[rajatsingh78]

Originally Posted by STraiTDriVE

I have been told by the Renault dealer that there is no vehicle in stock and he could drive- in from nearby town 250 kms away (under their dealership). I denied this option as I don’t want a new car with more than 250+ kms on the odometer. He has agreed to it and assured ordering a new vehicle, however how do I ensure he doesn’t tamper the odometer and get-in the outstation vehicle ?

Take the VIN number of the nearby town vehicle on some pretext and when your car is delivered match it before accepting delivery.

[saurabh sharma]

Originally Posted by STraiTDriVE

I have been told by the Renault dealer that there is no vehicle in stock and he could drive- in from nearby town 250 kms away (under their dealership). I denied this option as I don't want a new car with more than 250+ kms on the odometer. He has agreed to it and assured ordering a new vehicle, however how do I ensure he doesn't tamper the odometer and get-in the outstation vehicle ?

I got my AWD last week, with 90km on the odo, which I knew beforehand, had the same sort of apprehension but then concluded that if the vehicle is good enough for let's suppose 2Lac km, nothing serious can happen to it if run for 100-150km. You may stretch this to 250km. But for peace of mind, either fresh vehicle OR drive in the car from where it is to your city.

[rajatsingh78]

Originally Posted by STraiTDriVE

I have been told by the Renault dealer that there is no vehicle in stock and he could drive- in from nearby town 250 kms away (under their dealership). I denied this option as I don’t want a new car with more than 250+ kms on the odometer. He has agreed to it and assured ordering a new vehicle, however how do I ensure he doesn’t tamper the odometer and get-in the outstation vehicle ?

Please take the VIN number of the nearby town vehicle on some pretext. Then when you get the new vehicle match it's VIN before accepting delivery

[Touringlawyer]

I was informed today by a Renault dealer in Delhi that Renault is now giving a discount of Rs. 65000 on the new 2016 AWD model. So the AWD with Delhi Registration will cost about Rs. 15.48 Lakhs, after discount. And the cost with UP registration would be about Rs. 15.13 Lakhs.

I am wondering if this is because AWD is not selling as per Renault's expectations, or is it simply promotional, as Renault dealers claim. Any views? Also, is the new AWD model a value buy now post this discount?

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

I was informed today by a Renault dealer in Delhi that Renault is now giving a discount of Rs. 65000 on the new 2016 AWD model. So the AWD with Delhi Registration will cost about Rs. 15.48 Lakhs, after discount. And the cost with UP registration would be about Rs. 15.13 Lakhs.

I am wondering if this is because AWD is not selling as per Renault's expectations, or is it simply promotional, as Renault dealers claim. Any views? Also, is the new AWD model a value buy now post this discount?

That is way better price than the one I got from Hyderabad Dealer. He mentioned 40,000/- as the AWD discount

[Touringlawyer]

Hello Folks,

After having sat on the fence for a while on the issue of buying a pre-owned 4x4 / AWD SUV or the new 2016 Duster RxZ AWD, I finally took the plunge and booked a new Duster AWD on 8th August 2016 (Colour Amazon Green) through Renault Adhchini, Delhi (NCR Motors Pvt. Ltd.), and as they had a vehicle of this colour readily available with them, I got the delivery on 10th August 2016 itself.

Before I write further about the cost and buying experience etc., I would at the outset like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to this forum for the honest and comprehensive official reviews, ownership experiences and other immense amount of information available here, which helped me take the decision. I would specially like to thank GTO for replying to me and giving me his input on the vehicle.

Coming to the cost of the vehicle, when I had started to look at buying the new 2016 Duster AWD in May 2016, I remember it was coming to approx. Rs. 16.13 Lakhs on road, inclusive of the 1% TCS (introduced in the 2016 budget). I consider myself lucky not to have booked the vehicle then as I was extremely annoyed (and still am) with Renault for launching the vehicle initially in only 2 colours and the colour theme of the interiors (garish orange front door handles and some other small bits in orange as well). I therefore postponed the decision and started looking at the other options, including pre-owned as well.

Finally, having test driven just one pre-owned vehicle (2015 Duster AWD), I realised that for a non-expert like me, it would be risky to assess a pre-owned vehicle comprehensively on all fronts (condition of vehicle, any accident history, stolen etc.), and therefore started looking at the new Duster AWD once again, as being an NCR resident there is no other new AWD / 4x4 vehicle that I can buy in this price range (I did not want to buy the Scorpio 1.99 4WD). To my good luck, Renault is at present offering standard discount of Rs. 40000/- on Duster. Added to that, I have shifted to Noida in the last month, and the registration charges in U.P. are good approx. Rs. 34000 less as compared to Delhi (on Duster). What sweetened the deal even more, is that Renault Adhchini offered additional Rs. 25000 further dealer discount. I negotiated a further decrease of Rs. 7210 on the Insurance, by quoting the online Insurance prices available (Thanks to all the learning from Team-BHP). In all, I saved approx. Rs. 1.08 Lakh on the vehicle, as compared to what I would have paid had I bought the vehicle in Delhi in June 2016. Finally, I paid Rs. 1505000 (on road price).

