Team-BHP - Renault Duster : Official Review

Test drove both, the 85ps RXE and the 110ps RXZ(O). Can make th following observations based on my test drives:

Very easy ingress and egress

Sufficient legroom on the front and sufficient kneeroom at the rear as well (as against some people complaining about it). I am 6 feet and sat on front seat adjusting comfortably, then sat at the rear with the same setting. My knees didn't touch the front seat.

The rear AC in the 110 RXZ is very good for Jaipur summers, but is a pain for the middle occupant on the rear seat, as it keeps touching the legs every now and then.

No cup holders in the space between the front seats. I am too used to these in my Baleno, Estillo and Honda City.

Interior panel gaps are fairly consistent. No bad fittings here. But the plastic is tad too hard for the segment. This segment calls for a better one. (although its way better compared to Scorpio, Safari)

The NVH levels are very impressive. Very mild Diesel Clatter on the inside. On the outside, its noticeabe, though not very loud.

The suspension setup is the best I have experienced in any car upto a price of Rs 25 Lacs (Superb, Passat etc.). Offers the best ride quality

Doesn't feel as if you're driving a SUV. Very sedan like driving manners. Minimal Body roll, and no dramatic wobbles or skids.

The 110ps mill has turbo lag till 2000 rpm, btu post that it accelerated very well. I think that's a habit that can be developed to keep it in the turbo range. There's always enough power on the tap. Definitely a Mile Muncher on Highways.
the 85 ps mill was a delight in the city, but a bit underpowered as compared to the 110ps one. However, I am sure, I wouldn't have said so had I not driven the 110ps one. Also, the 85ps engine is a bit louder on the inside (Not very intrusive or irritating though).
The ICE sound quality is strictly average, neither bad, nor good.
I just love the Audio buttons below the steering. Believe me, once you get usedto them they're much more convinient than the regular ones on the steering. They don't interfere with Horn Pad on one side. I like it.
The ORVM adjuster below the handbrake is a French quirk that had to be carried on. But tell me frankly, how many of you adjust the ORVMs while driving? Decent to be set while the car being parked.
The rear parcel tray is a boon to store all your knick knacks.
A full Size Alloy Spare. A rare feature on a car that has been made in a cost efficient manner.
Driver Height adjust is either UP or DOWN, no mid setting.
All in all, a great SUV to buy at the price. Booked my 110ps RXZ(o) Silver. Silver looks amazing during the day.

Hope my details were of help to those looking to buy one.

Dad got a call from Narmada Toyota regarding some faulty part which might need attention. The steering shaft was replaced under warranty after inspection. Cost of part = Rs. 5K. No charges on customer, replaced under warranty.

Renault Vadodara showroom is next to Toyota. Visited them and had a look at duster.

As soon as I entered the parking area, the TD duster was being worked onto. A guy had the air intake no his hand. Dont know why such a new vehicle would need parts to be ripped of in name of service. When I came out after having look at duster, the TD duster was still being worked onto and some liquid was being poured out.

My initial impression of Duster:

1) Cheap plastics. Worth a Rs. 4-5 lakh rupee hatch.
2) Wiper. Very poor design and quality seemed even bad. Our Waggie has better lenght of wiper blade and better quality rubber.
3) Good front seats, though side support not good.
4) Rear seats slightly short on thigh support. Only reasonable space at rear. Nothing great.
5) Door are quite well built.
6) The car is not as tall as you would like it to be. Innova seating is higher than Duster.
7) ORVM are almost useless. Good for highway, but not in city and not so good while parking.
8) Heavy clutch.
9) Good boot space, but no split seat.

To me, it looks like a worked out hatch rather than SUV. Top end version costs Rs. 12.6L OTR in my city. The real SUV would have atleast seating position like Scorpio atleast. Even Innova seems to be more impressive than Duster in terms of outside visibility, space and practicality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 2853062)

2) Wiper. Very poor design and quality seemed even bad. Our Waggie has better lenght of wiper blade and better quality rubber.

A lot of posts regarding the rain wipers.

Yesterday, I got to drive the Duster 110 in extremely heavy rain (the kind of heavy rains we have in North Bengal) + bad roads; I thought they were good conditions to test drive the car.

