[amrisharm]

Also do keep in mind, you may think you are saving money by buying a petrol Duster, but 3-5 years down the line when you are selling your petrol Duster to upgrade then the resale value of your petrol vehicle will be considerably less than similarly aged and mileage Diesel Dusters.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Petrol Duster?
I mean you have the Hyundai i20 and as GTO has pointed out about the interiors and exteriors of the Duster. I don't think it really would be a great upgrade considering the fact that you drive a premium hatch now. Your car is just 3 years old, if possible retain it for 2 more years.If you are in so much need of a petrol SUV, why don't you consider a used CR-V/Outlander? I mean looking at the current petrol prices these cars in the used market are available at throw away prices. If it has to be a new Petrol car then do consider the eco-sport and the Ertiga petrol. I would suggest do check out the W4 variant of the XUV5oo if at all you think of a diesel.
Do give the used cars option a thought.
cheers

[y448]

See if you can hold on to I20 for some more time and by then as others have pointed out you will have a lot options to choose from.

I would strongly discourage you from getting petrol duster if you do not plan to keep it for a very long time. Forget about the lower resale value I have seen people struggling to find buyers for petrol sedans!!

[TheARUN]

Its a big thumbs up from me, the petrol Duster for one is the most under-rated car. It has all of the Duster's robust build, the positive attributes of the Duster and with a petrol engine, all the disadvantages of a diesel engine are gone

It is also easier on the pocket, the Government has kept up its promise of increasing Diesel prices by Rs.0.50 every month and at this rate, Diesel will be back to realistic levels, check out the prices of Diesel in a Shell fuel pump, that is the future, all those who have Diesel will have to factor in those fuel prices sooner or later into their budget and then there won't be such a strong case to go for diesel

[vij]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Petrol Duster?
If you are in so much need of a petrol SUV, why don't you consider a used CR-V/Outlander? I mean looking at the current petrol prices these cars in the used market are available at throw away prices. If it has to be a new Petrol car then do consider the eco-sport and the Ertiga petrol. I would suggest do check out the W4 variant of the XUV5oo if at all you think of a diesel.
Do give the used cars option a thought.
cheers

The OP said he doesnt worry about higher petrol prices as his usage is less and he obviously cant make back the money everyone says he will save with fuel costs and resale.

But, a used CRV Petrol will be pushing it as it will probably consume twice the duster's fuel.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by vij

The OP said he doesnt worry about fuel prices as his usage is less and he obviously cant make back the money everyone says he will save with fuel costs. But, a used CRV Petrol will be pushing it as it will probably consume twice the duster's fuel.

A manual CR-V can still manage to give you 8-9 km/l. A Duster petrol can max give you 10-12 km/l in the city. If he wants he can consider the 2.0 GV. We have people on forum who get about 10km/l. My point was instead of spending 12 lakhs, just spend 3 ( from the i20) + 3 ( from pocket) and get a used car. He can save the rest and use for fuel.

[vij]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

A manual CR-V can still manage to give you 8-9 km/l. A Duster petrol can max give you 10-12 km/l in the city. If he wants he can consider the 2.0 GV. We have people on forum who get about 10km/l. My point was instead of spending 12 lakhs, just spend 3 ( from the i20) + 3 ( from pocket) and get a used car. He can save the rest and use for fuel.

Ok. But, 6Lac for a Honda CRV? You mean the old model with a number of years on it?

I doubt the OP who is leaving his 3 year old i20 will hop into a aged old model CRV Petrol with 5+ years on it?

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by vij

6Lac for a Honda CRV? You mean the old model with a number of years on it? I doubt the OP who is leaving his 3 year old i20 will hop into a aged old model car with 5 years on it?

Sir 6 lakhs was just a rough estimate. +/- 1.5 lakhs should be good enough. A friend who is a
Used car dealer in pune just now confirmed of '08-'09 cr-v's going for around 6lakhs. He said GV would be cheaper than that.

[Aroy]

All said and done XUV500 W4 is a much better buy compared to the bare bones Duster Petrol.