Price-breakup as below (as per Account Sheet from Dealer):

1356999 - Ex-showroom
10900 - Extended Warranty (Upto 4 Years / 80000 Kms, Basic Warranty is 2 Years / 40000 Kms)
142200 - Registration Charges (U.P.)
33500 - Comprehensive Insurance + Zero Dep. + Consumables (Initial Quote - Rs. 40710)
13570 - TCS @ 1%
8500 - Logistic / Handling Charges
5500 - Basic Kit (Mudflaps + Body Cover + Perfume + Floor Mats)

1571169 - Total

66169 - Discounts

1505000 - Final Amount Paid (Cost to me)

Buying Experience

Coming to the buying experience, I would say it was good. The Sales Person Mr. Sohrab from Renault Adhchini is a decent fellow with decent knowledge of the vehicle and puts in effort to answer all questions of the buyer. After inquiring with Renault, he confirmed to me that the AWD is now available in all colours upon booking. (In the past one week, the same has been confirmed to me by other Renault Dealers as well). However, as I had test driven the AWD model in Amazon Green Colour, I really liked it and went ahead to buy the same colour.

I checked the VIN of the vehicle (again thanks to knowledge acquired from Team-BHP) and found it to be manufactured in March 2016. Complained about it to the Sales Person that the vehicle seems old i.e., about 6 months (based on manufacturing date) and he explained that it was not unusual at all for the vehicle to be this old and I bought his explanation. He mentioned to me that the vehicle had arrived at their dealership about 13 days back only. Though I did not push it any further with him on this point, please do give your views if this time period is normal or should I not have accepted a vehicle this old. I should mention at this point that perhaps I did not understand the PDI concept earlier and did not ask for yard inspection prior to registering of the vehicle in my name. I do understand it now off-course and maybe I will be a better buyer for my next vehicle. The car had done 36 Kms at the time of my purchase.

Issue of concern:

Please see attached pics of rusting. I had read about the issue of rusting in Duster on this forum. When I was taking delivery of the vehicle, I saw that certain parts attached to the rear wheels have rust on them (I think they are parts of suspension; I'm sorry if I'm identifying the part incorrectly. Please do correct me.) Dealer explanation for this was that these are parts made of Iron and it was a standard thing for them to have such rust on them. As I remembered having read on this forum that this rusting issue hadn't thrown up any significant concern for the users in terms of driving experience, I again decided to buy the dealer's explanation. They have though suggested that I could get an anti-rust coating done on the underside of the vehicle. Would request other Duster users to comment and advise on the action that I should take.

Apart from this, in the first 2 days of driving, I have found a little alignment problem as the vehicle pulls to the left a bit. Have spoken to the dealer about it and they have offered to get it checked and corrected. I will be visiting their workshop in a day or two for that.

The Good Bits

Well, its only been 2 days and about 70 odd kms of driving the Duster AWD (inclusive of city and highway driving), but I have to say that I am already in love. Not that I am expert in automobiles (having only owned and driven the Fiat Punto 1.3 Diesel till date for the last 7 years), I do not feel any turbo lag in this Duster model at least. Despite being a big vehicle compared to the Punto, I felt perfectly at ease driving it in City (bumper to bumper traffic) and on the highway. It feels Solid. I can't feel any body-roll. The best part is the way it deals with bumps, potholes and broken roads. Simply superb!! Absolutely negligible, I would say zero impact felt inside the vehicle. One slight issue of marginal concern I have come across in these 2 days would be that there is a slight lag between engaging the rear gear and the rear camera display to come up. This happens specially when you are backing up at the time of starting the vehicle. I didn't feel any lag when you have to back up while driving. I hope I'm conveying it properly.

That's it for now. I shall continuously update the forum with my driving experience and any issues in the vehicle.

Oh, wanted one more advise. I am planning to take the vehicle to the mountains and put the AWD to some use. The only worry I have is if it would be advisable to do so in the first 2 weeks of owning the vehicle. Please do give me your views.

Once again, thank you all.

[saurabh sharma]

Hi, got my Duster AWD on 19-JUL, after clocking 2000+ km and sending it for general check up/engine oil change I too am pretty happy with the car. Except :
- There is some issue with refreshed Duster, my car too pulls to the left, yesterday my driver who took the car for 2000km check up overheard the SA saying there is such an issue. I got alignment done twice, once when I changed tyres and then again yesterday the Renault A.S.S did it. No improvement, they have asked to get the car again.
- This A.C.C system throws air right up from the front windshield vents even after deactivating the same. Leads to fogging up on the outer side in the present humid Delhi climate.
- Yes, rear camera takes its own sweet time to switch on after ignition.
One good observation, Renault made the car pretty sturdy, a silly bloke banged into the right side rear edge of the bumper, Duster little scratch, the rude Quanto? Nicely banged in front left metal quarter panel plus he forgot to depress the clutch and his car seized up and couldn't start. Didn't escalate the matter, routine affair in Delhi, plus even though he was at fault by banging in the rear, his damage was much more.

