[ampere]

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

No doubt, it is one of the best cars to drive, especially on a highway. Light, peppy and steady. I've tested it on rough roads and it has stood up to it
(read my blogs) but if you really want to do serious off roading Duster is not the best choice.

+1. I think; to a certain extent Renault is also to be blamed to market it as an SUV which can go anywhere. Thats what increases people's expectations sky high.
Its a good utility vehicle (though with its own negatives, which have been discussed enough). It can tread bad roads very well and one can indulge to a certain extent
on mild off-roading. If expectations are within that range, it serves the purpose.

Again I have been harping on this point that folks need to buy utility vehicles (or rather anything) based on their priorities. Because today the price ranges overlap to
such an extent that people can (and already are) debating between Storme/XUV and the likes. So if it serves one's purpose, one should go for it (Off-course balance
the decision by certain logic).

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

It is for people whose expectations are minimal.
When one spends close to 10-11 lakhs how can expectation be minimal

At least a SUV should be tough, whats say?

On 10-11 lakhs car

Abhi,
This is exactly what even I am trying to arrive at (may be my argument may not seem sound).
The points you put forward are very very valid. Thats what I mentioned about negatives being debated enough.
On top of it Renault hikes the pricing as well!

But that is what is there in the market which we have been subjected to. So depending on our priority (basic equipments, safety build quality ride etc)
we chose. The only issue is it would always come into a debate more due to pricing and quality rather than one's priority.

That is why I also mentioned, Renault guys setting much higher expectation by marketing it as an SUV which can go anywhere.

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

There is a whole lot of posts above this that I'd like to reply to but I guess my post would exceed the length of this page.

It is for people whose expectations are minimal.

Whe one spends close to 10-11 lakhs how can expectation be minimal

[b]When we use the term SUV, we tend to think: big, tough and nasty. The Duster is none of that.
At least a SUV should be tough, whats say?

The body panels are scarily thin (not half as thick as my Optra or Punto), so thin that it bends in if you push with a few fingers.
On 10-11 lakhs car

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by vskesavan

That's it. It clears all questions and confusions in my mind about duster. Very precise and clear conclusions. Now I will wait confidently.

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

Whe one spends close to 10-11 lakhs how can expectation be minimal


At least a SUV should be tough, whats say?

The body panels are scarily thin (not half as thick as my Optra or Punto), so thin that it bends in if you push with a few fingers.
On 10-11 lakhs car

Go for it Kesavan. It's a good car. I'm sure Renault will react positively to all this banter on Team BHP.

Dr.Abhi, when I said 'minimal expectation' I meant expectation that this so called 'compact SUV' is not what you'd expect from something like the Fortuners, Endeavours, Captivas and their ilk. Not even XUV or Strome against who the Duster is unfairly compared with. The truth is, there is nothing like the Duster for a fair comparision (till the Ecosport is launched) so we have to look at it fairly. Personally I would NOT call it an SUV, perhaps 'Hatch - XL' would be a better description

As for body panels, I'm sure it cannot be worse than the Korean or Japanese cars. I was comparing it with the cars I already own, all of who have tougher bodies.


Happy Driving guys....

PS: Dr. Abhi, if anyone should have axe to grind against Renault, I should have the top slot. See the thread on water leakage

[vskesavan]

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

Whe one spends close to 10-11 lakhs how can expectation be minimal

[b]When we use the term SUV, we tend to think: big, tough and nasty. The Duster is none of that.
At least a SUV should be tough, whats say?

The body panels are scarily thin (not half as thick as my Optra or Punto), so thin that it bends in if you push with a few fingers.
On 10-11 lakhs car

If we read reviews of xuv5oo, Fortuner etc., we can find that they are also over priced and made of cheap plastics. Almost all the cars selling in India are over priced as per their reviews. Very minimum cars like i10 may have VFM. So, it is not fair to complain Duster alone on those aspects, I think.

[Power Freak]

Got my hands on 2013 Duster Diesel Price list. Hike of around 20-30k across the range. Here's the Ex-Mumbai Price list for comparison between old & new cost.

MODEL-----------(OLD)-------------(NEW)
RXE 85-----------873,645-----------902,490
RXL 85-----------978,704---------- 1,007,549
RXL(O) 85--------1,083,763---------1,133,621

RXL 110----------1,083,763---------1,112,608
RXZ 110----------1,188,835---------1,207,161
RXZ(O) 110-------1,220,339---------1,259,692

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by Power Freak

Got my hands on 2013 Duster Diesel Price list. Hike of around 20-30k across the range. Here's the Ex-Mumbai Price list for comparison between old & new cost.

MODEL-----------(OLD)-------------(NEW)
RXE 85-----------873,645-----------902,490
RXL 85-----------978,704---------- 1,007,549
RXL(O) 85--------1,083,763---------1,133,621

RXL 110----------1,083,763---------1,112,608
RXZ 110----------1,188,835---------1,207,161
RXZ(O) 110-------1,220,339---------1,259,692

Seems to be along the expected lines. I guess all manufactures use the same 'band width' of 20-30K. They will have their reasons to justify the hike.

