Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   SUVs, MUVs & 4x4s (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-muvs-4x4s/)

-   -   Should I buy the ageing Renault Duster in 2017? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-muvs-4x4s/183835-should-i-buy-ageing-renault-duster-2017-a.html)

We have a 5.5 year-old i10 kappa next-gen that's serving us well for the daily home - office - NCR city - home duty. ODO reads about 90,000 (about 1200 kms a month) but everything works well. Some cosmetics might show the age but that's repairable.
Then comes the monthly (average) commute to Chandigarh/ Jaipur/ weekend travel which again the i10 happily provides for.

We're a working couple and typically don't need a new car, but.....

Since I got married 2 years ago, my wife (totally disconnected with the auto world) would say, our next car would be this (*points to some random Duster on the road*).

With the i10 closing in on the 100k ODO mark and disposable income swelling proportionately, we thought why not :)

Requirements from the new car:
1. Good ride quality. We cross about 10 speed breakers on our daily commute and my old warhorse makes sure we feel each of them thoroughly.
2. Highway cruiser for our weekend travels. At times there might be 4-5 travelers in all, so extra space is welcome, but not mandatory.

Budget - 12 lacs OTR, +/- 10%.

We test drove 3 vehicles:
1. Renault Duster 110 PS MT
2. Creta 1.6 MT
3. Vitara Brezza

Missus perspective:
Brezza was rejected outright; loved the black Creta in the showroom but maintaining a black SUV in the real world is a pain; Creta in any other colour is nono. Duster it is then.

My perspective:
Liked Creta's interiors, refinement; Hyundai reliability
Loved Duster's ride quality, driving pleasure; pricing :D

Long story short, I can get a diesel Duster AMT for the price of a petrol Creta MT. AMT is a boon for us since we spend more time in city traffic than open roads, yet it has the goodness of manual autobox for the occasional adrenaline rush. Creta ticks these boxes too with its AT offerings but its expensive and the ride isn't "as good as" the Duster.

Where it stops making sense to me is Duster is an ageing vehicle today. Renault will come up with Kaptur (?) later this year and Duster will dissolve in the oblivion. Will parts and spares be a pain? Will I end up spending 13 big ones for something the market has already moved on from? Will Renault ASS be able to service the AMT?

In all honesty, is it a good idea to service (suspension, clutch plate, tyres) the i10 now and wait for new launches this year?

I'm not looking at resale as the primary criteria since I intend to keep the vehicle for 5-7 years.

The question remains, should I bite the bullet and get the Duster? Or that train has left?

Also, is there any other car that we should checkout?

I've rejected the following without having a TD, but open to reconsider them:
1. EcoSport - Neither of us like the looks; don't think it's a significant improvement in ride comfort. Happy to be corrected, though.
2. XUV - Too large for 2 people. Can hire a zoom car/ taxi if we ever need a family mover. A little expensive too.
3. S-Cross - 1.6 is expensive. Not a sucker for punchy engines as we rarely get a chance to drive for pleasure. I'm neutral on looks but wifey finds it non-SUVish.
4. Sedans - Already have a Honda City in the family, so a bit reluctant here, but open for options. Also, FIL has a 2015 Verna that we use for Jaipur commute at times. Comfort level is marginally better than i10 but still struggles with 5 people on board.
5. BRV/ Jazz/ Mobilio - Meh! Looks uninspiring, have the same engine in the family, a bit reluctant.

If you are keen on buying Duster, wait for some time. XUV, as you have said, is too big, it will be wrong to compare S-Cross with Creta. Take a TD of TUV-300 and Eco Sport, these are well priced and packed with features. Eco Sport is not that bad in ride quality from my experience of ownership.

Waiting is just postponing the decision. There will always be some launch happening just a few months away.

That said buy the car only if you feel in tune with driving pleasure and daily practical use.

I don't think the Duster will be discontinued by Renault in India. Renault may bring in a refresh and Kaptur will be positioned above the Duster. You can buy the Duster if it appeals to your needs. Apart from the interiors, the Duster is a great workhorse. You can also wait for the upcoming Tata compact SUV.

Don't think twice. If you like the Duster buy it. Of all the people I know who own Dusters, not a single one has anything bad to say about it.

I'd suggest you evaluate the discounts on offer. December 2016 had discounts about 1 Lakh. By February, chances are that the discounts will be back.

