[mohandasnikhil]

So done with the 2nd Service of the Fluence at 10,000kms. Damage was Rs. 6,240/-. Seems pretty decent. All the standard oil and filter changes. They also did and charged me for the wheel alignment which I thought was unnecessary.
The workshop did a good job with the cleaning and washing of the car, which was really required after my drive to Goa. They also managed to fix the toggle of the AC Vent which had come loose. Quite impressed with Renault service as of now. Quick to get an appointment too (not too many Dusters checking in for service yet)

The Mumbai - Goa drive in the car was amazing. I have done this drive in an Optra, Santro, Swift VDi, Laura, Scorpio and now the Fluence. Took the Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Nipani - Sawantwadi - Goa route, and managed to maintain an average driving speed of 69kmph between Navi Mumbai and Mapusa. The 540km drive was knocked off in less than 8hrs, which was my personal best. The car returned 14kmpl, which I thought was low, but it was some pretty spirited driving. Also the nature of the engine meant I had to keep the revs higher to extract the best out of the engine. Missed the power of the Jetta on the ghats sorely. I have realised that having access to the power of the Jetta makes me a little unhappy with the Fluence's power. The ability to soak up the bumps in some patches of the roads, thanks to the monsoons, is much better than the Jetta.

In Goa the car stands out a lot mainly cos there seem to be hardly any on the road. Had associates asking me about the car and wanting to take it for a spin.

Overall the car is returning an average fuel efficiency of 13.8 to 14kmpl with driving mostly in the city. The car hasn't developed any squeaks or rattles, which speaks of a good build quality. Am getting used to the drab interiors somehow and was very glad to not have biege interiors in a mucky Goa weather.

Have grown very used to the audio controls and find it a breeze to use. Miss this feature on the Jetta (have the TL). The Audio Quality is also very crisp and clear though there is a lack of bass and the volume can't crank up too high.

I feel this car lacks enough space to store stuff. My CDs (am a lil old fashioned) can't be stacked easily. The AUX cable placement is a bit odd and the ipod plays truant with other things you place in the area. There is only 1cupholder in the front which cant take a big cup. (One cupholder space is lost to the ash tray).

Am averaging 2500km/month and till now this car has been a joy. Colleague has just got delivery of his Duster 110 RXL, and though the car ended up costing him only 1.5lakhs lesser than my Fluence, it feels a whole lot cheaper.


Off Topic: Have been caught 4times for the dark tints on the car, and got away two times without a fine or bribe. Now wondering if I should get rid off the films.

[mohandasnikhil]

Did my second Bombay Goa drive in the Fluence this month, and it has been a bitter sweet experience.
First the good bits.
1. Amazing Seating Comfort: My wife who was riding in the backseat never complained about the drive. She isn't usually fond of long drives, but loved the comfortable back seat of the car. A VERY big difference from her last time Goa drive in the Scorpio.
2. Great Mix of Handling and Ride Quality: We again took the Kolhapur route instead of the NH17. This road has a mix of Expressways, Highways, Ghats and Non Existent Patches of Roads. The card handled the mix of the roads amazingly well. An SUV would have perhaps handled the bad roads better, but wouldn't have been able to match the expressway and highway manners of the Fluence. A true testament of this nature of the car is the average speed we were able to maintain over this drive. A staggering 70kmph. Might not sound very high, but if you are someone who has done this drive then you'd know this was a very good average speed to be able to maintain in any car. Even though we were flooring the car on the better stretches of the road, no one in car ever felt uncomfortable or unsafe with the drive.

Bad Bits:
1. The Fuel Efficiency: The Fuel Efficiency of the car seems to have really dropped. We got an average reading of 12.6 to 12.8kmpl. I'm not sure how much of effect the removing of the sun films has had on the Fuel Efficiency of the car, but this figure was quite disappointing. I have expecting a figure of close to 14kmpl. I have also noticed the fuel efficiency drop in the city driving conditions by atl east 1kmpl over the past month, which coincides with me removing the sun films on the car.
2. A/C Vent Toggle Broken: This seems odd but the toggle for all the 4 A/C Vents have broken once. This is really irritating and I have to slide my little finger inside the A/C Vents to direct the air flow. I can understand one breaking, but all the 4 have now broken. The 1st one was fixed during the 10,000km service and in the next 3,000, the 3 others have given way. Am going to be writing to Renault about this problem and hope they fix the flaw.
3. Cigarette Lighter/ Power Supply Conked Off: The Cigarette Lighter/ Power Supply point, in the car has conked off. This happened in Goa, and hence had to drive back without the aid of the GPS. Also couldn't charge my phone in the car. Extremely irritating!

[sasi405]

Hi Mohandasnikhil,

I am planning to get a Fluence sometime soon. I am a fan of French cars; have owned a 1991 Peugeot 309 GLD and also a 1994 Peugeot 405 GLD. I have driven the 405 from Jaipur to Kerala and back. I tested the Fluence last week and am quite impressed by the way the car moves. I also like the light feeling when driving the car in the city. I read through your reports with much interest. Thanks for sharing inputs. And please continue to update us with your insights about the car.
Cheers!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by sasi405

Hi Mohandasnikhil,

I am planning to get a Fluence sometime soon. I am a fan of French cars; have owned a 1991 Peugeot 309 GLD and also a 1994 Peugeot 405 GLD. I have driven the 405 from Jaipur to Kerala and back. I tested the Fluence last week and am quite impressed by the way the car moves. I also like the light feeling when driving the car in the city. I read through your reports with much interest. Thanks for sharing inputs. And please continue to update us with your insights about the car.
Cheers!

Believe me, the Renault is almost a good Peugeot but the handling is not as entertaining and engine is nit so powerful for a enthusiastic driver. I had a Peugeot 309 SRI, what a car!

[sasi405]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Believe me, the Renault is almost a good Peugeot but the handling is not as entertaining and engine is nit so powerful for a enthusiastic driver. I had a Peugeot 309 SRI, what a car!

Thanks a lot for the response! Good to know another Pug fan.... Am still ready to buy a 309 if I can find one in good shape! The remapped Fluence I tested (a new E4) didn't seem unenthusiastic rapt all, except for a minor turbo lag right in the beginning. Also, I am a sedate driver; I hardly drive above 100 - 110kmph even on open enough roads. I feel the 6th gear will help a lot to easily cruise at that speed, at low RPMs. I like engines that tick over smoothly rather than buzzy high revving ones, so I guess the Fluence would be a good choice.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by mohandasnikhil

Did my second Bombay Goa drive in the Fluence this month, and it has been a bitter sweet experience.
...
...

Hi, noticed from your signature that the Fluence is now an Ex.
Was it given up to give way for X1, or the car did not living up to the expectations? I have been following the Fluence quite keenly and hence the question.

[mohandasnikhil]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Hi, noticed from your signature that the Fluence is now an Ex.
Was it given up to give way for X1, or the car did not living up to the expectations? I have been following the Fluence quite keenly and hence the question.

Well yes the Fluence has made way for the X1 in my garage. Now the car is with my close friend/ business partner who has taken it over from me. She is a beautiful car, and somehow I couldn't part with her to anyone who I wasn't sure would take care of her. She definitely did live upto the expectations, but I had always wanted the X1, and now since I was getting a great deal on the X1 I plonked down my money for it.
The X1 is a much more spirited drive, but turns lesser heads than the Fluence. Also the Fluence has a better ride quality. I got her 20k kms service done before handing over her keys to my friend.

[anandpadhye]

Anyway I got from ACI the 2013 Fluence is supposed to be launched with a dual clutch transmission. Hope that happens soon.