We can only hope that this will translate into better customer experience in the showrooms and service centers.

Is Renault listening or will they continue ?

[rajesh1868]

Happened to TD my friends new Duster yesterday. One thing I noticed was the front co-passenger door, can be opened from inside even in locked state. If it is locked, it cannot be opened from outside.

[Vid6639]

The Duster seems to be entering C2 segment territory and is moving away from the C1.

Earlier you could compare with Vento, Sunny, Rapid, New Fiesta, Fluidic Verna but now it is priced well above all the sedans.

Apart from the 200mm ground clearance, I am finding it very difficult to understand what extra the Duster offers to justify this huge price difference.

[theMAG]

The Duster is not designed to be positioned at this new price range - its previous market segment where it made a great value proposition in the C1 segment was one of its key success factors. In this new price range, the XUV W6 probably makes for a better choice.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Duster seems to be entering C2 segment territory and is moving away from the C1.

Earlier you could compare with Vento, Sunny, Rapid, New Fiesta, Fluidic Verna but now it is priced well above all the sedans.

Apart from the 200mm ground clearance, I am finding it very difficult to understand what extra the Duster offers to justify this huge price difference.

One additional feature i found was the space for three on the rear-bench.
Please suggest any other C1 sedan that you think can match this. It would help me a lot.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

One additional feature i found was the space for three on the rear-bench.
Please suggest any other C1 sedan that you think can match this. It would help me a lot.

Yes the Duster has wide rear seats that can accomodate 3 with a little more ease.

If you do need additional seating capacity then like I said the XUV500 W6, Tata Safari Storme, Maruti Ertiga all offer 3 rows of seating at a cheaper price. Heck the Ertiga is almost 3L cheaper now for the top end ZDi spec.

Even the Innova is very close to the Duster pricing.

Basically the Duster is now the most expensive sub 20L SUV, barring the 4X4 variants and the top end XUV W8.

[ssmani]

Originally Posted by Power Freak

Got my hands on 2013 Duster Diesel Price list. Hike of around 20-30k across the range. Here's the Ex-Mumbai Price list for comparison between old & new cost.

MODEL-----------(OLD)-------------(NEW)
RXL(O) 85--------1,083,763---------1,133,621

RXL 110----------1,083,763---------1,112,608

I had visited Khivraj Renault Showroom (Chennai) on Saturday to get new price and of-course to have test drive one more time!!! I had booked RXL(O) 85 on 9th November 2012 and waiting for update on delivery. Ex-show room price in Chennai for the above mentioned models are below

MODEL-----------(OLD)-------------(NEW)
RXL(O) 85--------1,057,471---------1,077, 900

RXL 110----------1,057,471---------1,077, 900

There is no variation in the price, please check with you dealer.

Thanks
Mani

[kumarsiddhi]

Hi All,

I'm seeing another issue in my Duster 85PS(O). The MID readings on fuel consumption don't seem to be right. Everytime i do a tank full it fills more than the MID reading of fuel consumed.

To be sure last 3 times i have filled at the same station same nozzle and Auto Cut only, still the difference is around 2-3 litres. The MID says 44 and it can accommodate 46.5+ litres.

Does anyone else face the same issue?

Obviously because of this the km/l figures are also wrong.

Sid

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by kumarsiddhi

Hi All,

I'm seeing another issue in my Duster 85PS(O). The MID readings on fuel consumption don't seem to be right. .......

To be sure last 3 times i have filled at the same station same nozzle and Auto Cut only, still the difference is around 2-3 litres. The MID says 44 and it can accommodate 46.5+ litres.


Sid

You can find your answer on this thread . The Duster's fuel tank can hold more than 60 liters, including the 20-25% free space. Try not to fill more than what is suggested in the manual.

[acroback]

Suddenly I think the price at which I got my RXL(O) was a steal :.

Anyway, coming to the point. I hear some faint rattles from left front side of the car, possibly glovebox. I am not sure and it is very difficult to corroborate this. Surprisingly the service guys are unable to replicate the issue, owing to lack of bad roads around their service center. They have done a temp job with a thick cladding of 3M tape near BT mic area but I am sure that is not the solution. I was suggested to give Car a good beating on Bangalore roads and bring the same for any rattling fixes in 2nd service.

I am not sure if it is only me or is there any one who is also facing this issue? The ride is exemplary on smooth tarmac, no rattles anywhere whatsoever. Even minor undulation and potholes do not result in rattles at low speeds. The faint rattling can be heard especially on a silent night when driving at 50+ speeds over medium potholes.

If anyone is facing this, were service guys successful in locating the root cause? Is there a tentative fix for this issue?

Thanks