[sharninder]

I agree but a tyre burst is a scenario not in control of the driver and is probably one of the most confidence denting things to happen in a car. Thank god no one was injured, though.

I went for a test drive of the duster today and the Renault showroom here in Noida. The place was pretty professionally run but considering the fact that I'm used to Tata/fiat showrooms, take my opinion with a grain of salt.

The model available for the TD was the 110 ps top end and frankly the only thing I really was concentrating on was the turbo lag and I was pleasantly surprised. Granted its not a petrol model but the lag in the first gear was pretty much manageable. The showroom is in an industrial area with pretty bad roads and the cars mannerisms are excellent.

To be frank, I'm sold on the car even with the pretty bad interiors. I'm now thinking if its worth it waiting for the Ecosport. The ford will definitely have better interiors but lesser space and the ride quality will probably not be as good as the duster.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sharninder

To be frank, I'm sold on the car even with the pretty bad interiors. I'm now thinking if its worth it waiting for the Ecosport. The ford will definitely have better interiors but lesser space and the ride quality will probably not be as good as the duster.

Apart from the drive, if back seat space is a concern for you, you will need to decide in favour of the Duster. Good leg room is something
which I would doubt on a sub 4 meter product. Also check ACI video review of Quanto.
There is a mention about its space being good mainly for the city.

No doubts on Ecosport's drivability though ! It will have to be an absolute joy!

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by ampere

Apart from the drive, if back seat space is a concern for you, you will need to decide in favour of the Duster. Good leg room is something
which I would doubt on a sub 4 meter product. Also check ACI video review of Quanto.
There is a mention about its space being good mainly for the city.

No doubts on Ecosport's drivability though ! It will have to be an absolute joy!

I agree but I'm looking for a vehicle that I can keep for the next 8-9 years and I'm not sure how will the dusters plastics hold for that long. Now, you see my confusion.

The Quanto is out of contention for the simple reason that it's based on the Xylo. Anyway we're going off topic now.

The duster ticks all the right marks except for the interiors.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sharninder

The duster ticks all the right marks except for the interiors.

I do agree on Quanto. I just meant it as a reference to space.
Duster plastics are bad, but I think they can hold. Though only time will tell !

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sharninder

The duster ticks all the right marks except for the interiors.

Then it should be a no-brainer. Because whichever car you choose to buy you will always spot that Duster on the road and cringe inside. If the plastics are that much of a deal-breaker, then you might have to wait for the EcoSport and that's when you should get it.

Please refer post post #1363 (!!) in this thread (Ford EcoSport Preview @ Auto Expo 2012. EDIT : Indian Spy Pics on Pg. 33), for my take on it.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sharninder

I agree but I'm looking for a vehicle that I can keep for the next 8-9 years and I'm not sure how will the dusters plastics hold for that long. Now, you see my confusion.

The Quanto is out of contention for the simple reason that it's based on the Xylo. Anyway we're going off topic now.

The duster ticks all the right marks except for the interiors.

The Duster will surely last you8 or 9 years. Its a tough beast.
You can always spice up the interiors by getting an aftermarket job done by one of these first class interior and upholstery specialists!

[floyd.bell]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

Also, the base Yeti is not as quick as the Duster

Are you saying that Yeti 110 is slower than Duster 110? Are you sure? Because I feel Yeti is marginally (read 1 sec) faster than Duster, atleast on paper.
I have driven the 110 Yeti and its an absolutely splendid vehicle, amazing engine, no turbo lag which adds to its advantage. But, as you mentioned, all this comes at a price

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

Also, the base Yeti is not as quick as the Duster

The base Yeti (4X2, 110bhp) is a tad quicker than the Duster. It does 0-100 in about 11.76s compared to the duster's 11.88s. This data is from Autocar. And, the turbo-lag is lesser in the Yeti and the roll-on times are better.

[Ulpian]

The base Yeti (4X2, 110bhp) is a tad quicker than the Duster. It does 0-100 in about 11.76s compared to the duster's 11.88s. This data is from Autocar. And, the turbo-lag is lesser in the Yeti and the roll-on times are better.

