[razor4077]

At long last I got to td the Duster... the 110 RXZ. A brand new car from Kolkata's brand new Renault showroom (the second in the city). My impressions after a long test drive in varied conditions... good and bad roads, heavy traffic to no traffic:

The good:
- Looks very impressive in person, has great road presence
- Perfect dimensions for the city
- Very settled ride... no choppiness/bounciness like other SUVs (Scorpio, Safari etc)
- Great to drive on bad/broken roads. A little stiff at times, but overall very good
- More ground clearance than one will ever need
- Handling is decent, definitely much better than the competition
- Didn't find the interior quality to be that "cheap" as many have mentioned. It's no Skoda/VW in terms of interior plastics and finish, but not too bad either.
- Ticks most of the boxes as far as goodies/features are concerned
- Rear space is good, seats are comfortable
- Big boot
- Safety features are available in the top-end variant

The not so good:
- There definitely is some turbo lag in the 110... requires frequent downshifts in traffic
- Steering feels vague at higher speeds
- The clutch is hard and the pedal is not placed in a comfortable position. My left leg wasn't resting comfortably, with the toes in a pulled-back position (if you get what I mean)
- Overall space in the front is disappointing. I was reminded of the old Fiesta almost... the foot-well is narrow and I felt kind of hemmed in. Shoulder space is ok.
- The above 2 points, plus the absence of a dead pedal or any space whatsover to the left of the clutch, made my legs feel cramped and uncomfortable
- Wasn't able to find a comfortable seating position somehow... maybe it takes time to discover the right settings
- No front centre armrest
- The rear AC unit looks ungainly and takes up too much space... pretty noisy too
- The much discussed quirky ergonomics... not sure they gave switch placement too much of thought (minor grouse - matter of getting used to the positions)
- Horn pad was hard... you need to make an effort to honk!
- Seat height adjustment lever is very badly designed. I had to pull over, get out of the car, adjust the height and then get back in! Later on I figured out how to adjust the height whilst sitting in the car, but this takes a fair effort

Honestly, the only standout issues for me are the placement of the clutch and the cramped quarters up front. Ergonomic quirks can be overcome and one can get used to the power characteristics of a car and drive it accordingly. This would be a self-driven car, so driver comfort is of utmost importance. I was not comfortable and felt a bit cramped. I have requested them to send me the 85 PS variant for a td, so I can make a proper comparison between the two. I intend to spend some time finding a comfortable setting in the driver seat during this drive.

Somehow, I really wanted to like the Duster. It was seemingly the perfect vehicle for my needs. So far, I'm not convinced... let's see if td #2 changes things
Waiting period as per the sales guy - under a month for the 110 RXZ, up to SIX months(!!) for the 85 RXL(O)!

[one-77]

The Duster bags TopGear's "Bargain Car of the Year" award. Here's the link.

Not much of a bargain here in India, is it?

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by one-77

The Duster bags TopGear's "Bargain Car of the Year" award. Here's the link.

Not much of a bargain here in India, is it?

Its not. But why? Because of the waiting periods. We see it from our own eyes

Models that sell well have waiting period which means price hikes and no goodies. And these are typically the ones that once started as vfm or bargain car

The ones that don't sell are available off the shelf. Discounts free goodies and what not. And if we analyze deeper these are the models which were not aggressively priced in the begining

[AG10]

Originally Posted by maverick555

Nice,i will check this again .
I think then 85 PS RXL(o) looks fine(it will used mostly for city driving) ,Also the dealer is ready to give delivery within 15 days for this model.

The only doubt i have is regarding its performance on highways with 4 adults on board + luggage.

Originally Posted by vivek_lo

After seeing some posts on delivery within two weeks, I checked with the Chennai dealer about delivery of 85PS. I was told that the waiting period for basic model is 3 to 4 months, but 85 RLX(O) can be delivered in 10 to 15 days. I am wondering if it is true or will there be delays after making the booking. If it is true, perhaps it makes sense to buy now and beat the price hike. Any one has taken recent deliveries in Chennai can give a feedback on waiting time?

I am still trying hard to make up my mind/justify 1.5 lacs more for Duster over Vento

15 days for RXL(o) - I am surprised ! I booked the same variant in the last week of Nov & the dealer indicated a waiting period of 3 months. Got a call from Renault yesterday indicating that I would get my vehicle by last week Feb.

Is the waiting period dealer specific ? Which would mean that Renault does not maintain a centralized waiting list and has quotas for dealers. Maybe there is more than what meets eye.

Maverick555, which dealer did you go to ?