[noopster]

GTO's post covers just about everything relevant, but here is a perspective from a guy who is "stuck" with a low-selling petrol variant. I bought a Vento petrol nearly 3 years ago because the automatic transmission option wasn't offered on the diesel. Here are a few points that you need to consider:

- Petrol price hikes: These are completely unpredictable. When I bought my car, petrol was around 60/- a litre, went up to around 70/- soon enough, which was still ok, but now it has crossed 80! There is no way you can do a sensible projection of your running expenses in this scenario. And don't assume 10,000 km/year is "low" running- it pinches!
- No resale value: Trust me on this. My car will not even fetch 5L if I sell it today. Check classifieds for the number of luxury vehicles listed at throwaway prices and still with no takers simply because they are petrols. Go ahead only if you have a time horizon of 7-10 years!
- Any advantages?: In my case at least I got the comfort and convenience of a slushbox, plus significantly less NVH and an engine that was good (though not as brilliant as the TDI). Is the petrol duster going to give you any?
-Image: You are already driving an i20, which as others have pointed out, is chock-a-block with goodies. I feel it would be a step down rather than up. I moved up from a Swift Vxi (no ABS, airbags, plain interiors, Japanese vs German etc.) and it definitely felt like a step up.

I honestly feel you need to wait a few years and save up for a *real* upgrade. Or look at the other options people have listed. Good luck!

[athanedar]

Originally Posted by GTO

I think you're making a couple of wrong decisions here.


Any of the following options are superior to a Duster petrol:

- Duster 85PS Diesel
- Ertiga (petrol or diesel)
- EcoSport
- XUV500 W4

Thanks GTO for opening my eyes.

Originally Posted by ampere

If its only the itch to upgrade hold on to it. Your I20 can easily do another 40/50k. Keep it for at least for another 3 years.

Or lets look at the brighter side (just as Rush said). In a year/two the market would be flooded with X-overs. Take your pick then !

Yes it is only a itch and I have decided to apply Nivea cream to take care of it

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Also do keep in mind, you may think you are saving money by buying a petrol Duster, but 3-5 years down the line when you are selling your petrol Duster to upgrade then the resale value of your petrol vehicle will be considerably less than similarly aged and mileage Diesel Dusters.

Thats a very valid point

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Petrol Duster?
I mean you have the Hyundai i20 and as GTO has pointed out about the interiors and exteriors of the Duster. I don't think it really would be a great upgrade considering the fact that you drive a premium hatch now. Your car is just 3 years old, if possible retain it for 2 more years.If you are in so much need of a petrol SUV, why don't you consider a used CR-V/Outlander? I mean looking at the current petrol prices these cars in the used market are available at throw away prices. If it has to be a new Petrol car then do consider the eco-sport and the Ertiga petrol. I would suggest do check out the W4 variant of the XUV5oo if at all you think of a diesel.
Do give the used cars option a thought.
cheers

I am not willing to go for used cars. So now I have decided to wait for 2-3 years till Maruti, Hyundai & Toyota bring up their own models. I hope Toyota brings RAV4 in 12-13 lac range.

Originally Posted by y448

See if you can hold on to I20 for some more time and by then as others have pointed out you will have a lot options to choose from.

I would strongly discourage you from getting petrol duster if you do not plan to keep it for a very long time. Forget about the lower resale value I have seen people struggling to find buyers for petrol sedans!!

Originally Posted by vij

Ok. But, 6Lac for a Honda CRV? You mean the old model with a number of years on it?

I doubt the OP who is leaving his 3 year old i20 will hop into a aged old model CRV Petrol with 5+ years on it?

Originally Posted by Aroy

All said and done XUV500 W4 is a much better buy compared to the bare bones Duster Petrol.

Originally Posted by noopster

GTO's post covers just about everything relevant, but here is a perspective from a guy who is "stuck" with a low-selling petrol variant. I bought a Vento petrol nearly 3 years ago because the automatic transmission option wasn't offered on the diesel. Here are a few points that you need to consider:

- Petrol price hikes: These are completely unpredictable. When I bought my car, petrol was around 60/- a litre, went up to around 70/- soon enough, which was still ok, but now it has crossed 80! There is no way you can do a sensible projection of your running expenses in this scenario. And don't assume 10,000 km/year is "low" running- it pinches!
- No resale value: Trust me on this. My car will not even fetch 5L if I sell it today. Check classifieds for the number of luxury vehicles listed at throwaway prices and still with no takers simply because they are petrols. Go ahead only if you have a time horizon of 7-10 years!
- Any advantages?: In my case at least I got the comfort and convenience of a slushbox, plus significantly less NVH and an engine that was good (though not as brilliant as the TDI). Is the petrol duster going to give you any?
-Image: You are already driving an i20, which as others have pointed out, is chock-a-block with goodies. I feel it would be a step down rather than up. I moved up from a Swift Vxi (no ABS, airbags, plain interiors, Japanese vs German etc.) and it definitely felt like a step up.

