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-   -   Renault Duster : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review-258.html)

Good to read that Renault Duster is doing so well worldwide. Wonder if all other countries mentioned in the above article have started rolling out 2014 facelift Duster with new exterior & interiors.

In India they speculate the 2014 facelift to come only end of current year or early 2015. So if it comes in 2015, the facelift will still be a year old when Indian customers finally get it. Why does Renault launch new versions later for Indian customers? I mean, a few months here and there is acceptable, but a year later launching the previous year's facelift is a long time. On the other hand Honda, Toyota, VW, Hyundai etc. launch new models in India within a few months of after rolling it out worldwide.

With 85K units being produced in India as per article, India is a sizable market. Renault should consider getting the 2014 facelift earlier in India just like other automobile manufacturers.

Produced in India but not all are sold in India. Avg sales in India for duster is approx 4000 units per month.

Agree. I'd say that is a sizable number too wrt to other models (from Hyundai, VW, Honda etc.) being sold in India.

Which brings me to wonder if the Renault Duster assembly line in India manufactures 2 variants; first a pre 2014 facelift of the 4K odd units a month for Indian customers and the second assembly of 2014 facelift variant for other world wide markets.

I also do understand from articles & forums that Renault Duster & Nissan Terrano will be rolling out 4x4 versions of the SUVs post July 2014 to compete with EcoSport. But question is will both the above get the new 2014 facelift features for the Indian customers.

Crikey!! Not very complimentary.:eek: And some India bashing too by those chaps. To be fair tho' some of it may be deserved with our chalta hai commitment to quality.
The Autocar UK review seems to be a bit more appreciative - not a lot but just a tad more.:)
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/dacia/duster

That depends on how you want to read and on which side you are vis-a-vis the rich or the poor man's vehicle.

Road conditions in India are totally different than UK. I find Duster totally suitable to the Indian conditions. The ride comfort is supreme and the safety is better than the Japs. This makes for a compelling buy and if the company offers a nice service network in the future, Duster could continue its magic reign for an extended period.

I am getting my new Duster tomorrow :-) So you now know which side of the divide I am on. I find it funny that Englishmen should be talking about quality and dependability of engineering and vehicles. Their motorbikes were some of the most headache prone bikes that would stop on the way, leak oil etc. The Japanese wiped them out with their legendary dependability.
And now they expect quality and that too from us.

Great, look forward to having some good time with Duster.

All or most of right-hand drive Duster vehicles are made in Chennai. So, UK guys do not have many options if they want to buy a Duster. I believe, Duster sells in the range of 1,000 number in the UK. That is nearly one-fourth of the business that India generates. And, this, clearly tells you that Indian production base will continue to be main export centre for the right-hand driven Dusters in UK.

It's not only, one million users also suffering from rattles.. I kind of hate rattles in my duster, they never get addressed by service in Hyderabad.

Otherwise, I have no complaints. It's poor man Lexus 350.

It's surely a poor mans Lexus. No car in this range gives such FE with ride quality and ready to go anywhere feel. My Duster does not fall into that one million category of cars with rattle, its absolutely rattle free.
Try to build a relation with a mech outside the service centre, will be of help in more ways than one.

My Duster is running on OE steel wheels from 45K kms. The shake is similar to a bearing shake, but does not arise from the bearing or the knuckle assembly. As I said earlier, 4 out of 10 Dusters ramped up, had this problem and only in the right front wheel

My 85ps Duster is dues for it's 10,000 km service. So folks, is there anything that I need to be particular about ? I'll be sticking to mineral oil,and will be doing wheel rotation and alignment (had done it @5k. Will be doing it every 5k kms).
Do I need to bother about Air Filter, Dust/Pollen filter et. al ?

And..yes, there're lots of faint rattles and squeaks. Doors, Dashboard, Steering, B pillar, what not :) Overall experience was good though.

Have thoughts about getting skid plates, the vehicle looks so incomplete without them. But then the prices are very steep, around 14k for both, as I was informed. Is there any place where we can get them at a cheaper price ?