[amitdan]

Originally Posted by AG10

Is the waiting period dealer specific ? Which would mean that Renault does not maintain a centralized waiting list and has quotas for dealers. Maybe there is more than what meets eye.

Maverick555, which dealer did you go to ?

From my most recent interactions with my dealer, I understand that yes the waiting period is now dealer specific, and dealers maybe getting a large number of quota cars. These cars are literally available off the shelf, if you are ready to make the payment upfront. The VIN allocation by Renault may not be happening. Also for say every 100 cars a dealer is getting, the number of top end 110s may make upto 90 of those.

I know for sure as I happened to peek into doc where people who had booked as late as Nov have already got their vehicles delivered.

[maverick555]

Originally Posted by AG10

15 days for RXL(o) - I am surprised ! I booked the same variant in the last week of Nov & the dealer indicated a waiting period of 3 months. Got a call from Renault yesterday indicating that I would get my vehicle by last week Feb.

Is the waiting period dealer specific ? Which would mean that Renault does not maintain a centralized waiting list and has quotas for dealers. Maybe there is more than what meets eye.

Maverick555, which dealer did you go to ?

AG10 , i called up renault delhi west as i was intially inerested in only 110PS RXL(O) model but he said it is out of production now and for all other models waiting period is minimum 12-16 weeks.
Then i also checked with dealers located in punjab/haryana.

Originally Posted by amitdan

From my most recent interactions with my dealer, I understand that yes the waiting period is now dealer specific, and dealers maybe getting a large number of quota cars. These cars are literally available off the shelf, if you are ready to make the payment upfront. The VIN allocation by Renault may not be happening. Also for say every 100 cars a dealer is getting, the number of top end 110s may make upto 90 of those.

I know for sure as I happened to peek into doc where people who had booked as late as Nov have already got their vehicles delivered.

This is all dependent on current stock the dealer is having.He was ready to give me 85 RXL(o) (as i told him that i am ready to give full amount in 2 days )but only in white color .

Update : Thanks everyone who helped to resolve various queries regarding Duster .Finally went with family yesterday to check all other cars in priority list and booked Rapid Elegance TDI .Will be getting it next week.

[h.s.r]

Came back from 1300 Kms round trip.
Got overall FE of 20 Kmpl with 4 Adults & Quintals of luggage on board.
Mine is 85 RXL (O)

A size comparison with Thar.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by razor4077

Somehow, I really wanted to like the Duster. It was seemingly the perfect vehicle for my needs. So far, I'm not convinced... let's see if td #2 changes things

Given the situation, suggest you do a couple of more TDs with a few weeks gap between the TDs.

First drive of Fortuner, didn't like it at all - too truck like, unrefined, expensive. 2nd TD, figured out that the pluses outweighed the minuses. 3rd high speed TD, my concerns about fast highway mile crunching and high speed stability were removed.

Some vehicles grow on you once you think through our needs/wants and map them to pluses and minuses.

[r0ckstar.1]

Originally Posted by h.s.r

Came back from 1300 Kms round trip.
Got overall FE of 20 Kmpl with 4 Adults & Quintals of luggage on board.
Mine is 85 RXL (O)

Hi h.s.r,

That's impressive figures . Congrats on the new Duster. I have been searching for a good TBHP review of the 85PS variant. Unable to find one. Do you plan to post your detailed ownership report?

I am just unable to hit on any threads using the search. Incase, you are aware of one of the ownership reports, please do point me in that direction. Thanks in advance. Wishing you happy miles crunching.

[h.s.r]

Originally Posted by r0ckstar.1

Hi h.s.r,

That's impressive figures . Congrats on the new Duster. I have been searching for a good TBHP review of the 85PS variant. Unable to find one. Do you plan to post your detailed ownership report?

I am just unable to hit on any threads using the search. Incase, you are aware of one of the ownership reports, please do point me in that direction. Thanks in advance. Wishing you happy miles crunching.

Even i am not able to find any 85 PS review.
I will post an ownership reviews, but that will not happen soon.

A quick +ves & -ves from my side.
+ves
1. 85 PS Extremely drivable in bumper to bumper traffic.
2. Drives like a sedan.No hard clutch,less fatigue.
3. 85 PS Gives fuel efficiency at par with a diesel hatch.
4. Ride quality.Best in class,no doubt about it.
5. Seating position,commanding view of the road.

-ves
1.Gear shift not smooth in 85 PS,have a rubbery feel to it.May improve with run in.Gear shift better in 110 PS plus you get 6 forward gear.
2.Bad ergonomics.
3.Build quality just average.
4.No front armrest.
5.Horn worst i have heard on any car.Horn pad not to my liking.
6.Boot is connected with central locking.Anybody can open the boot from outside if car is centrally unlocked.Only boot cannot be locked,
& even there is no speed sensing auto lock, which means everytime u have to manually lock/unlock the doors.

