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-   -   Renault Duster AWD : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/156651-renault-duster-awd-official-review-66.html)

Took delivery of my duster yesterday evening. Looks awesome in Orange colour:





Took it for a short highway trip to Old Rao Dhaba near Gurgaon. There was too much traffic on highway so could not go full throttle. Ride quality is better than my old vehicle Hyundai Xcent, but not as good as I expected. Maybe expectations were pretty high, or it will need more running to really get the feel of it.

Will compile a full ownership review soon!

Congratulations!

Please remove the ribbons as soon as possible. In our Dustry environment they scratch the paint and leave visible marks on the body.

The colour sooks smashing.

Once you get used to the throttle response and the steering you'll find the ride getting smoother. Please do check the tyre pressure in all tyres. They usually pump it up to 42-45 psi for shipping. Getting it back to the recommended 29 psi will be a great improvement.

Will be eagerly looking forward to it.

Yes, that was the first thing I did after refuelling. It did improve the ride quality a lot.

This is my first diesel gear ratios are pretty different. So, yes, I do need to get used to it.

One thing I noticed was a strange sound coming from the front left side of the car during the initial run. It happened when I revved up high in a gear or accelerated too quickly. Sound is like a rotating part touching something. However, it is becoming less and less frequent now. So, I think that is a new car thing. Or should I get it checked?

Is ODO or years since purchase reliable measure of vehicles health?

Been wondering about this in the last few months.

Case in point is my Duster AWD has done 40K in 4 yrs. I am spending 90-120 mins to cover 28 kms each way to work, most of it may be at 900-1500 RPM range, at avg speeds of ~18 KMPH. On the other hand, on long drives (out of MMR region) my avg speed tops 45 KMPH in the 1800-2500 RPM range. During my commute, though the ODO registers only ground covered, decay of parts of the vehicle that keep humming even when clutch not engaged are not reflected by the ODO readings or just time since purchase.

So while my ODO shows 40K, parts of my vehicle may have worked equivalent of 70K, considering I spent about 30% of the 40K in city commute. This implies parts of the vehicle are due for major overhaul even though ASC will stick to their charts. Am I risking major failure here? Guess this is true for all vehicles spending significant time in traffic.

Congratulations. Wish you many miles of happiness. Please post some interior pictures as soon as possible.

I have heard that 2019 Dusters have a refreshed interior with Dual color dashboard and silver door handles. Plus the media nav is also upgraded to include Android Auto.

I took a test drive today but that was a 2018 model Duster AWD so could not see the changes. I was mighty impressed with the immensely tractable engine and the plush ride quality.

Once again big congratulations.

Yes, definitely. Interiors look much better now. MediaNav supports both Android Auto and Apple Car Play. They have done away with NaviMaps.

I am attaching some pics to have an idea. Not the best photographer of cars though :D






Apple car play in action


MediaNav Screen. NaviMaps is not there now.


Parking brake.

Hope that helps.

I am still not able to differentiate the new dual tone dashboard. From this pic, it looks exactly the same as my 2017 model RXZ :confused:

But that new infotainment system with CarPlay is something I will miss. Need to check with the service centre on the cost of this. :Frustrati

The AWD previously used to have pink colour door handles and pink linings for centre AC vents. The passenger side Airbag cover also used to have a lighter colour. I believe this was in AWD version only though.

Thanks for the clarification. So it seems now they have made both variants similar in terms of interior.

Thanks a lot. The new silver accents look very nice IMHO. The new media nav is also upgraded and has a capacitive touch screen along with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

I am right on the fence and it is only the very spartan interior and the not so good reviews regarding the high maintenance that's holding me back.

I also walked into a Nexa dealership today and was impressed with the interior quality of the SCross. I know this is a Duster thread and my reason for writing this is to urge Renault to do something about the interiors. The Duster deserves a much more plush interior.

All - I got my Duster AWD last week in Cayenne Orange color. I am switching from a Petrol Automatic, so still getting used to gear ratios and the diesel torque :)

Quick question: how religiously do you guys follow the gear shift indicator? For example, when I am doing around 15 Kmph in 3rd gear, the car is recommending that I downshift. However, I feel that the engine has enough grunt to pull through and it does. Any longer term risks if you ignore the gear shift indicator?

