Renault Duster : Official Review

[J.B]

Hi GTO,

Man that was comprehensive, most people who would buy this car would not even notice its tiny, but significant pros and cons unless they bump into this review. Kudos!

The black duster in the ad looks priceless. I hope some bhpians would get the black and give it a gangsta look !

The white also looks like an import, very classy, reminds me of the VW touraeg's white. Please do upload if you have more pics from the photoshoot.

[octane_100]

Great review GTO, as usual. This I am sure was one of the most eagerly awaited reviews.
Now, there are only two things between me and the Duster:

1. Test Drive
2. Would like to know if the dealer can change those uggggglly looking silver mirrors and door handles to body coloured ones

[SkyWalker]

GTO, great review as usual.

When you drive the 85ps, can you also check how it would perform on highways. Its evident that it has significantly better city drivability, but what i am curios is how much of a cruiser it is and how easy it would be to overtake vehicles on highway speeds.

[drmohitg]

Finally the review is out. I like this new offering from Renault a lot. This should prove as a tough competitor to the likes of the scorpio, safari and the XUV. The only disadvantage this faces is the lack of proper 3 seats in the middle row. Renault should have paid more attention to this aspect as most people opting for this over a sedan would have roominess and space as a top priority on there list.

[snkjr]

I was informed by the dealer that the first batch of deliveries commences around 27th of July across India. So that would mean 1st week of August realistically.

To all the forum members who are about to receive their very own Dusters - did you get any discounts for your purchase? Is it even reasonable to expect discounts on a newly launched vehicle? Should we even think of discounts on a vehicle that has seen such good numbers of bookings?

[atrisarkar]

Thats a great review indeed.

I really liked the placement of the radio controls. Quite intuitive. However, I wonder how cost-effective it might be vis-a-vis the conventional steering mounted control.

[niv26]

Originally Posted by BUXX

I will ask a simple question here: For the money one is spending, i.e 11-13Lac- is this all what we should expect?? Does it bring a smile to your face??
The damn thing just reeks of mediocrity & the deal seems more of a compromise.And in favour of the manufacturer!

TDed the 110 again today.
The engine doesn't excite , interiors are mediocre , plenty of quirks and just plain pathetic service network. God forbid, if the vehicle breaks down when I am out of a big city?? What option would I have then??

I did TD other day in Hyderabad in heavy rain and all other cars even 20L range of cars just queued when there was water clogging on one side of road. We just zoomed in water (guess water depth would about ~9 inches) and overtook whole traffic. What do you call it then.
With corrupted govt and no good policy, we continue suffer from bad road and un-even speedbreakers (apart from rain/water ...), we need off-road capable car/SUV. I am not going to use it in Munnar or another sub-urban/villages, but in Hyderabad itself which has roads no way different from off-roads. And, come to my office campus which has tons of speedbreakers that scratch my ANHC with 'thud' sound even if I cross 3kmph :-(

Having said this, I booked this car, high end with option pack, 13.49L on road.
Now waiting starts.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by raul

I think this is the whole problem with the frenzy we are seeing with the XUV, the Ertiga and now the Duster.

I really don't like buying stuff in a frenzy, you can hardly get any info from the harried sales folks, test drives are short and just going through the motions, there is so much rush at the showrooms you barely even see the car or sit properly. You are literally hurried into a decision, everyone behaves like they are doing you a favour selling you the car and you are lucky to get a 3 month waiting period as opposed to 6!

This kind of experience for a 10 lakh plus purchase is not value for your money.

A most excellent point.

How easy it is to get carried away by mass euphoria. Same thing happens to mobs when on the rampage!

Whatever be the amount one is spending one must be fully aware of what one is getting for it.

Better not to yield to frenetic buying behaviour. Best to wait and make a considered purchase.

However, all this is far easier said than done!

[raj_5004]

Superb and exhaustive review as always GTO.

Like you said, even I believe that the lower variants of the Duster are indeed value for money. About the higher variants, the less said the better.

Originally Posted by GTO

• The (Dacia) Duster received only 3 out of 5 stars in the Euro NCAP tests.

That's bad.

• 4 year / 80,000 km warranty as standard. This is amongst the best factory warranties offered in India. IIRC, the only other manufacturer giving a 4 year standard warranty is Honda.

... and FIAT. 4 years / 1 Lac kms.

The Duster's current waiting period is 3 months. Renault has implemented 3 levels of checks so that unscrupulous dealers & middle-men don't cash in with "premiums". Apparently, each car leaving the factory gate has a sticker with the customer name & VIN inside the glovebox.

Superb move by Renault.

For prospective buyers -

Renault Dacia Duster Factory - YouTube

Euro NCAP | Dacia Duster | 2011 | Crash test - YouTube

Dacia Duster | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating

[srishiva]

Looks like the mechanicals of the car are solid. They have put a gas strut for hood but have skimped on the interior quality. I guess they were confused while striving to save money.

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by niv26

I did TD other day in Hyderabad in heavy rain and all other cars even 20L range of cars just queued when there was water clogging on one side of road. We just zoomed in water (guess water depth would about ~9 inches) and overtook whole traffic. What do you call it then.
With corrupted govt and no good policy, we continue suffer from bad road and un-even speedbreakers (apart from rain/water ...), we need off-road capable car/SUV. I am not going to use it in Munnar or another sub-urban/villages, but in Hyderabad itself which has roads no way different from off-roads. And, come to my office campus which has tons of speedbreakers that scratch my ANHC with 'thud' sound even if I cross 3kmph :-(

Having said this, I booked this car, high end with option pack, 13.49L on road.
Now waiting starts.

Frankly, its a car not a boat.

[sagarneil]

A brilliant Review!! Kudos!!

Did a test run for the Duster last week or so. Completely agree with the great ride quality, did not feel like a SUV at all, it was almost like driving a Sedan. The test mule was a 109hp thought really wanted to drive the 85hp one as one of my friends is really interested to book one.

Among other things, I fell the car had a considerable amount of body roll and I was very skeptical about the ride quality over 110-120 kmph.

personally, i believe its overall a great SUV!! looks great, and just about plays the part. Rest can be gotten used to!!

Good move Renault!!

[rrsteer]

An excellent review. I don't remember the last time I bought an auto mag, thanks to such content.

The duster I think click all the boxes for me....except one which is a deal breaker the space in the rear bench. I also feel the space at the back (dicky) is more than sufficient, so they could have made the back seat sliding in nature.

[rbarney]

Excellent review - something that I have been awaiting. Things that I liked based on the review:
1. Driving / handling characteristics.
2. Ground clearance - one inevitable has to traverse through less than ideal roads where SUV proves its superiority.
3. Exteriors

I don't really care much for interiors so that's something I can live with as long as they continue to function - even with quirks and oddities as mentioned in the review. However, the one non negotiable is safety kit and with the way the packaging / options are for Duster, the highest end + option pack renders it way overpriced when looking at on road price.

Would I go for it? I don't know. I'll leave things be for another year by when the dust would have settled for Duster and EcoSport would also be in the market would then decide. Back to wait and watch another year for me.

[ranc]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

An excellent review. I don't remember the last time I bought an auto mag, thanks to such content.

The duster I think click all the boxes for me....except one which is a deal breaker the space in the rear bench. I also feel the space at the back (dicky) is more than sufficient, so they could have made the back seat sliding in nature.

Renault has been harping about customer feedback and how they would like to evolve the product depending on the feedback. Can they do something about it now I am talking about the rear seat legroom here. The boot is so big that if reduced by few inches it wont matter but this will make the vehicle highly desirable.