[Arjun Bharadwaj]

Top class review as always!

The car is as scary as it is exciting - 150+ BHP plus poor safety rating is a bad recipe. Combine that with most of the power being available over 2500 rpm which gives all the more reason to keep flooring the accelerator but with hesitation in mind about safety.

Atleast enthusiasts could have ignored the interiors and treated this like the new Abarth, if only it had 4+ stars. I would give this a pass considering safety of the family.

The comparison vs Thar is a very interesting one - the duster seems more comfortable overall with a sorted ride/handling, has an engine developed by Nissan+ Daimler vs the Thar which is mostly homegrown, looks a lot more desirable inside out but has an engine which is yet to prove reliability? Happy to hear more on this!

[Aakash118]

Excellent review. Good car with solid old school mechanics, but if I need such a car, I will instead pick the Rapid Auto and save 5 lakhs. I feel Rapid will be even more fun to drive. Can you confirm on that GTO sir?

[C300]

Excellent review Rush. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by GTO

If you are an owner of the old Duster, I highly recommend taking the new turbo variant for a spin. It's just to experience the magic of a turbo petrol and how it has transformed this old workhorse.

Will have to take the TD now. Looks like a decent upgrade for existing Duster owners who love the mechanicals and ok to live with the dated interiors.

Originally Posted by vishy76

The Duster scored 3 stars in the Global NCAP crash tests and the bodyshell was also rated unstable.

Thats for the base variant. The one with ESP and airbags will probably score 4 stars. Unfortunately not many cars in India with 4 star rating. Not sure what's the rating for Korean siblings. They usually share the ratings of their international versions.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

I rejected the duster in 2016 for the interiors and will reject it again despite the lovely engine. Am desperately waiting for the Kicks review with the same engine. Hoping the interirors will be more acceptable.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by C300

Thats for the base variant. The one with ESP and airbags will probably score 4 stars. Unfortunately not many cars in India with 4 star rating. Not sure what's the rating for Korean siblings. They usually share the ratings of their international versions.

I don't think ESP will make a difference to the rating given how RED the occupants are in case of an impact. Nor will it change the chassis anywhere from "unstable" (or whatever it was). ESP can score some points for attempting to avoid a collision. But in case of a collision, it has no contribution to safety.

And as usual - what is tested & proven on paper is what will count. No point speculating what a variant with added safety features will score. It may go either way really.

[sharan_si]

Great review, I found 1.5 dci and suspension being the vfm for duster, as you mentioned retuned suspension doesn't offer the ride quality as earlier, with the sub-par interior, duster looses to its value now, only people who want 154hp power will buy it.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by sharan_si

only people who want 154hp power will buy it.

And that’s not many. Honestly, outside of tbhp crowd I wonder if non enthusiast folks will even care about intoxicating, train like pull once the turbo kicks in. Shame then that, such a stonking car will remain third or fourth choice for most buyers in this segment. A lot many people seem to give more importance to gadgetry, flashy lights and meters, buttons and tech over sorted ride, ruggedness, known abuse tolerant mechanicals.

In my opinion this is a vehicle that looks as good in the urban setting as it does in rural, farmland areas. Other hot sellers in this segment are way too urban, soft road-ish.

With AWD Renault almost had a niche on their hands, all they had to do was keep it and revise the interior but one flabbergasting decision after another, here we are- a superb, rounded hot selling product reduced to a marginal player. I can’t believe Renault.

[StallionAmit]

Having no AWD is not done from Renault team.

[sunny13]

Thanks GTO for the Brilliant Review! The new petrol 1.3L Duster did catch a certain interest in me too after driving (and enjoying every bit of it!) around the older 85 PS for the past 7 years. As expected, the overhaul (or should be say Rehaul!) of the interiors is a poor one. However, not withstanding the punchy engine performance as you rightly stress on, this still makes it a compelling proposition. Drives me even consider an exchange. However, on ride quality and comfort, when you say that the "magic is gone", it is certainly a vital factor to consider. Maybe I would do a test ride as you suggested to really know how big is that compromise.

[C300]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

And as usual - what is tested & proven on paper is what will count. No point speculating what a variant with added safety features will score. It may go either way really.

I agree but this is industry wide problem. Not many GNCAP 3 star rated cars here. Do we know the NCAP rating of Seltos (The Indian one and not the International model)? While the Indian manufacturers have taken the lead in producing safe cars, our top two manufacurers are dragging their feet.

[airbus]

Thanks GTO for another great review. I took a test drive of Duster couple of years back and did like the ride quality but mediocre interior was a problem then and it seems same problem continues. Also, I think they should have given more importance on safety kits on this new version.

[littlebrother]

Turbo petrols are doing what Common rail diesel injection turbo motors did to Indian mass market about a decade ago. Those frugal packing a punch in the mid range motors from Hyundai's 1.3, 1.6 and 2.0 CRDis, Chevrolets TCDi in Optra Magnum and Cruze, VW's 1.9 Pd and 2.0 Tdi, Fiats 1.3 MJD and Renault 1.5 Dci in its 110ps version were almost as fast or even more faster than their petrol counterparts.

Duster Petrol seems to be a really practical choice for the ones who wants the basic right. Ride quality, engine and abuse friendly vehicle and the list ends here.

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by littlebrother

Duster Petrol seems to be a really practical choice for the ones who wants the basic right. Ride quality, engine and abuse friendly vehicle and the list ends here.

True that - and the use case is probably much smaller than we expected. With an abysmal 133 dispatches in September, this capable vehicle might see itself disappearing from the shelves sooner than we had thought. Not sure if heavy discounts will alter its fate by much.

[Carz77]

Hello T-bhpians,
I took a test drive of Duster 1.3 Turbo CVT on a weekend in Bangalore. Engine is very responsive and quite impressive for a CVT. However, my speed was not more than 40 kmph in city traffic and couldn't find an open road.

Interiors felt outdated but not really bad. Even Triber felt fresh with Engine start/stop button and a nice infotainment system. Renault should have launched this 1.3 Turbo with much needed features to attract prospective customers who want an overall good package at this price point (17.4 L on road Bangalore). Renault might add more customers if they offer discount of 1-1.5 L. Lets see...!!!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Duster Turbo comes with an idling start / stop function. Additionally, the operation of the system is smooth by idling start / stop standards.

Is this a 3 or 4 cylinder engine with direct injection? On the International spec VW Polo 1 Tsi, start stop operation is noticeable.

I am not a big fan of this start stop tech, which is starting to come as a standard feature on cars. It is good for economy but it can't be good for the engine and this applies for even NA motors. The wear on tear on the engine can only be higher with a system like this and more so with these small capacity, boosted engines. Its a bit like operating your car for short distances and not allowing the engine to warm up. This can only lead to premature wearing of parts. I am still trying to figure out how Toyota got around this for their Prius as they are known to run trouble free for 200+k miles. Then again, that motor is not going to be overworked with the Hybrid system offering electric assistance, almost all the time.