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-   -   Renault Duster : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review-44.html)

thanks GTO for excellent review. I learnt driving on JEEP before 20 years . Never had a chance to drive Jeep after that . Was driving sedans all this years but my love for Jeep was always there. When i saw Duster i felt this is an SUV which is in my affordability range and had nostalgia of old driving days when i took test drive and after reading review i booked it and now waiting.....they say wait till February.

[quote=Neil Roy;2871576]@Rada,
I have kept the original Steel rims. Who would want them?

one of my friend tells that steel wheels always have better ride quality than alloys. There is also more fuel consumption with alloy wheels. Is it true?

once you fall in love it looks better than everything. :)

Today finally i took a test drive of the Duster diesel after getting bored waiting for the Petrol vehicle. It was fine. Nothing out of the world but not bad either! Looks imposing from the front, like a big hatchback from the back but inside it feels like a slightly tall hatchback only.

So being a petrol head, i asked him if the petrol version would ever be ready for a test drive & he assured me it will be ready in 10 days.

The shocking aspect was when he told me, petrol vehicles would take 4 months to be delivered :Frustrati (More the diesel vehicles deliver time of 3 months). he added out of the 700 vehicles booked, 53 were petrol vehicles. These 53 customers booked it without even driving the petrol car & proves that love is still blind. :D (ahh well so did a lot of BHP'ians friends book the 85 PS version without driving it). Anyway I was hoping like all other brands, petrol would be the easiest to get immd but he killed my only hope. So now back to my confused state of mind. I will hopefully drive the petrol version soon. I will keep you all posted.

BTW, this has come already but i am attaching a pic of what i saw when i was leaving. The sales guy said these are extra accessories offered by Renault and it should be available soon. So for ppl taking Duster delivery, i think you should pick up the bumper & side skirts cos it makes the Duster look fantastic!

I booked a 110 BHP without even seeing the vehicle. BUT I did not buy it. I have not yet made up my mind to buy it even after few test drives. The cost of cancelling a booking is INR 2500. A small price to pay to avoid waiting few months for a million rupee car

Dusters have started to come out across Delhi... Have spotted few in the past few days, here some pics cpics:

I have to agree, Duster has some unique road presence, it might not stand out in a crowd but when you spot it... man it steals your attention like crazy!

Enjoy the pics!

Anyone has any idea about the waiting period for RXL (O)? I booked it around July end, when would I be getting it?

History: Picked up a Honda city 3 weeks back, after a week of confusion between City & Duster.
However, I had a doubt in my mind, if I had made the right choice.
Yesterday, my doubts are cleared, and I am happy I made the right choice.

Yesterday, I drove the 110bhp version. Some observations:
- My friend's Duster was parked between Scorpio and an Innova, and I found it puny. Once the novelty factor goes off, and once we start seeing more dusters (with the shine gone) on the road, it will just be another car.
- Don't have to bother about small pots or tiny speed breakers, which is a +ve. However, the turbo lag is very much apparent at 2nd gear, this is very annoying. I drove diesels like Linea and Octavia, but I hated the turbo lag in Duster.
- Interiors did not 'feel' cozy or spacious as compared to city. The city feels luxurious when compared to Duster. The interiors in Duster is basic & feel cheap.
- City also wins on Steering and maneuverability. As a driver, its a pleasure driving the city/linea, but it is tiresome to drive a Duster, especially in city traffic conditions. The steering felt very heavy.


Finally, what I wanted to convey is, don't go for Duster unless you test drive it and are happy with it and also if you have specific need for a crossover type vehicle.
It is no comparison to polished sedans like City, Linea, Rapid and the likes.
Just my 2 cents

Congrats Neil, that's a terrific looking Duster with those alloys. There will be a lot of head turners for sure. Happy driving.
Zen kobane, thanks for the photographs from Delhi, the white looks very imposing. Infact the white colour looks the best at night.

Here in Siliguri, there are no cancellation charges. The bookings are so many, if you cancel your booking, someone else is going to buy it.

Can't make up your mind? Exactly what happened to me. I later decided against booking it. It did not feel "special enough." Not exciting. Once the EcoSport and other compact SUVs are out, this is going to look old. I looked at it carefully time and again and all the colors, sans the brown, look old, dated, and tired already. Man, that is a million bucks you are paying for a tired-looking, worn-out car? :eek:

Having said that, it looks perfect in a rural/semi-rural setting that I live in. The farm truck for the rustic surroundings and bad roads. :D

February 2013. Well my friend that it too close to EcoSport territory. Not worth the wait, IMO. And really if you want to wait that long, just wait for the EcoSport and then make up your mind; book the vehicle you want at that time.

