[TaureanBull]

Originally Posted by The Adventurer

My Renault dealer laughed it off and said it's just a myth. There are owners who come back with odo's reading in thousands in the first week is what he said.

But you're right. It's better to follow the manual.

Reading can be in thousands. Even I did 2k in a week. But what is relevant is the speed and more specifically the RPM at which this distance was covered.

[The Adventurer]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

I hope you did a thorough PDI

Not to discourage you on your new purchase but the price seems on the higher side. I got a similar quote for a 2016 model stocked in their yard. The on-road offered was 13.75 for a RXZ AMT

Could be the difference in Kochi and Noida pricing.

[arch_hornet]

Question to the AMT owners:
Hi, I'm seriously considering booking the Duster RXz AMT - from what I have seen and tested so far, I like it a lot. But, I haven't seen any ownership thread on the AMT so far - hence wanted to post this to the AMT owners who have been using it for a while now. Is the AMT worth the premium over the MT ?

Just to give a background, ours is a small family consisting of the wife, kid and I. Mostly it will be used for city commute (Bangalore), with the occasional highway family trips thrown in. I have only owned petrol vehicles so far (Alto, Swift and now the Xcent).

Many thanks in advance!

[The Adventurer]

Originally Posted by arch_hornet

Question to the AMT owners:
Hi, I'm seriously considering booking the Duster RXz AMT - from what I have seen and tested so far, I like it a lot. But, I haven't seen any ownership thread on the AMT so far - hence wanted to post this to the AMT owners who have been using it for a while now. Is the AMT worth the premium over the MT ?

Just to give a background, ours is a small family consisting of the wife, kid and I. Mostly it will be used for city commute (Bangalore), with the occasional highway family trips thrown in. I have only owned petrol vehicles so far (Alto, Swift and now the Xcent).

Many thanks in advance!

I just completed a week with the duster AMT with about 1200+ kms. Working on an ownership thread too.

Is the AMT worth the price? Well, it depends on if you are okay with a MT.
But chances are, once you use an AT in city traffic, you wont feel like going back to a MT.

[arch_hornet]

Originally Posted by The Adventurer

I just completed a week with the duster AMT with about 1200+ kms. Working on an ownership thread too.

Is the AMT worth the price? Well, it depends on if you are okay with a MT.
But chances are, once you use an AT in city traffic, you wont feel like going back to a MT.

Thanks - I am looking specifically from a Duster standpoint. Is the AMT jerky, for example? For someone coming from a petrol manual transmission, how would the transition be like? I'm specifically looking for an automatic for my next purchase as I've had it with a painful left leg in Whitefield traffic (for those who are aware). So MT is really not in my must-have criteria.

I will be eagerly awaiting your ownership thread!

[The Adventurer]

Originally Posted by arch_hornet

Thanks - I am looking specifically from a Duster standpoint. Is the AMT jerky, for example? For someone coming from a petrol manual transmission, how would the transition be like? I'm specifically looking for an automatic for my next purchase as I've had it with a painful left leg in Whitefield traffic (for those who are aware). So MT is really not in my must-have criteria.

I will be eagerly awaiting your ownership thread!

Is the AMT jerky?
Till you get the feel of it, you will feel a lull during gear shifts 2, 3 and 4.You feel that the vehicle silently changed a gear when you didn't expect it to; between your throttle input, giving you a small lull. The passengers rarely notice this as it feels like a smooth MT gear change for them or even lesser. But I'd opt for that minor lull (which you get tuned to) over a feet on the clutch any day!

It gets's less obvious as you use the car more as you get tuned to the way the AMT reacts and you instinctively know when the shifts will happen and hence not feel the lull anymore.

I took it to a hill station and drove completely on Auto mode all the way up and down. Though manual gives you more control; I didnt feel the need to change to manual at all. I otherwise drive a Petrol Altis MT, so I can safely say that the AMT performed very well and was not lacking in performance. A free left leg only made drive more comfortable.

If your'e coming from a MT and this is your first AT, you probably wont have any complaints or lull feeling. I frequently drive a Polo GT TSI DSG so my initial benchmark was way too high.

I had initially thought that I'd be using the manual mode quite a bit, but truth is I never do. Once you use the AT, you will feel extremely lazy to use the manual mode. But if you are that adrenaline rush punchy driver the AMT will not give you the level of control an MT does.

And for Whitefield traffic, (I am aware of, been there done that ) Duster AMT and Creta diesel AT (Dont know the actual FE figures) are the only AT options I can think of that will give you decent fuel economy. I get about 14'ish in Kochi traffic and 18 for highways, which is fantastic for an AT.

[Nonstop-driver]

Originally Posted by The Adventurer

But if you are that adrenaline rush punchy driver the AMT will not give you the level of control an MT does.

Isn't the AMT on MT mode just like a regular MT Duster without a clutch?

Also, and slightly OT, can you shift from AMT to MT without stopping the vehicle, like for a quick overtaking maneuver?