I just finished my first week with my Duster AMT. The mid variant Creta AT was 2.5 Lakhs away, for which you get a more refined interior and a torque converter box.

If you find the AMT good like I did, I think it's a good deal. Thats why I bought one after all. I had a good friend who had driven the Duster AMT for about 20K Kms and strongly recommended it. The future durability and maintenance of an AMT box, is bit of a gamble I guess. But with so many AMT's coming from the Maruti stable, and that AMT's are used by volvo in their trucks, I took the leap.

I think you should look at the BRV AT or the new City seriously. Petrol is a better buy in NCR today considering the 10 year ban. The 1.5 L ivtec is a gem of an engine and should keep the enthusiast in you happy.

That's my concern. If they launch Kaptur with the same suspension but better dash, keyless entry et al 6 months later, I'll want that then :Frustrati

Already have a City ZX (10th anni edition) in the family and hence I'm reluctant (believe they run the same engine). I plan to TD the BRV AT and EcoSport AT though.
The 10 year ban doesn't concern me so much since I intend to keep the vehicle for its useful life and not considering the resale factor too much.

EDIT: I made a quick comparison on carwale and realized that BR-V AT is awfully under-featured for its price :o Safety + Braking & traction section is non-existent for the Honda

Honestly, I would not buy a product made for 3rd world countries by a 3rd world country manufacturer (Dacia) licensed and sold by an inefficient French company (Renault) re their reported service issues in the north, after it is already 8 years into its product lifecycle. The car offers very poor crash safety results indicative of the dated engineering that has gone into building it. It felt dated at launch and today, toward the fag-end of its life-cycle, it just feels like it should have died out and become extinct a long time ago. It is honorable to be pleasing your wife in so many ways but please point out to her whether she'd want to spend more than a million rupees on a vehicle with poor structural rigidity during a crash.

Atleast test drive the S-Cross and check out the XUV 500 W4 and W6 variants they all pose great value IMO

If the Duster is not in the AWD format, I am sure there are better alternatives than Duster AMT.

Duster makes sense in its brilliant AWD combination, not much otherwise IMHO.

I am unsure of what other good driving automatics are on offer which offer a good ride and would be an upgrade to your i10. I am sure BHPians can help here.

Apart from the ride quality, the Renault Duster has nothing going for it. It isn't spacious, engines are pretty old and it's expensive. The interiors feel cheap. The Creta in comparison feels much better.

I suggest you have a look at the Scross 1.6 again. That is one heck of a car. If not the 1.6, the 1.3 isn't very bad. The Zeta/Alpha 1.3 definitely feel price worthy.

Off beat suggestion- if you need a car for just 2 people, You should seriously consider the Ford Figo Diesel.

I understand the suspension and drivability is better in AWD but I don't foresee any use of 4 wheel driving except some very rare mountain trip. Would rather spend the big ones on Creta then.

Agreed about the interiors, they're a turn-off but liveable (subjective!) against the ride quality. Figo would be new but not an upgrade I feel; would rather look towards Ecosport which makes a strong case.

I was in similar dilemma in 2015 as I was getting VW Vento TSI (Petrol DSG) and Skoda Rapid TDI (Diesel DSG) at same price. I took test drive of both and bought Rapid.

If I was to take that decision today but in SUV segment then would buy Duster AMT as 1. Its Diesel AT 2. Cheaper then Petrol AT options 3. Comfortable.

There lies the answer to your question. Go for it in 2017. My pick would be either Duster AMT or Duster AWD.

However, do show some photos of Kaptur (with a K, not C) and talk to her (same chassis/same engine but perhaps 10% to 20% premium pricing) about this. Ask her which one looks better and if she'd rather wait or go for Duster right now. Blocky designs like Duster look good even after 5 or 10 years. Edgy designs like Kaptur look great when they first come out, but fade away after a couple of years.

While the Duster may be dated, has an older engine and interiors may not be great (subjective), it offers superb ride quality, high GC and is ideal for a family of 4 plus lots of luggage space. From what I know, friends who own the car haven't really had scary or woeful service experiences.

I would suggest also looking at the S-Cross 1.6 even if you don't like it or decide not to buy it in the end. Except for imposing looks and higher GC that the Duster has, it can pretty much match the Duster in most departments and has better interiors too.