All i can say i can putting -ves aside and enjoying my new possession.
I looking for VFM option 85 RXL O is the one.
If budget is not constraint & not bothered about FE go for 110 PS.

[r0ckstar.1]

Originally Posted by h.s.r

Even i am not able to find any 85 PS review.
I will post an ownership reviews, but that will not happen soon.

A quick +ves & -ves from my side.
+ves
1. 85 PS Extremely drivable in bumper to bumper traffic.
2. Drives like a sedan.No hard clutch,less fatigue.
3. 85 PS Gives fuel efficiency at par with a diesel hatch.
4. Ride quality.Best in class,no doubt about it.
5. Seating position,commanding view of the road.

-ves
1.Gear shift not smooth in 85 PS,have a rubbery feel to it.May improve with run in.Gear shift better in 110 PS plus you get 6 forward gear.
2.Bad ergonomics.
3.Build quality just average.
4.No front armrest.
5.Horn worst i have heard on any car.Horn pad not to my liking.
6.Boot is connected with central locking.Anybody can open the boot from outside if car is centrally unlocked.Only boot cannot be locked,
& even there is no speed sensing auto lock, which means everytime u have to manually lock/unlock the doors.

All i can say i can putting -ves aside and enjoying my new possession.
I looking for VFM option 85 RXL O is the one.
If budget is not constraint & not bothered about FE go for 110 PS.

Thanks for the honest review. An unbiased one I should say. YOu have answered some key doubts. If it drives like a sedan in city, then I guess that solves half of my problem. The second half is the highway performance. How good is it? Do you feel it lugs or there isn't enough power on tap to do 100+ on the highway (110PS performs very well in this category I believe)? should I think twice before I load it up and do a ghat section drive like ooty?

I have looked at the Duster in Bangalore and I am aware of it's average quality interiors and ergonomics. I would like to go for the 85 RXL with option pack in the new year. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Ford ecosport launch will bring some discounts to the Duster sales.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by r0ckstar.1

Thanks for the honest review. An unbiased one I should say. YOu have answered some key doubts. If it drives like a sedan in city, then I guess that solves half of my problem. The second half is the highway performance. How good is it? Do you feel it lugs or there isn't enough power on tap to do 100+ on the highway (110PS performs very well in this category I believe)? should I think twice before I load it up and do a ghat section drive like ooty?

I have looked at the Duster in Bangalore and I am aware of it's average quality interiors and ergonomics. I would like to go for the 85 RXL with option pack in the new year. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Ford ecosport launch will bring some discounts to the Duster sales.

D-BHPian Ampere had bought a Duster 85 RxL(o) and he paid roughly 13 lakhs for it and gave it his own personal touches i.e. ICE and leather.

He is an avid traveler and notches up the miles rather quickly. He seems to be quite satisfied with the performance of his car on the highways.

When I test-drove the 85, I found it to be a good all-rounder. Unless you drive on the highway very often, you wouldn't miss the 6th gear and the better bottom-end torque in the 85 might come in handy in city-traffic and around your ghat-section.

However, you must take into consideration the negatives of the car. The space on the inside isn't much more than a large B+ segment hatch and the build-quality and fit / finish is average all-round. Not to mention the average ICE and quirky ergonomics.

Plus, with the price hiked in October and another one on its way (probably), the RxL(o) has become expensive. At the moment, it's a shade below 13 lakhs on-the-road Bangalore.

Weigh your options wisely and see if the Duster suits you. Either way, I believe you must wait for the EcoSport so that you can make an informed decision.

[autovarun]

Thanks to all other Duster owners and forum members , just booked Duster RXZ at Renault Chennai. Also got some good news from the dealer Khivraj . They are opening another Showroom on OMR in Perungudi and there might also be a service center next to it ! Big win for Renault owners in Chennai ! There are too many renault cars in the city off late - Scala , Fluence and Duster

any one else have more info about this new service center ?

[vij]

I drove my FIL petrol 85ps duster. Its ok for city driving I guess - but lacks power and there's no punch - feels like driving a common hatch. Ride quality is good though!

[r0ckstar.1]

Originally Posted by vij

I drove my FIL petrol 85ps duster. Its ok for city driving I guess - but lacks power and there's no punch - feels like driving a common hatch. Ride quality is good though!

I guess the petrol is not 85PS, but 104PS. Are you referring to the 85ps diesel?