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Also, and slightly OT, can you shift from AMT to MT without stopping the vehicle, like for a quick overtaking manoeuvre?

There is nothing to fear, as Adventurer has pointed out it just takes some time to get used to the AMT. My BIL owns an AMT version and he is happy with the car except for some non-AMT niggles. I have hardly seen my BIL using manual mode.

[The Adventurer]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Isn't the AMT on MT mode just like a regular MT Duster without a clutch?

Also, and slightly OT, can you shift from AMT to MT without stopping the vehicle, like for a quick overtaking maneuver?

I'm just completing my Engine break in period. So I haven't tried any aggressive driving in manual mode. But during the TD, I did notice that the AMT prevent you from accidentally slotting into a very low or very high gear.

And yes, you just need to push the gear stick to the left to access Manual mode within D. You can down gears for a quick overtaking manoeuvre.
But as I dont feel the need for it.

Also, the manner in which you give throttle input changes how gears are downed. Say you are in 6th, if you accelerate mildly, you stay in 6th. A bit quicker for overtaking in a fast lane, it shifts to 5th. If you suddenly floor it a little for a quick jump, it downs to 4th. So you will learn to downshift to the gear you want without touching the manual mode.

[arch_hornet]

Originally Posted by The Adventurer

Is the AMT jerky?
Till you get the feel of it, you will feel a lull during gear shifts 2, 3 and 4.You feel that the vehicle silently changed a gear when you didn't expect it to; between your throttle input, giving you a small lull. The passengers rarely notice this as it feels like a smooth MT gear change for them or even lesser. But I'd opt for that minor lull (which you get tuned to) over a feet on the clutch any day!

It gets's less obvious as you use the car more as you get tuned to the way the AMT reacts and you instinctively know when the shifts will happen and hence not feel the lull anymore.

I took it to a hill station and drove completely on Auto mode all the way up and down. Though manual gives you more control; I didnt feel the need to change to manual at all. I otherwise drive a Petrol Altis MT, so I can safely say that the AMT performed very well and was not lacking in performance. A free left leg only made drive more comfortable.

If your'e coming from a MT and this is your first AT, you probably wont have any complaints or lull feeling. I frequently drive a Polo GT TSI DSG so my initial benchmark was way too high.

I had initially thought that I'd be using the manual mode quite a bit, but truth is I never do. Once you use the AT, you will feel extremely lazy to use the manual mode. But if you are that adrenaline rush punchy driver the AMT will not give you the level of control an MT does.

And for Whitefield traffic, (I am aware of, been there done that ) Duster AMT and Creta diesel AT (Dont know the actual FE figures) are the only AT options I can think of that will give you decent fuel economy. I get about 14'ish in Kochi traffic and 18 for highways, which is fantastic for an AT.

Thank you so much for your response - this has helped answer my fundamental questions

[Nonstop-driver]

Early users of the facelift Duster - can someone comment on the AC quality of the vehicle especially while idling or on slow speed? Is the AC any better than pre-facelift versions?

[T-Rex]

Hi nonstop-driver, I have a Adventure 4WD bought last month. It's done 2100 KM so far with 3 long hauls of around 400 KM each with 4-5 on board. No one complained of the cabin being warm or hot even in 32-33 C temp outside. The ACC in new duster is certainly a boon. During the weekdays I drive alone and ACC is set to 23-24 C during the day and it chills the cabin quite well.

[Touringlawyer]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Early users of the facelift Duster - can someone comment on the AC quality of the vehicle especially while idling or on slow speed? Is the AC any better than pre-facelift versions?

Hi, can't really comment on the pre-facelift versions as I haven't driven in any, but I've owned an AWD 2016 model since August 2016 and have driven about 6300 Kms so far and am quite satisfied with the Climate Control. Quite often, the Car is also chauffeur driven and my wife has also never complained about the cooling in the second row as well.

[rajamuneeb]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Early users of the facelift Duster - can someone comment on the AC quality of the vehicle especially while idling or on slow speed? Is the AC any better than pre-facelift versions?

My friend owns the old duster which I have driven extensively and I have a Dec 2016 one. The AC quality in the new one is much better thanks to the climate control. Absolutely no issues in slow speed or during idle. Hope it helps

[shiva_s]

I have a Tata Manaza Aura and done 70K Kms. As I have to commute 60 kms to office daily I am planning to switch to automatic. Below are the shortlisted:

Duster 110 RXL:
Loved the ride quality and looks.
2016 vehicle is available for 13.16 on road (1.00 Discount for 2016, 0.2 Additional discount, 0.7 Corporate discount and 0.14 Dealer discount)

Swift Dzire:
AMT drive quality is good, two airbags (compared to 1 in Duster).
Rear seating is a discomfort.
9.75 on road (0.35 discount) - 2017 model

Vento Ameo:
Superb pickup 1.5L diesel, 7 speed DSG gear box
Did not like the looks from back.
2016 model - 9.5 on road (0.90 discount)

What would you guy's suggest, is the Duster offer a good deal?