[amitwlele]

Congrats Nilesh. Red looks stunning. Wishing you a long and trouble free ownership experience.

Originally Posted by gennius

The niggles and the absence of extended warranty had Mahindra written all over it. Moreover, since my brother would be travelling really long distances to remote villages, reliability was at a high priority on our list... and a question mark on Mahindra's.

I think the niggles in XUV are more to do with the fancy electronics and the car per se would not keep you stranded. And considering that your brother would be visiting remote villages i think getting a Mahindra repaired is a much better bet than a Renault.

[amolathalye]

Hi Gennius ,

Congratulations , nice review , may this car give you lovely miles and great / safe travel. Also keep all the enthusiasts posted on the mileage and try to post initial ownership report on the total feel and specially how the Renault service station deals and treats you.

regards
amol

[thumpingheart]

Awesome man!! Congrats on your buy. The car looks really nice in red! One of the first ownership reviews of the Duster on Team-BHP!! Great going. Really liked the review. To the point. Will be interesting to follow your ownership experience. Congrats again!

Cheers!

[nair]

Congratulations on your Duster. Red looks good though personally I prefer brown. This is the first ownership review on Duster I came across on T-BHP. Me too considering the Duster for my next car by end of 2013. Right now waiting for Ecosport but Duster looks far more rugged than Duster.

I saw sun film on your list of accessories. Are you sure about this?

[VishnuNarayanan]

Congrats on your Renault Duster !
Hope your duster belongs to one of the very first batches produced by Renault.
The SUV looks good in red color and I feel it would turn many heads while you are on the road.
Wishing you a Happy miles ahead !
Drive Safe

[gauravdgr8]

Nice Review, Nice Color and a Nice SUV.

Well written and very clear what should people expect of the new kid. Overall it seems that the SUV should be a success. How much have you driven it till now? How is the lumbar support for the driver and the co-passenger. Is it comfortable for long drives?

Do keep us updated with the long term ownership review.

[gennius]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

Congratulations gennius, from one Duster fan to another!!
Are you sure about the sun films? Wont this cause trouble with the cops?
I agree about the need though. Do you know if Renault provides tinted glasses? I keep forgetting this item when i go for test drives.

Superb news about the body colored door handles and ORVMs. I completely dislike the silver ones. Glad to see your dealer is so co-operative . Go for it.

Cant wait to hear from you after you get the tuning box and new speakers.
Enjoy every mile trampled with the Duster.

Thanks Sumesh! I guess the 3M sun-films are transparent right? Just to clear things out, I'm not getting the window tints that come in different dark shades. I'm getting the transparent sun-films. Yeah the Duster has tinted glasses. Aren't they ubiquitous in today's cars anyway?

Hmmm yeah. I'll let my brother take the final call, since it's his car. The option's always there!

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Congratulations on your purchase. Probably the first Duster on teambhp. Red colour is really looking very nice. To be frank I think it has the best ride quality among SUV's in this price range. Little offtopic but how is its ride quality compared to Safari? Wish you many happy and safe miles.

Thanks man! Yep you're right! Unlike other SUVs that look like they can handle tough terrain comfortably but cannot, the Duster doesn't really look like a car that can speed over rough terrain. But once you're behind the wheel, you realise its sheer potential.

Well it's been a while since I've traveled in a Safari but I remember that like all Tatas, the Safari had high NVH levels and a bumpy ride. Enough for me to keep away from it!

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Congrats Nilesh. Red looks stunning. Wishing you a long and trouble free ownership experience.

I think the niggles in XUV are more to do with the fancy electronics and the car per se would not keep you stranded. And considering that your brother would be visiting remote villages i think getting a Mahindra repaired is a much better bet than a Renault.

Thanks Amit! Well I wouldn't be concerned if the niggles were only restricted to the fancy electronics. Problem is, I've heard severe issues with the car's clutch, brakes and suspension. Some even mention having near-death experiences in the XUV due to break failure and the cars being stranded in the middle of the city and highway due to a broken clutch. I have also seen the plastic covering of the side airbags broken in the TD vehicle! I find it peculiar that although Mahindra claims that they've worked on the XUV for over a decade, the vehicle is experiencing serious issues with its most fundamental components. This gives a reflection of Mahindra's approach towards quality and reliability. And to top it all, only 2yrs/65000kms of warranty on such a vehicle is unacceptable.