The base Yeti in Britain is the 1.2 TSI petrol. It gives 0-100kph in 11.8 seconds, which is practically identical to the 110 Diesel Duster. But because the Duster is a Diesel the torque is better so in real world driving it is faster. It also saves about £30 a year in road tax. Also, the Duster is more than 10mpg (sorry to mix units) more economical across the board. I don't know about turbo lag, but no Eurpean review I have read has mentioned it in the Duster 110, perhaps the tweaks we have to comply with emission regulations and the fitment of the DPF make for a different torque curve? Anyway, all turbo Diesels have some degree of lag and it can easily be driven around once you get the hang of it.

I know this is comparing petrol with Diesel, but I am talking of the lowest priced Yeti against the top Duster (2x4). In this case the Yeti costs £250 more. Not much, but to get the equivalent base Diesel Yeti 1.6 costs over £4000 more. This is significant. And I don't want a petrol car if I buy in this segment: in a small car, yes

Not many people will buy the petrol Duster in britain because it is thisty and comes only in the very lowest spec car: white only (which I happen to like) , no A/C, no radio, no electric windows anywhere, no adjustable drivers seat, no painted bumpers or alloys, which also appeals to me actually, and a single backed rear seatback rather than a split one as in the other models.

I know that india doesn't get a split back seat either, but it does get a central armrest instead. In Europe most people prefer the versatility of the split seat because boot and general load carrying versatility matter here. Most of us prefer luggage space to rear seat room too, which seems to be the opposite of India. In fact here the Duster is considered to have good rear seat room, and that's how I found it too. I'm over six feet tall and I was comfortable sitting 'behind myself', so to speak.

I have read here of people carrying four people on the back seat of the Duster. This would be totally illegal here as it is forbidden to carry more than the number of seatbelts, and passengers must be belted at all times. So the Duster is a five seater: period.

Incidentally, the Yeti has less boot space than the Duster, if this matters. The Duster is definitley more utilitarian than the Yeti but I'll bet it will prove to be just as robust over time. For me the initial price of the Duster, running costs, suspension quality and comfort swing it for me. But the Yeti might be a better drive, I can't say because I haven't driven a Duster yet.

Let's wait and see.

I'd like to have a basic Diesel Duster 110, without alloys, without painted bumpers, without electric rear view mirrors, but with a split rear seat and A/C, oh, and the essential adjustable driving seat. But I can't have that combination in Britain, unfortunately, so to get A/C the top spec Laureate it has to be: pity.

And re the Ecosport. I don't know about the quality of the plastics (they are fine in the Duster as far as I am concerned by the way, nothing squidgy but perfectly serviceable) but it has a hideous overstyled dashboard, wheres the Duster's is rather smart, and the ride is, according to the reviews I have read, awful, and will need sorting before they introduce it to the UK market. Ditto India expect.

Choosing a new car was never easy, and the perfect car just doesn't exist. All we can hope for is the best compromise for our needs.

[suchit23]

Originally Posted by sharninder

The duster ticks all the right marks except for the interiors.

Duster is a "heart car". If it touched a string the first time you saw/drove it then you should go for it because deep inside you, you love it and smaller things like interiors will hardly matter once you are committed

And as a reminder, no car can satisfy all your needs, it almost always comes down to one question. Which car is satisfying most of your needs?

[johy]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

I beg to differ. I was the victim of tyre burst. I shudder to think what might have happenedif the tyre had been front instead of rear. Agree with you that tyre failure can happen to any car brand. However, the overall costcutting efforts that are glaringly visible makes me suspicious if this exercise was extended to the choice of tyres too. If that is the case, it implies that renault is more concerned about it's profit than the customer's safety.
As of now, no one even called me to find out how the tyre burst.Here, the pricing of Duster is premium and hence we expect premium quality, in all aspects. This is here the Duster falls below expectations, because of it's cheap feel vis a vis the amount that we are paying.
Ride quality alone really does not warrant this price if you procure from third quality vendors under the guise of cost cutting. What is the use of good design with poor implementation.

Neil, pretty scary to read about your burst tyre; have you taken it up with the company? Asked them why it should happen (in a new car)? I think you know in the other sad thread about Sam's passing away - was again related to a burst tyre.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by johy

Neil, pretty scary to read about your burst tyre; have you taken it up with the company? Asked them why it should happen (in a new car)? I think you know in the other sad thread about Sam's passing away - was again related to a burst tyre.

