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-   -   Renault Duster : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review-323.html)

I am using Roots Windtone on my Duster and I am happy with it. Hella Twintone is not bad too.

The grill design look boring IMO. Apart from the face that it has daytime running LED lights the existing double barrel design is more appealing.

Just came back from a Kochi - Munnar drive. Few observations on the car's performance. It was a pleasure to drive the duster on ghats. Most of the inclines were tackled in 3rd or 4th gear. 2nd gear was engaged only during slowing down for traffic in front of me. FE was good too. Returned 17kmpl for a 290km trip which included 60 kms city driving through congested Kochi roads.

I was staying at Tea Valley resort which is situated inside a tea estate. The last 2-3 kms to the resort is a narrow estate road and it was fun driving the Duster. Attaching couple of pics to give an idea on the kind of roads.

Hi, finally brought a white 2015 RxL 85PS navigation pack duster after getting confirmation that the 110PS model comes with only driver side airbag. The total cost break up was as follow-
14.46 Lakhs on road,
80k discount-13.66 lakhs payable +12k worth accessories free+ a 2gm gold coin
My heart burns that my friend brought a top end 110PS model (my desire) for 12.60 lakhs after a 1.6 lakhs discount in Delhi this January!!(Talk about uniform taxation please!)
Any ways coming to the car-it really doesn't feel like a 13.6 lakhs car!period. Theres a long list of things i missed on the so called top end version of the car. Some i recall right now-

No climate control (the 8 lakh rupee Pulse has it!)wanted this feature
No rear parking camera! must have feature for such a large vehicle also seems a major oversight when you do have such a large touch screen inside already.
Parking sensors have audio beeps, no display! also beeps are not direction sensitive.
No Auto roll down windows-even on driver side. No anti-pinch feature. The export variants have this feature. Wanted this feature
Would have wanted a ESP especially as a safety feature.
No auto fold mirrors (again the pulse has it!)wanted this feature
No bottle holders in the doors!Only one near the handbrake! really wanted this.
No leather/leatherette seat covers. (again the pulse has it!)wanted this feature
No chrome inner pull levers(again the pulse has it!)wanted this feature
No chrome hand brake button(again the pulse has it!)wanted this feature
No button start (again the pulse has it!) , but admit i dont fancy this feature anyways
No keyless entry(again the pulse has it!) , but admit i don't fancy this feature anyways.
AC takes time to cool the rear.
would have preferred Xenon lights. Spare Alloy wheel.
Chrome exterior door handles!every car i see have fitted it as an accessory, why cant Renault factory fit it?
No silver body skid plates.

I know that's a long complaint list, but i really think that Renault is short changing its Indian customers with an attitude that people will buy it anyway. It pains me to read in the user manual that these same features are being offered on the model internationally. Whats a top end model without these features?

People might ask me why i brought this then, i still liked the overall build, the proportions , the practical boot and proper 5 seat layout, the excellent ride quality, good mileage and low maintenance costs involved in the ownership. Would have loved to own the 110PS model but budget had been stretched to max limits. Most of things i wanted in the car are superficial but then a car is a aspirational thing to have and one is never too satisfied!
Thanx Team-Bhpians for the inputs!

I'm close to 40k, 38250 to be precise and I still don't have any problems with my tyres



Oh yes, I have them and they are loud enough.

In that case, it may be the terrain I drive and my driving style - the reasons for premature wearing of tyres.

I am planning to upgrade my tyres at around 25000 to 30000 km.

Regarding the horn upgrading,Renault is officially against horn replacement ,with aftermarket products.I was discouraged by service centre saying that they have got email instructions not to upgrade the same as it may affect your electricals.They might even deny warranty. I really miss, those Roots megasonics, I had in my swift.

They reassured me that Renault is planning for an official horn upgradation kit,with all wiring and harnesses.

Off topic: My odo is around 18000 Km and was fed up with annoying rattling from both roof and door channels.
So took the car to service centre ,as per instruction I got from Renault India ,for an email i sent them.
They gave me free roof updation ,which is a part of new Dusters from AWD model onwards,under warranty.Now the roof rattling is completely settled.But window glass channel rattling, still persists.

That's interesting.

The stock horn in my old 2wd Duster is downright cheap. And I'm not saying this because the the output is weak or it sounds plain boring; this horn sends out strong vibrations to the car body- reason could be poorly designed mounting brackets or the horn itself.

I find the horn in my AWD sufficient. Not too loud and not at all weak; and passes lesser vibrations in to the body.

I'm quite happy with the way Renault is addressing customer complaints. Following are some of the updates that I'm aware of:

#1. Up-sized door strikers to fix the door rattle
#2. Updated weatherstrip on the body (the one that runs all the way from windshield to the rear door) to fix the squeaking sounds produced when door edges rub against it. The weatherstrip in initial batches had a felt like lining on one side of it.
#3. Updated steering pressure pipe to reduce the steering kickback
#4. Roof padding's to fix the roof rattles

and now plans for free horn upgrade ! whoa ! :thumbs up

Which size/brand you have in mind? My friend is also planning to get an upgrade and is looking for AT tyres. He does lot of driving through estate roads.

I have Yokohama Geolandar in mind.

http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/de...eolandar_a_t_s

My Duster is almost due for its second service (9300 on the odo) and I've started feeling some extra bounciness with the car. There is also a distinct 'thak' noise from the rear left side when the car goes through pot-holes.

On inspecting the under-carriage I noticed that the left side strut always remains wet as if leaking oil.

I checked this over a couple of days and its the same every day - right side dry, left wet.

Could this indicate a damaged strut? And is replacement required immediately?


Left side


Right side

With the Duster 110PS, 2WD now generating 245NM of torque 500 revs lower at 1750rpm, identical to the AWD, I wonder if that takes care of the infamous turbo lag? Logically, it should. However, the Official Review of the Lodgy 110PS (also running the same engine tune) does mention of lag being present :Frustrati.

Can anyone please confirm? Can any fellow-bhpian who has either driven or owns the 2015 Version of the Duster 110 PS 2WD RXZ/L throw some light on this?please:

Looks like the shock absorber is leaking oil. The sooner you get it replaced the better.

If your car is new and only 9300 km, it should be covered in warranty .

I recently changed tyres at 55k. Changed to Yoko Geolandar ATS. Less road noise than the balding MRF.

- Changed all five I guess?
- What was the odometer reading when you changed?

Hi all,

I have a 2014 Duster with Medianav. Have been looking to install a reverse cam that uses the Medianav screen as diaplay... But was told that this is not possible.

Can anyone confirm if the AVN system in the Lodgy is the same as Duster? If yes, I guess this is possible now.

I meant the ODO reading at 55k kms. Changed only 4 tyres :) 4 tyres cost me 35k