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I've been pursuing the rust issue since I got the car. Been in touch with the dealership and Renault. Got a similar response from both which was that it was a cast iron part and hence there was surface rusting which was not going to affect the structural integrity of the part.

The dealer gave it in writing which Renault was unwilling to do. I also wrote to Autocar, as suggested by some on this forum. However, I haven't received a response from them.

Last week, I got a call from Renault (Chennai number) and the gentleman told me he was from Renault Customer Service. He acknowledged the issue and said that they had heard a number of similar complaints from customers and are investigating the matter. However, he still stood by the same explanation, saying that it was cast iron and they could not paint/coat it because it might affect the performance (grip levels, or some stuff like that). By now, I didn't really want to listen to the same explanation all over again. He said that once they complete their review, if any action has to be taken, they will be in touch. He also gave me his mobile number to contact him directly in case of any issue.

On a separate note, what are the real world fuel economy figures people are seeing ? Against the claimed 19.75 kmpl, I don't see anything higher than 13 kmpl.

Its somewhere a little over 14kmpl. Can be up to 14.5 kmpl also but it is difficult to sustain the numbers. A few bad stretches of chocked roads or prolonged stop-signals again bring it down to 13.8-13.9 kmpl.

On a related note, try the instantaneous numbers when you are on a motorway. I have seen that at steady motorway speeds on 6th gear the instantaneous can go up to 29 kmpl also! :eek:

My daily commute is about 75km of which 50-55km is highway (with the occasional toll naka traffic). Driving style is balanced, leaning towards the spirited side. I haven't seen anything higher than 13.2 kmpl.

Also, I've noticed recently that sometimes while turning the wheel on full lock at low speeds while parallel parking or making a U Turn, there is a significant vibration felt through the steering wheel. It's a very perceptible shudder. My wife was sitting in the passenger seat and noticed it too. Don't know of it's because of the road surface or there is a problem. Should be giving the car to the service centre soon to get the shock absorber changed. Will ask them to check it out then.

My fuel economy figures are hovering in the 30 to 33 range. My daily commute is around 40km and haven't done more than a couple of long drives to Ooty.
Totally satisfied with the performance and strain on my daily commute in the notorious Bangalore traffic is actually very less. Light clutch is definitely a savior.

Try with a clean slate if you need to. Reset the mileage figures (press the right stalk end button marked ...) and then try again. If you drive clean generally 13.5+ is always on the cards even in the cities. I see a steady 13.8 to 13.9 kmpl with in between fluctuation in the numbers at times (both upwards and downwards). But it always averages out to that in the course of the day. One thing though is that in city the kind of roads I drive through I don't get many options for a "spirited" driving. :)

I fill up about once in 8-10 days and depending on how much I've driven, between 45-55 liters go in. I reset all the parameters after refueling. The reading that the MID gives me is not greater than 13.4 kmpl. However, the actual figures vary and on calculating, 13 kmpl is what I see on average.

On the highway part of my drive, I'm consistently doing sane triple digit speeds (100-120kph avg). The city stretch is usually slow because of traffic and signals etc. After seeing the claimed economy figures, I was expecting somewhere around 14-15 kmpl. My Innova before this was giving me around 11 kmpl on the same route. So I was a little disappointed. :)

The MID shows 29 kmpl when you're coasting or if the foot is very slightly on the accelerator pedal. If only it were true ! lol:

I normally get between 14.2 to 14.6 as an average, without the AC being on. My odo shows 4K and I have repeatedly witnessed the 29kmpl figure when cruising , but it doesn't seem to add up . My commute is through light traffic and I drive on 2WD mode. Filling up is a pain as there is a lot of fuel that can go in after "auto cut out" has happened. Either they are leaving too much empty space in the tanks by design or the pressure release valves are poorly designed / does not work properly.

On my trip to Sikkim , I got nearly 17 kmpl on clear stretches but the condition of the roads and the hill driving gave me an overall figure of 14.9

Couple of weeks back , I tested out the "eco" mode and was thoroughly disappointed. I drove the same route I drive as part of my daily routine - from tank full to tank emply and registered 13.5 to 13.6 kmpl , there was nothing economical about "eco" and the turbo lag was slightly more noticeably ,the drive was not "peppy". I reported this to the service center but did not get a satisfactory response.

By the way I got both my Headlight housings replaced under warranty. There were scratches and patterns inside the plastic housing on both sides and closer questioning to the SC guys revealed that there were similar problems in some adventure series headlights. They agreed to take it up with Renault and got both replaced, the whole experience was very good. However there was a delay as they had the Adventure model lights in stock and thought that they could swap the AWD lights with these. They were in for a surprise when the assembly was opened up. Apparently the design for AWD headlights have some new components and the location and possibly the type of fixing brackets for the AWD Head light units are completely different. I had to wait till new AWD Headlight Units were shipped from the factory.