[Touringlawyer]

Originally Posted by saurabh sharma

- There is some issue with refreshed Duster, my car too pulls to the left, yesterday my driver who took the car for 2000km check up overheard the SA saying there is such an issue. I got alignment done twice, once when I changed tyres and then again yesterday the Renault A.S.S did it. No improvement, they have asked to get the car again.

Hi saurabh, do you also have the rusting issue near the rear wheels, as in my Duster (please see pics in my post)? Would really appreciate if you could check and let me know.

[saurabh sharma]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

Hi saurabh, do you also have the rusting issue near the rear wheels, as in my Duster (please see pics in my post)? Would really appreciate if you could check and let me know.

This rusting I believe is a non-issue, it has been discussed threadbare and nothing has come of it. My car too has the same 'issue', most plausible explanation is that it is a certain kind of coating which looks like rust. My office is near Renault East Delhi, each & every Duster I have seen over the past years has this. Unable to attach pic by mobile phone else would have sent one.

[Touringlawyer]

Originally Posted by saurabh sharma

This rusting I believe is a non-issue, it has been discussed threadbare and nothing has come of it. My car too has the same 'issue', most plausible explanation is that it is a certain kind of coating which looks like rust. My office is near Renault East Delhi, each & every Duster I have seen over the past years has this. Unable to attach pic by mobile phone else would have sent one.

Thank you so much saurabh for that info. Really appreciate.

[thisissoumya]

Hello everyone,

I am in market for a diesel 5 seater SUV over the last 2 months and shortlisted the Ford Ecosport TDCI and the Renault Duster 85 PS RXZ.

Confused between the above two, hence need advise from Duster owners. On paper the facelift Ecosport produces about 100 BHP and seems a little more punchy than the 85 PS Duster. So my question is..

Between the two which one has more power on road ?
Which one glides inclined roads easily ?
In terms of drivability which one feels better?
My drive will be 70% City and highway and occasional road trip, may be once in a quarter (Planning to do that more often). Which one should I go for as the 85 PS Duster price is almost 2 lacs more than the top trim Ecosport TDCI

Note : I have driven the Duster and liked the ride, yet to drive the ecosport.

Thank you in advance

Soumya

[saurabh sharma]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

After having sat on the fence for a while on the issue of buying a pre-owned 4x4 / AWD SUV or the new 2016 Duster RxZ AWD, I finally took the plunge and booked a new Duster AWD on 8th August 2016 (Colour Amazon Green) through Renault Adhchini, Delhi (NCR Motors Pvt. Ltd.), and as they had a vehicle of this colour readily available with them, I got the delivery on 10th August 2016 itself.

Hi, Any update on car pulling to left issue? I have escalated the matter and the service centre people are now on their toes trying to figure the issue out. Plus the rubber beading on left rear door has cracked, that too in less than a month of buying the car. :(

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[C300]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

Hello Folks,


Finally, having test driven just one pre-owned vehicle (2015 Duster AWD), I realised that for a non-expert like me, it would be risky to assess a pre-owned vehicle comprehensively on all fronts (condition of vehicle, any accident history, stolen etc.), and therefore started looking at the new Duster AWD once again, as being an NCR resident there is no other new AWD / 4x4 vehicle that I can buy in this price range (I did not want to buy the Scorpio 1.99 4WD). To my good luck, Renault is at present offering standard discount of Rs. 40000/- on Duster. Added to that, I have shifted to Noida in the last month, and the registration charges in U.P. are good approx. Rs. 34000 less as compared to Delhi (on Duster). What sweetened the deal even more, is that Renault Adhchini offered additional Rs. 25000 further dealer discount. I negotiated a further decrease of Rs. 7210 on the Insurance, by quoting the online Insurance prices available (Thanks to all the learning from Team-BHP). In all, I saved approx. Rs. 1.08 Lakh on the vehicle, as compared to what I would have paid had I bought the vehicle in Delhi in June 2016. Finally, I paid Rs. 1505000 (on road price).

Many congratulations.
That's a sweet discount for a brand new AWD.

Don't worry about the rusting issue. That part is of same colour on all the dusters I checked. Not sure whether its a coating or rusting?

I don't think you will have any issues taking the brand new dusty off road as long as you keep the revs in check.

[Touringlawyer]

Originally Posted by saurabh sharma

Hi, Any update on car pulling to left issue?

Hi saurabh, Duster is still pulling to the left but I have not been able to take it to the Service Center yet. Targeting to do that in the next week. Will update the forum once I have an update.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

Hi saurabh, do you also have the rusting issue near the rear wheels, as in my Duster (please see pics in my post)? Would really appreciate if you could check and let me know.

My AWD purchased in Jan 2016 has clocked over 20K and has had this rust on some of the cast components from day one. No issues faced due to this so far.