[suchit23]

Dear Members,

Finally my membership got approved after 3 attempts! It was the first time I failed in anything more than once .

Anyways just because I was not a member it did not mean that I was away from TBHP. It was almost a year back when I came in to the market for a SUV or Mini SUV in < 15 lakh budget. XUV 5OO was launched and a friend suggested me to read the TBHP review. And after reading the amazingly detailed review I was hooked to TBHP. Soon I was refreshing TBHP more than my emails to see how XUV is doing and what people are saying. Was hooked to the official review thread of XUV and as well as the niggles thread. The more I read about the niggles the more I went away from the XUV.

Then came the news of EcoSport and Duster and I have been following these threads ever since.

Finally decided to go for the Duster and taking delivery in couple days. Now you know why I have chosen this thread to type in my first post.

And to do justice to this thread I will probably share why I chose the Duster in short (details can be left for the ownership review later). I have been a hatch/sedan guy all this time but now after marriage, a kid, and in laws and frequent trips out of the city I wanted something large enough to carry 5 people in comfort, with a good boot to satisfy my wife's and MIL's luggage requirements, with a good ground clearance to deal with any type of road, and yet compact enough for me to drive to work in Bangalore roads. Of course budget was always < 15 lakhs.

There were 3 options, XUV, Duster, Ecosport. XUV was a tad bigger for the city, too many niggles. Ecosport at 4 m length doesnt have enough boot space for 5 people.

Hence the Duster! Awaiting delivery in 2-3 days. In my subsequent posts I will share other experience right from test drive to booking to near delivery. I will also try to answer any open questions still in this thread. And of course I will be picking your brains for good advice on many things.

Originally Posted by kch82

1. I TD the Diesel 110 and found it to drive decently well with not much lag. However I thought the clutch was on the heavier side, specially for stop and go traffic. Various post suggest that the Diesel 85 is a better option for city driving (which will be 95% of my usage). Is the clutch of 85 any lighter and does it have more turbo lag as compare to the 110 ?

I have test driven both 110 and 85 and did not see much difference in the clutch. But the turbo lag is definitely not as significant as in 110. It kicks in much earlier. Plus you dont have to downshift too often. Both these make the 85 much better to drive in the city.

Originally Posted by Nitinz

Hi

Took Delivery of my Gentle Beast Yesterday evening. Will upload some pics over the coming weekend. Yes it is indeed RXL 110 with option pack . It comes with alloys, Airbags, reverse sensors.

This has been an absolute shocker to me. I was also on the same boat where in I booked the 85 RXL(O). Renault has some issue in dispatching this to the dealers. First the SA told me they are doing more testing for the models with airbags. That could not explain how RXZ were coming along in time. Then he told me they are producing the big margin models first. Doesnt make sense again when most bookings were for 85 RXL(O). Read Volume. Finally he offered me RXL 110 which I took at the cost of missing the airbags (rest I can add later). But at no point of time did he talk about 110 RXL(O). After reading this post I had checked with him specifically whether such a model has come. He said only one word for that "Impossible". Plus there is still no mention of this model in any official channels.

Anyways you are lucky to have got the 110 power, airbags, alloys BUT NOT the silly rear AC, Silver mirrors etc. Enjoy.

[Ulpian]

I haven't driven the Indian version, but I have been in the German spec Duster, and I can say they the clutch isn't heavy at all, just a regular clutch. In fact it is fairly light.

This 'heavy' clutch that people speak of might be a matter of perception. If anyone here has ever driven a Mercedes C Class manual they will discover what a heavy clutch is like.

One more point. The leg muscles adapt to clutches, so what seems heavy today will be perfectly acceptable in six months.

Better than gym membership in fact

[Rigid Rotor]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

....One more point. The leg muscles adapt to clutches, so what seems heavy today will be perfectly acceptable in six months.

Better than gym membership in fact

With you on that, Ulpian!
When I had changed over to an SUV from a small hatch - I had the same impression - with the SUV's long travel and somewhat heavier clutch.
I got used to it within a couple of weeks and had stronger quadriceps muscles also by then!