The wipers worked quite well, I thought. It is a 3-speed wiper; did it job pretty well. The Duster ate up the roads quite well, although I felt the bit stiff suspension was making the ride a touch too stiff.

Also, while it drives car like, it is not as car like like, say a CRV. It does feel more like an SUV than a car. Hope this helps prospective buyers.

I would sum it up as: A good go-anywhere car, priced a tad high, with uninteresting interiors.

I had a look @ the Renault Official Website regarding the specifications of 85PS RXL variant where i noticed Airbag & ABS as optional, now my question is can one get these two in RXL itself without going for the RXL Option Pack, if yes then does any one know the cost involved in it?

This is going to sound really strange but i cant help asking this ,
Does a negative offset aftermarket alloy wheel affect warranty ? i.e if i take the RXE variant and customize the way i want !
Will that affect the mileage of this car as well?stupid:

Hats off to GTO for such a splendid and detailed review. He has even taken pains to take snaps of the underbody, vow!!! Non of the auto magazine will cover in such detail. Great job.
After going through the review I think I'll have to wait for the Ecosport to be launched, just as i was waiting for the duster to be launched before i decide to spend my Rs 10-12lacs on something as cheap as the duster.
I have chip tunned my linea and 2 of my friends figo for roughly 7k each by getting the racechip from germany and we are all more than happy with the results.So i personally believe that chip tunning the 85 duster is a better option than going in for the 110 duster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheel (Post 2853176)

@johy - Did they get the 85ps version also?

My friend is looking forward to book the 110PS top-end @ Siliguri. What is the status quo? You looking forward to it?

Sheel sir, only the 110 version as of now, top-end one. It drives well and I kind of liked the lack of noise inside the car when the engine was running (thankfully I did not double-crank it - as I have sometimes done in other cars)..wonder if there is double-crank protection, think not. I am interested in the rxL 85 ps version + option pack, but I will also compare others cars in the same price range before signing on the dotted line.

Status quo. Sales rep says 45 days, but they will deliver in 30 days. However, another person working there said 3 months, to which I retorted, then it would make better sense waiting for the EcoSport, to which he responded with a crestfallen look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyjeeperk (Post 2853204)

The "option/optional" mentioned for RxL 85 ps version includes an Optional pack

which includes:
Dual front airbag + ABS, EBD, brake assist + Driver Seat Belt Reminder + Alloys + reverse parking sensor = you have to take the entire pack, you can't pick one without the others in the list.

Great review GTO! Covered all aspects, important ones & the ones you figure out only after having bought the car.
Renault's got a lot riding on the strangely named Duster. I suspect the base and mid variants to sell well, provide a well rounded package against the present offerings.

That being said, I think the interiors are an ergonomic and design nightmare. I was going through the 'smaller and significant things' section of the review and kept wondering why there had been such idiotic omissions like the auto-down windows, the speed sensing auto-lock, the plastic housing of the seat adjustment lever, the weird placements of knobs and stalks, when they've paid enough attention to rather unnecessary details like fuel consumption in litres!

This seems to be an alarming trend I notice in newly releasing cars which seems to give a darn about ergonomics. A person who enters a showroom for a prospective purchase isn't going to like having to adjust to the new car. And what I'm talking about here isn't rocket science, the designers really need to follow set protocols. I believe it was another Renault, the Fluence that had a left-right confusion too. Its bonnet release lever was near the passenger footwell!! :deadhorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyjeeperk (Post 2853204)

No. You cant choose items from the option pack. If you want the ABS and Airbag on your Duster, you are forced to take the RXL Option Pack version.
If you plan to change the alloy wheels, then you will have to do it at a loss (because you are forced to take the alloys in option pack).

Back in the 80s there was a music video of the song by Michael Jackson called Liberian Girl. Cant help but comparing the wait for Delivery of Duster to the search of Michael Jackson in that Video.
"WHERE IS THE DUSTER?"
Iam hunting down my SA everyday to the point that he is starting to hide from me.
My bank is also asking me if I'm sure that the vehicle will be on road. What is Renault doing? Does anybody have any information? I'm yet to see any vehicles other that the demo vehicles on road. At least did anybody receive any allotment no. with VIN? Please share.