I was just about to mention the seriousness of tyre failure and Sam's death to our Duster followers and the reason for taking tyre failure for whatever reason seriously.
OT To send condolences to Sam's family follow this link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...i-no-more.html

Anyways, at the cost of repeating myself, I'm going to mention the incident and the ensuing action taken from my end and the present status.
1) Tyre burst happened when I was cruising at 110-120KMPH between Virudhunugar and Madurai on the expressway at around 3.00PM(Hot sun).
I heard a dull thud on my rear and pulled over.Never even felt that I lost air,as I was not losing pickup or the handling turned worse.I got out of the vehicle and found that I had a flat on the rear left. In fact kudos to Duster on that aspect. If it was the front wheel, I dont know how things would have ended.
I changed the stepney and was on my way to the nearest puncture shop.Only when air was inflated, A vertical split on the inner side wall on the tyre for a length of 3-4 inches became visible.
On my return to Chennai, I gave the tyre to Khivraj and asked them to get in touch with MRF for their report.The very next day, feedback from MRF was that tyre damage was due to impact of sharp object (meaning stone impact) and hence it was not a manufacturing defect. As I had bumper to bumper insurance, I asked my insurance dealers to have a look at my tyre to see if I can claim from insurance. Insurance people had a look and stated that claim will not be entertained as by their opinion, tyre damage from sharp object cannot be clearly proven.So the manufacturer says physical impact and the insurance guy refuses to confirm it.
I tend to side with the insurance guys on the following grounds.
1) I was driving on a straight line. It really beats me how a sharp object can miss the front tyre and miraculously re-appear and damage the rear tyre.I for one would have at least felt something.
2)MRF people did not not even get any kind of report from me or even bothered to ask me what terrain I was driving when the incident happened before they came to their conclusion.
My tyre is still lying with the dealer. I'm not inclined much to take it back.I have got a used tyre from GP road for Rs.500 which I'm using as stepney.I did not push for insurance claim because I did not want to lose my no claim bonus for next year (touch wood) and more importantly I do not want MRF as my replacement.
Fact is, MRF is the only company in India which manufactures 215/60/16 tyres in India and that too only for Duster
Now, I drive within 100-120kmh on the highway hoping I dont meet any more "sharp objects". At hot sun I drop my speed to 90kmh as temperature kills tyres. I agree with ULPIAN. With use tyres do bulge and warp, but I did not expect this at 1500Kms.
Funny thing about MRF wanderers is that their ad paints a totally different picture about their tyre's capability on rough roads and over "sharp objects".
On another serious note, now the knob for changing air vent direction is stuck in blowing air to my legs. It is one thing to have cheap vendors, quite another to have inefficient ones.
And still I love my Duster because it rides like a dream and I hope Renault will overcome these teething issues and will have better quality vendors.

[johy]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

1) I was driving on a straight line. It really beats me how a sharp object can miss the front tyre and miraculously re-appear and damage the rear tyre.I for one would have at least felt something.

2)MRF people did not not even get any kind of report from me or even bothered to ask me what terrain I was driving when the incident happened before they came to their conclusion.

Funny thing about MRF wanderers is that their ad paints a totally different picture about their tyre's capability on rough roads and over "sharp objects".

Neil mate, first off, I am glad you (and the occupants) were safe. Your response clearly summarizes the fact of the matter. I, like you, am inclined to think that this is a case of poor quality as a result of cost cutting. Further quality issues are also pointers in the same direction. However, kudos to you, you still love your car - that is the right spirit!

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

My tyre is still lying with the dealer. I'm not inclined much to take it back.

Stay away from it, buy a new tyre. And when you find a better tyre from another manufacture of the same size, dump these MRPs for them.

Edit: Neil, I looked up the Michelin India site and it says you can get it in Michelin Primacy LC
http://www.michelin.in/tyre/patternd...rCar/PrimacyLC

[suhaas307]

^^ If anything, the MRF Wanderers would be better equipped to handle Indian road conditions better than most tires. Although Michelin is a fantastic brand (we replaced our Civic's tires with wider 205/60 R15" XM2s), their tires are of the 'soft-compound' type. MRFs are much tougher and can take more of a beating while Michelins are generally more prone to acquiring flat-spots and bulges if treated with similar disdain.

Perhaps Nikhilb2008 will be able to elaborate on this, because I'm not entirely sure.

[Nikhilb2008]

Michelin Primacy LC is not suitable for a Duster. It's a heavy SUV and risk of damages is more if you are using a car tyre like Primacy LC.