[werfish]

I have completed 1500 Kms this morning and since then the health sign on the dashboard has been glowing on and off while driving.I need to call the SE and ask him for help.
Anyone else had this problem?

[bnzjon]

Special edition of the Duster named ‘TechRoad’ launched in the Brazilian market.

The Duster TechRoad comes with four exterior paint options namely white, green, silver and black. Other visual additions are the black mask for the headlamps, adhesive rub strips on the doors with ‘TechRoad’ branding, all mounted on new 16” grey alloy wheels.

On the inside, the centre console houses a 7” touch screen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The touch screen supports ‘Media NAV’ which is a versatile system with GPS, Bluetooth, USB and aux-in connectivity. The variant also gets ‘TechRoad’ branded leathers upholstery as an option.

News courtesy :
http://www.noticiasautomotivas.com.b...rsao-especial/

[thalavoy]

Because of the changes to the central console for India version, the Duster accessories available online won't be able to fit in our versions.
May be that is why, Renault which hyped Navigation initially, withdrew it. The standard Navigation/single system panel won't fit :(
I was interested in an integrated system, like that in XUV.
Interesting post above. This integrated system looks like it will fit ours. The ones I saw was Dacia Duster accessory page and it had the power window switches in central console and the panel for it.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by Absar

From the pictures I've seen, and in vague memory of seeing the car on the roads in person, it does not look like the Duster has the light green tinted glass that comes with most cars these days?

The glass in my Duster does carry a mild green tint. In fact the tint is slightly darker than Logan.

Originally Posted by Ulpian

I haven't driven the Indian version, but I have been in the German spec Duster, and I can say they the clutch isn't heavy at all, just a regular clutch. In fact it is fairly light.
This 'heavy' clutch that people speak of might be a matter of perception.
The leg muscles adapt to clutches, so what seems heavy today will be perfectly acceptable in six months.

Better than gym membership in fact

All things being relative, the perception of heavy clutch is exponentially enhanced by the bumper to bumper traffic that we have to navigate. In fact, here in Chennai, everyday I am forced to travel a distance of 2 Kms for 10 mins between first and second gear. Compared with the Chevy Beat, the clutch does seem heavy.Gym membership? This goes on the way you predict it, I might end up being hell boy with the inflated left leg

Originally Posted by werfish

I have completed 1500 Kms this morning and since then the health sign on the dashboard has been glowing on and off while driving.I need to call the SE and ask him for help.
Anyone else had this problem?

My oil indicator goes off a second later than the normal instantaneous time.Might not mean anything but Iam also going to SE to get it checked. I have clocked 4500 Kms thus far.

@ thalavoy. Still the same old request. Where are the photos of your new ride?

[.anshuman]

Almost all of Dusters with seat height adjust option i have seen have a weird 2 inch play in seat travel, sales staff have no valid explanation for this.

Quality of stuff used for interiors +fit & finish nowhere close to Scala. None of these are real Renaults though.

Sittting at Renault dealer to book a Duster 110 RXL for a friend. Estimated waiting period is now quoted at 4-5 months.

[Ulpian]

All things being relative, the perception of heavy clutch is exponentially enhanced by the bumper to bumper traffic that we have to navigate. In fact, here in Chennai, everyday I am forced to travel a distance of 2 Kms for 10 mins between first and second gear. Compared with the Chevy Beat, the clutch does seem heavy.Gym membership? This goes on the way you predict it, I might end up being hell boy with the inflated left leg

Don't worry. My left leg is far stronger than my right one after using various clutches for most of my life. When I drive a small car I am surprised by the lightness of some of them, then I get into my Doblo and it feels heavy again for a few seonds, but after driving a C Class and, recently, a Chryser/Lancia Delta, my own clutch felt as light as a feather afterwards.

The best test is to drive an automatic and try brakng with the left foot. No matter how gentle you are you still practically go through the windscreen, because the clutch foot bcomes insensitive to light prssure.

I can see that India has some terrible traffic, but trust me, we do too, and the rush hour crawl can go on for ages. I was once stuck on the Brussels ring road during rush hour, and I wondered if I would get away from the nightmare before I actully became eligible for my pension. And that was after a wonderful summer early morning run along the motorway from Luxembourg, where I hardy saw another car and I was travelling at 160kph all the way.

