yeti very nice indeed but too small for us as a family unit and in particular, my luggage carrying habits - but it might have also been psychologically driven on account of the 22 odd lac price tag (on road Bangalore).

At 10-12 lacs for a Duster, with all bells and whistles, the psychological acceptance equation may well be different for similar sized vehicle.

Question is its available luggage space can it carry my large golfbag and trolley AND our luggage when my wife and I go on holiday?

Can it also accommodate my folks and their luggage when we go on holiday the way my Scorpio is able to and the way my Bolero was able to? Also add my Icebox containing water and soft drinks and so on. Add campstools and the usual toolbag and other fiddly stuff as well.

I dont know yet whether it could be a perfect replacement for the Scorpio - but I am very keenly looking for things like 4WD, ABS, Airbags, Seatbelts with pretensioners etc etc -the safety bits are a priority now that our speeds on highways have increased considerably from the way it was 5-6 years ago.

Then, Drive/ Maneuvre/ park-ability in city and handling on highways, stability at speeds, good torque and power to get one out of trouble while overtaking etc, general ruggedness, high GC for rutted roads, overall driving dynamics and ergonomic comfort, good quality fit and finish and overall high reliability factor.

Add Diesel power, relatively inexpensive maintenance, spares and servicing costs plus ease of servicing (network). Price should be around 12 ish on road.

Phew - a long and somewhat incoherent list. But thats what I want in a nutshell.

As of this moment there is nothing in the market that meets these criteria - even the top spec fully loaded Scorp comes to 14.65 on road bangalore and it is simply not worth it at that price in my mind.

The only other option that one can consider is a 4-5 year old X Trail or a Tucson or maybe a Pajero.

But I am really concerned about the maintenance, servicing, parts failure issues, costs of care and so on in these vehicles.

Very difficult indeed.

Originally Posted by ampere

If that is the case, then I will just lap it up! Definitely engine may be a next gen Nissan one which the Fluence would come on with.
That would push the price down and would be ideal.

[shankar.balan]

here are another couple of links with some more info on the Duster
Dacia Duster
World's cheapest SUV: Dacia Duster | AutoRoyalty
Dacia Duster - Road Tests, Motoring - The Independent
Is Renault Duster the wrong SUV for India? | Indian Autos blog ( this last link is a contrarian view with a back handed sort of compliment to the Duster!)

most interesting is the price of the Top Spec with 4WD - EUR 16600.
The base spec costs about 11150 EUR.
Mid Spec Ambiance Version seems to be a good one - 15050 EUR
This may mean that it could very well translate into the 9-12 lac on road range here in India.
I hope they bring it in as a CKD and give us finally a good little utilitarian + safe SUV.

also - in terms of size it is being compared with the Nissan Quashqai - that vehicle is about the same size as the Subaru Forester and the X Trail (maybe a little smaller than the X Trail). About the size of a slightly shorter Scorpio.
I am beginning to believe that the Duster just may be IT for our great Indian "market of markets!"

Hope that my big hopes are not dashed to the ground!!

Am quite sick of this tendency on the part of most of the vehicle manufacturers to flock towards the more expensive poseur soft roaders in this market.

[ajmat]

The Duster might bite the Mahindra World Car