I honestly feel you need to wait a few years and save up for a *real* upgrade. Or look at the other options people have listed. Good luck!

I am glad I used the lifeline "Ask the experts" and got so many valuable opinions. I have decided to hold on to my purchase of new SUV and enjoy i20 for couple of more years.

[k_nitin_r]

Originally Posted by athanedar

Mahindra Scorpio : Wifey doesnt like the looks so these are out
Maruti Ertiga : This is not an SUV, just an elongated swift.
Now the last option remains is Renault Duster. I had kept this as last option because I didnt like the name "Duster"
Dilemma (Petrol or Diesel)

About the Mahindra Scorpio, the design was introduced in the early 2000s but it is a capable vehicle. Perhaps you can ask for some leeway for an SUV with 'utilitarian' looks and function-over-form.

The Maruti Ertiga isn't an SUV - it's an MUV (passenger van) that that they call an LUV because they don't want people to feel like they are buying a glorified Omni or Eeco. If you are planning long trips and intend to occasionally have 7 passengers, then this is an option.

The Renault Duster is a pretty good vehicle and there is always something that keeps reminding you that earth isn't heaven, and for you in this case it came in the form of a name tag. You can always de-badge the vehicle, or maybe even swap out the Renault badging for a Nissan badging (though one can tell that it isn't really a Nissan). Don't let the name bother you like the "Makhija" name that Shah Rukh Khan complains about in Om Shanti Om. A rose by any other name is just as sweet.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by athanedar

I am not willing to go for used cars. So now I have decided to wait for 2-3 years till Maruti, Hyundai & Toyota bring up their own models. I hope Toyota brings RAV4 in 12-13 lac range.

RAV4 if launched at that price would be a real game changer. We have one back in Bahrain. It is a wonderful SUV. The odo stands at 170k kms and is still going strong.
Anyway good decision to keep the i20. I am sure your wait now will pay you off with something really awesome
Cheers!

[wheeledsoul]

I too am in a similar predicament if not the same. Our Alto 2002 despite clocking 1,25,000kms on the odo was doing just fine with some minor glitches, until one rainy day when it got stranded in the middle of the road and made my father (a senior citizen) push it until the nearest garage. I then realized it's time to upgrade.

Let me keep it short and say I've zeroed in on Duster (P) and Honda City (P) based on the following:
1. Car will be used by my parents and will hardly travel 300kms/month.
2. Performance is not an issue as it will mostly if not always be driven by a driver hired from one or the other travel agency (I go to India only twice a year and my father doesn't drive).
3. Ride quality should be good.
4. OTR not more than 11L.
5. No used vehicles of any kind (don't want any sort of inconvenience for my father).

Duster (P)
Pros:
Great ride quality, spacious, high seating makes ingress and egress very easy for my parents (they both have knee pain).

Cons:
Rattles and squeaks (?), 1.6 engine's reliability (?), wind/engine noise on highways.

Honda City (P):
Pros:
iVtec's reliability and interiors.

Cons:
Low seating and the ride quality being inferior to Duster. My mother found the rear seat inadequate for 3 adults, due to the elevated middle part.

P.S:
1. Performance of the engine is not an issue as it will be mostly driven by daily wage hired drivers.
2. The above pros and cons are as per our official T-Bhp reviews only. I haven't test driven any of these vehicles, did check them out in person though, along with my parents.
3. Thank you GTO for your valuable recommendations in the first page. I am not much interested in Ertiga while Ecosport is a 4 seater.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in a similar predicament ...
P.S:
1. Performance of the engine is not an issue as it will be mostly driven by daily wage hired drivers.
2. The above pros and cons are as per our official T-Bhp reviews only. I haven't test driven any of these vehicles, did check them out in person though, along with my parents.
3. Thank you GTO for your valuable recommendations in the first page. I am not much interested in Ertiga while Ecosport is a 4 seater.

Your requirements simply point to a Nissan sunny.They even have face lifted version now.It has a good back spacious back seat which would be comfortable for your father.I think even GTO own's one though i am not sure whether it's petrol or diesel.