TIA.

You are short shifting according to the computer, 20+ to 40+ before shifting to 4th is what i remember , its been a week since i drove duster.

Please do shift close to that indicator's recommendation, this is not a clutch you want to mess with.

Its been about 1 month now and I have driven my Duster for around 1200 KM. Here is my initial ownership experience:

After hearing so much about the ride quality of Duster, I had so many expectations from it. I previously owned the Hyundai Xcent and I expected a much better ride quality from Duster. I had taken a test drive, but one cannot simply get to know a car from a short test drive.

After finally taking delivery of Duster, I took it for a short 60 km trip to a nearby Dhaba. From that trip itself, my expectations kind of came tumbling down. I understood that duster could glide over bad roads, but man the NVH levels spoiled all the fun! I looked at my wife many times and understood it wasn't what we were expecting. Constant road noise, engine vibrations, engine noise, etc. made me tired in that short road trip itself. I came back home and all my excitement for new car vanished and questioned if I made the right decision?

This was my first diesel car. I knew diesel engines are noisy. However, I had no idea it would be that bad. On the scale of 0-10, if Xcent was at 10, I would say Duster was at 2-3. I may be exaggerating but maybe it was due to me being used to a petrol sedan that made me feel so.

Getting used to gear ratios was also a pain. I had to constantly look at the gear shift indicator to tell me it was time to shift.

Anyway, I had now purchased the car and had to live with it. So, it was time to make the riding experience better by putting in some money.

Google and Team-BHP to the rescue. Looking for ways to reduce NVH levels, I found that people usually go for getting their whole car damped with a damping material. Also, I found a popular damping material by the name DampMat. I contacted their Facebook page and got a contact in Delhi.

Last weekend I got my whole car damped + installed Infinity 6520cx component speaker system in front. Total cost around 31k (Damping around 25k and speakers 5800).

To my relief that has made a considerable difference. Haven't been to a long drive, but city driving has improved. Now, I can at least drive without music, previously I had to turn music on otherwise I would get a headache.

Next step, I am going to install rubber seals on all the doors, bonnet and boot lid. Have ordered D-Type, P-Type, Z-Type seals from AliExpress. Hopefully, that will make a considerable difference.

Now, the problems aside. I now started getting the feel of the car - kind of getting a connection to it. It drives smooth, gives power when requested, and feels confident on any road at any speed. Its only 1200 km and too soon to tell, but at least its a positive sign. :)

I still have a problem that needs to be solved - although noises and vibrations have reduced, I still feel a low-frequency vibration which is not audible but makes me feel uncomfortable overall. Now sure what is the cause and how to get rid of it. Any suggestions would help.

Just came back from the 90,000 km service of my AWD. Got it done at Renault Etawah.

Extra work done:

• Change of brake disks (didn't want a mid cycle re-visit to the service center)
• Change of brake pads (had started squealing)
• Change of differential oil (first change since new diff. replaced at 70,000 km)
• Bought a spare High and Low beam bulb (future contingency)
• 2 Extra washer fluid bottles (costs just 34 bucks a piece and works well)

Opted out of:

• Door and general lubrication
• Engine coating
• Body "Teflon" coating
• AC Vent Cleaner
• Wheel alignment and balancing (going to get new tyres soon)

Bill came to 18,940/-

Paid through MyRenault app for a INR 500/- discount. Service center had no clue of how to handle it and I had to waste two hours calling Renault Customer Care and having them explain to the service manager how it works. Kind of furious here.

This was the solution given to me-

The details of 10,000 km/2nd service-
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4596981

The basic cost breakups-

Full synthetic oil (ELF 5w-40) - Rs 4,275

Oil filter - Rs 573

Washer cap seal - Rs 71

Air filter- Rs 636

Wiper washer fluid- Rs 45

Total was Rs 5,864 with some basic add on's as instructed by me.

Few pics from the first 10,000 km journey with the Dusty!

At Puri


At Tigerhill, Darjeeling


At Tigerhill, Darjeeling


At Gangtok


Had some fun on the way to Gangtok


Hope the honeymoon period continues with the Duster! Fingers crossed! :)