I'm looking forward to driving the Duster because then I will finally know what I am talking about At present I am responding to drivers who inevitably compare the Duster to what they are used to and not necessarily with comparable cars. It does appear that there are not many genuinely comparable cars availale in India at present either. The huge Mahindra and the X500 are not in the same category at all, and the Ertiga, which I have also looked at on-line (we don't get any of these cars here) is also in a totally different category, since it is intended to be a small people mover, not a crossover.

It's all very fascinating to read by the way, and I'd ike to thank you all for the new experience.

[werfish]

Originally Posted by werfish

I have completed 1500 Kms this morning and since then the health sign on the dashboard has been glowing on and off while driving.I need to call the SE and ask him for help.
Anyone else had this problem?

I went to the service center to check this and they told me that i was using high gears at low speed and hence an error was logged by the car software and that was the reason for the check light. Not sure if that is normal behavior.

[suchit23]

Originally Posted by snkjr

If any Duster owner could answer please - what is the standard location of the VIN on the vehicle body?

Open the driver's door and you can see it in the B Pillar very clearly in a sticker. I have a pic, if I can figure out how to attach it here I will

Originally Posted by //M

I called up Renault Chowringhee, Kolkata to inquire about the Duster and the dealer told that the 85PS RXL (O) has been discontinued or having some production issues. Is it true? The Renault website does not mentions anything as such.

There is definitely something going on with the 85 PS. I had originally booked for one on 9th July. One month passed no updates, finally towards end of August they confirmed my vehicle is not in the dispatch schedule till end of September and there is a chance in October! So I gave up and took the 110 RXL.

Originally Posted by FlyingSpur

What? How different? Is it the same as the Fiat issue with the 98 PCD alloys? I'm going to go flipping mad if I'm stuck with an ugly car AND can't change the alloys to salvage it a bit.

The exact PCD for Duster is 5/114.3. I can confirm that in Bangalore, the accessories shops are offering metal scrap rates for the steel rims during an exchange since there are not many takers for the unusual PCD.

[frequentflyer]

The Duster seems a mixed bag going by the review and the photographs. I think it would be worth waiting for the Ford Ecosport before making a buying decision of a compact SUV.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by urajkumar

Today finally i took a test drive of the Duster diesel after getting bored waiting for the Petrol vehicle...

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...

...I will hopefully drive the petrol version soon. I will keep you all posted...

So did you get the opportunity to drive the petrol Duster? I'm sorry, I might have missed your post if you have.

I haven't been able to find much on it, on the interweb.

We're interested in the petrol Duster and may look to buy one in the next year or so. We're not interested in the diesel, however good it may be. The reasons are personal.

Originally Posted by urajkumar

...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!

The integrated fog-lamp bull-bar like housing and the fender cladding does give it a very nice, raw appeal. I'd skip the door-cladding though. It looks like an after-thought. If you look closely, it doesn't merge and 'flow' with the wheel-arch cladding.

EDIT: What's pushing us away from the petrol Duster is that there is absolutely no safety-kit that comes with it, even as an option. That's quite disappointing.

[urajkumar]

I have given up now... last time they called and said by sep end. They are obviously not bothered considering low demand but things will change once ecosport comes. Let's see how they run behind customers; they right now (obviously) don't care.

[raul]

Urajkumar - hang in there. If you want the Duster wait for it. They should ideally share delivery dates/week to manage this properly. Having uncertain customers will only end up clogging the customer support system and dealer network for booked business, which is what has happened.

I don't want this to sound like an excuse because there can be no excuse for delivering an indifferent customer experience but its quite likely Renault were taken by complete surprise by the Duster demand and are now ramping up to deliver.

This is never easy as all parts of the organization needs to ramp up and processes put in place. I think there will be some temporary pain which we are now experiencing. So I would not take this as a reflection of customer service levels owning a Duster in the medium to long term. In the interim customers are being badly inconvenienced and Renault is probably losing business with dealers quoting 4-5 months. Nobody will wait that long.

Renault are clearly seeing an excellent response and one would expect them to embrace this upside and ride it.