Today The Times of India is carrying a large advertisement of duster AWD RXL Adventure edition 2014 stock for Rs. 10.99 lacs.
The offer is valid till February 28.
The advertisement says that this is a special limited edition in the RXL AWD segment.
The steady downward trend in price seems to continue. Of course this may probably be to get rid of 2014 stocks but this is 20000 rs more then the november offer of 11.19 lacs without the adventure edition. I guess they must be offering the fancy cladding as seen in other adventure variants.

I am also facing the same issue of vibration and sound coming from the steering wheel in my two months old Duster AWD. While giving the car for the first free check up, I informed my SA about the same. He said that it's completely normal & is observed in all the Dusters due to the design of the steering rack. Also, he was quite confident that this happens in many other cars but I have never encountered it before. stupid:

I haven't seen anything more than 13.5 kmpl at the most. Aircon is used during the day and it is driven in Auto Mode which is usually 2WD. Since I'm going to the service centre anyway, will bring it up with them.

About the 'auto cut out' while filling up, around 12-15 litres are filled manually if you want to top up. It's a painstaking process. I brought it up with the service centre and they removed the cover of one of the two pressure release valves which sits above the tank. It didn't really make a difference. There is one more pressure release valve near the mouth where you fill in from. I was told that this is in issue in all Dusters since the neck/spout that goes from the mouth till the tank is long and narrow and hence the air takes a while to come out. Poor design. The petrol pump attendants also told me that they have seen Dusters take in 65 litres of fuel, against the claimed fuel tank capacity of 50 litres.

Will have to get it checked out when I'm at the service centre next. Will keep you posted once I get a response. :)


On an unrelated note, picked up 3D mats for the car a couple of days ago. Kagu. Got the set for Rs. 7,000/-. Useful purchase !

If you're looking to purchase a Renault Duster AWD, there is no better time than now. Renault is offering the Duster RxL Adventure Edition AWD variant at just Rs. 10.99 lakhs across India. It translates into a whopping Rs. 2.48 lakh discount!

This promotional offer is valid till 28/02/15 only and is applicable on 2014 stock.

I do not get more than 12.4 in Bangalore traffic which goes down to 11.4 in very bad traffic jam situations. I drive about 52km daily, in 2WD and Eco mode mostly with AC on. The highway mileage is at 15.2 if I drive it mostly around 90kmph. Anything above brings it down to 14.3 level :Frustrati

Hello All.

I am Nikhil Jaipurkar, based in Shimla, HP. My first post on the forum, & coming at an opportune time. My loan for RxZ AWD was approved last evening & at around the same time I got to know that my membership for Team-BHP was approved as well! I have been a regular reader of the posts for a few years now, and now hope that I can contribute to the forum.

Renault Dealer in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (the only dealer in the state), is offering the RxZ AWD variant (MY2014) at INR 11.99 lakhs. I have booked it last week, & am planning to take the delivery in the coming few days. I have printed the PDI checklist and intend to follow it to the T. VIN is yet to be provided, as the white color model (my first preference) is not yet available. Woodland brown is the only available color in RxZ but I am not too keen on it. White is available in RxL, but my mind is set on the RxZ! :)

The RxL AWD variant is available with the dealer at INR 10.99 lakhs as mentioned in the advertisements. But I have not seen an advert for the price of the RxZ version. If anyone has any information on it, please post.

Secondly, the dealer is insisting that the Insurance @ INR 1.00 offer is not available on these two models of AWD (MY2014), and another model (85 PS RXL, I think?). The flyer attached mentions that Insurance @ INR 1.00 is applicable on all variants. Can someone please confirm?

The Dealer has given a quote of INR 39k for zero depreciation insurance from Bharti Axa. I am getting a quote of INR 30K from the same insurance company directly, with a better IDV (100% as compared to 95% for the dealer quote).

Dealer is charging INR 8,500/- for logistics/handling, INR 6,000/- for essential pack & another INR 10,650/- for additional 2 years (2+2) warranty.

Best regards,
Nikhil

Hi Nikhil, Welcome!.

As per my discussion with local dealer in Bangalore, this offer is to revive its sales and clear the stock, that Renault has built up. The offer is currently available only on AWD RXL, and limited to booking & delivery until 28th February 2015. Also, the offer is applicable on only 2014 stocks. Insurance offer is limited to this model! Again, if the stock is not cleared, i guess the offer would be reintroduced after a while.

Now the question is, what happens to the owners of AWD RXL that got booked and delivered a week or two back? This type of quick sale is nothing new at Renault!!

The offer on Rxz awd is of Rs 1199999.
This is for Mumbai.
However Renault has caused serious brand erosion of the Duster Awd by this steady decrease in price of a newly launched product.
I wonder what the resale value will be after a year.