Hi All,

My Verna 1.6 CRDI , 2.5 yrs old, 42.5 k on odo is fetching 8.5 L. Thus getting tempted to sale it & go for 85 bhp Duster, top but one model. Has a talk to the showroom person & getting an impression that total discount he may offer is around 25 k. Please help me with my queries :-

1. Is 25 k discount on on-road price ok?

2. I have driven a 85 bhp Duster few months back. It felt more refined than my Verna. Took it easily upto 120 kmph. Pick up was better than what I expected. Upto what speed, 85 Duster reaches fairly easily. I need that to be 140 kmph atleast. Verna reaches 160 kmph pretty quickly.

3. What is the actual FE 85 Duster gives with AC in city & on long drives. Please mention highway FE with the maintained speed & load inside. Is the FE comparable to Sunny/Scala having the same engine. Though wider tyres, more wind resistance & more weight will have it's adverse impact on FE, but is it significantly low than Scala/Sunny.

4. Heard that wind noise is more at speeds above 100 kmph. How much of a bother is it?

5. What about the maintenance cost, ease of servicing, reliability, accident repairing, spare parts cost & availability?

6. 110 PS Duster is out of my budget. Is the clutch of 85 Duster lighter than 110 Duster ? Lesser tubolag & more FE of 85 Duster will be a boon.

7. What is the stock tyre brand? Any suggestions for immediate up-gradation, if really required?

8. Have any of the 85 Duster owners driven Verna 1.6 CRDI. If yes, please draw a comparison, which will be of great help to me.

9. Have driven Eco Sport Petrol & diesel. Liked those, but not as much as Duster. Is Ecosport more VFM & is it wise to go for cheaper ES with more features? I am ok with the space ES provides.

10. If any one have tried Terreno, please advise the improvements over Duster. I personally like the look of Duster more than Terreno. Heard that Terreno is much more refined than Duster. Is it true & is the difference significant? I love cabin quietness. If there is a significant difference, I may go for Terenno.

Thanks

@Chitta:

1. If it is cash, it is good. Please check again - must be exchange bonus
2. No opinion
3. Heard around 15-16kmpl from actual users. YMMV
4. No opinion
5. Heard regular maintenance is fine. Accident repair - spares shortage is an issue. Reliability is 50:50. Read couple of articles on this thread re Duster quality from UK
6. Did not find it noticeable.
7. Saw Apollo & MRF. MRF on the 110.
8. No opinion but different categories.
9. Your call. VFM is a personal concept as value is personal.
10. Terrano is identical to the Duster. If you like the Duster's looks better, there is nothing to justify the 1lac additional cost.

Any specific reasons to give it away? Because the car has lot of life left. Hope you are also aware that you would be surely disappointed in Duster/Terrano from a features point of view compared to what you have on your Verna.

Basically I hope you know what you are leaving on the table, and what you are going for. As long as that mathematics is clear, no issues. Not discouraging from buying, but just wanted to set that part clear.

3. What is the actual FE 85 Duster gives with AC in city (13-14kmpl) & on long drives (17+), 90-100Kmph. Please mention highway FE with the maintained speed & load inside. it is atleast 2-3kmpl lesser than Scala/Sunny.

4. With windows closed, not much.

6. 110 PS Duster is out of my budget. Is the clutch of 85 Duster lighter than 110 Duster ? Lesser tubolag & more FE of 85 Duster will be a boon. True on all counts

7. What is the stock tyre brand? MRF and Apollo(?) Any suggestions for immediate up-gradation, if really required? Stock MRF is good. Pls utilize them

8. Have any of the 85 Duster owners driven Verna 1.6 CRDI. If yes, please draw a comparison, which will be of great help to me. Verna has a very linear engine response, NVH are the best in the 10-15L price range.

9. Have driven Eco Sport Petrol & diesel. Liked those, but not as much as Duster. Is Ecosport more VFM & is it wise to go for cheaper ES with more features? I am ok with the space ES provides. I am not sure how much of a VFM it is - but the ES Auto is an excellent option.

10. If any one have tried Terreno, please advise the improvements over Duster. I personally like the look of Duster more than Terreno. Heard that Terreno is much more refined than Duster. Is it true & is the difference significant? I love cabin quietness. If there is a significant difference, I may go for Terenno. Terrano is all about the looks- its the same car underneath the skin.