The first sales rep whom I dealt with told me "Don't buy a petrol SUV - even if your running is low; it will be difficult to sell it off when the time comes." I think she was right. Mate, go for the Diesel 85Ps.

Thanks for the picture. That Duster in its surroundings makes it look real good!

Rain! I test-drove the Duster in pouring rain and over bad roads; exactly the conditions I would expect it to perform in. I am surprised that they would not let you test drive it due to rains!

Customer reception by the Renault staff, at least here, has been less than welcoming. The sales rep I was dealing with NEVER called me back. It was me who was calling her up all the time..."Has the TD vehicle arrived?" "Has the 85ps version arrived, etc?" It seemed to me I was dying to buy the car, whilst they were least interested in selling it; not a good situation from a customer's perspective. The market forces should be customer focused; I did not feel the same while visiting Renault. It must be the "Duster effect."

However, one fine day, a gentleman from sales did call up, informing me that the 85Ps Diesel was here and that he would arrange a TD for me the next morning. The next morning when I got there, they had put the 85Ps version on display and the sales reps told me that "no, it is not possible to test drive it." It was like arranged marriages - look at the photograph and select your bride - not exactly my cup of tea.

I have a feeling that many customers will walk away in due time from Renault due to:
1) The less-than-welcoming attitude of the dealers.
2) The tired/worn-out look of the Duster.
3) Long waiting period. One starts to get restless and look for options.

Its both good and bad you have cancelled. Good because you couldn't make up your mind. More over since the waiting after all the hoopla is like ages to come, it actually leaves a bad taste in the mouth after the enthusiasm dies down with time. Waiting 3-4 months for a car might actually make me go mad.

Bad because you will be missing an excellent ride. I am sure it will be magical to drive through Sevoke Road and then through the winding roads of Lava or west Sikkim via Meli, Namchi.:thumbs up

If you have canceled the Duster, 70% of the blame actually goes to the dealer. The should have made you feel like a King but on the contrary, even I too had the same feeling.
I wonder what would have happened if Duster was from the Hyundai or a Maruti Stable

lol: I am sure you had your chance as you are married. There is no option of looking at a photograph too.

All said and done, wonder what the Renault management at Chennai is doing.
Not a single TV commercial yet too.

Have you received any call from Renault India (I don't mean the dealer)?

Did the dealer themselves call you back for confirming the booking?

Have you not received a time-frame for delivery from your dealer?

I booked around July-end too, and the dealer has told me that I should expect a delivery around 15th of September, but this dealer I do not trust. I haven't received any call from Renault India yet, thus I am shooting off emails every week or so on one pretext or the other (all valid) to keep myself in their focus radar.

Mondal Sir Ji,

The thought about taking the family for a ride up the hills was one of the main reasons I thought about the Duster. And frankly still do! stupid:

But then that is not a thing I do every month, or even two months. It will probably once or twice a year.... okay make that 4 times a year. A small hatch like the Wagon R suffices for these routes as the trips are so infrequent. And as you know so well, the WagonRs are so popular as taxis in these parts, people are often hauling me up for a ride when I drive the WagonR; if it is a Wagon R, it must be a taxi!

And when I do venture alone, I would go on a high-altitude trek and stay in the mountains for a week; not a good thing to take the Duster and keep at the Yuksom hotel for a week, I think.

And when I really need a rugged SUV, I can always hire one and support the local economy as well.

Anyways, the long waiting period and the indecisiveness gives me time to think about the EcoSport (not for me, but for my brother - but then if he has it; I get to drive it and he would get to drive my T-jet when it comes!).

Edit: When are you coming on your birding trip? Have you been to Samthar for birding; it seems to be a good place for bird enthusiasts like you. I have been to Samthar a couple of times, but it was trekking up from Coronation Bridge (via Panbu) or from the hydro project site via Suruk.

here cancellation costs 10,000

Around 1.00 PM today, saw a silver duster exiting the road behind the Kali temple and joining the Kasturi nagar 2nd main road, in front of Rakesh Fantasy Garden apartments. Belongs to someone here?

I booked on 28 th July and told that delivery will be in Jan/Feb 2013

Oh boy, I cant wait that long... My old hatch Getz is hating me already, I need to change asap. If the wait is that long, I will probably get something else.

Surprisingly my dealer said 3-4 months, which is before November end!