Regarding the servicing, I've heard the Mahindra workshops are familiar with Renault Logans and the 1.5 DCi engine. God forbid, if in case there is a breakdown, I guess the Mahindra workshop could definitely be of some help.

Originally Posted by amolathalye

Hi Gennius ,

Congratulations , nice review , may this car give you lovely miles and great / safe travel. Also keep all the enthusiasts posted on the mileage and try to post initial ownership report on the total feel and specially how the Renault service station deals and treats you.

regards
amol

Thanks Amol! I'll try my best to keep this thread updated! Interestingly, the Service Manager at Renault Jaipur was the Service Manager at Honda before! Since he has dealt with all our issues faced with the Civic and the City, he knows us and our service expectations very well. This definitely is a plus point factoring in Renault's unknown after-sales service.

Originally Posted by thumpingheart

Awesome man!! Congrats on your buy. The car looks really nice in red! One of the first ownership reviews of the Duster on Team-BHP!! Great going. Really liked the review. To the point. Will be interesting to follow your ownership experience. Congrats again!

Cheers!

Thanks a lot buddy!

Originally Posted by nair

Congratulations on your Duster. Red looks good though personally I prefer brown. This is the first ownership review on Duster I came across on T-BHP. Me too considering the Duster for my next car by end of 2013. Right now waiting for Ecosport but Duster looks far more rugged than Duster.

I saw sun film on your list of accessories. Are you sure about this?

Thanks! Yeah brown is a good color too! I guess the Ecosport is smaller than the Duster. Nonetheless, the Ecosport will be serious competition to the Duster. Renault better prepare its sales and after-sales team asap to take the complete advantage of time over the Ecosport.

Yeah I think I'm pretty sure I'd be putting one. Rajasthan gets way too hot in the summers man. On super hot days, getting inside a car makes you feel like a sucker for the greenhouse effect! The more heat insulation for your cars here, the better.

Originally Posted by VishnuNarayanan

Congrats on your Renault Duster !
Hope your duster belongs to one of the very first batches produced by Renault.
The SUV looks good in red color and I feel it would turn many heads while you are on the road.
Wishing you a Happy miles ahead !
Drive Safe

I hope so too! That would be a privilege!

Yeah it turns quite a lot of heads on the streets already! Sometimes its creepy to see the bikewalas on the traffic lights staring inside your car though haha.

Thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

Nice Review, Nice Color and a Nice SUV.

Well written and very clear what should people expect of the new kid. Overall it seems that the SUV should be a success. How much have you driven it till now? How is the lumbar support for the driver and the co-passenger. Is it comfortable for long drives?

Do keep us updated with the long term ownership review.

Thanks man! I think I mentioned about the lumbar support in my following post on the interior. The lumbar support is pretty good for the front seaters. Although it doesn't give the sink-in feel, its pretty comfortable. The lumbar support on the driver's seat is adjustable as well.

For your last question, I'd like to make a few updates. I finally drove this car on the highways at speeds of about 100kmph-120kmph. Cruising on the 6th gear, the engine is slightly audible and generally stays below 2500rpm. However, the wind noise is terrible. It actually made the ride a little uncomfortable for a while at high speeds. I think the rubber beading is to be blamed. Is it possible to fit after-market rubber beading on the doors? I really need this in my car.
I also cornered the Duster at about 110kmph. Although it was stable enough, I'm spoilt by the high speed stability of my Civic. I've cornered the Civic on the same highway at about 160kmph and never felt any discomfort whatsoever. The Duster doesn't get even close to the Civic in this regard. I'm pretty sure that the Duster's higher center of gravity is the culprit here. I won't be going past 120kmph for a while now, since I want to run-in this car's engine real well.

A very important word of advice to new SUV owners:

Please be extremely careful while opening your new SUV's door and do instruct your family members while they're doing so too. Coming from sedanland, the sedan doors always came up to my shoulders. Hence I never really bothered opening their doors with a slight force. But in the Duster, the doors come up to my eyebrows! Moreover, they're heavier than the usual sedan doors. Today, after I parked my car, I opened the passenger door in a haste to take out some stuff and consequently, the door smacked my head on the eyebrow real bad, causing a good amount of bleeding. Ended up getting a tetanus shot and a big white dressing over my left eye. The doc said that the scar would be permanent and even suggested a couple of stitches! So please guys, before entering your SUV, have a look at its door and open it with love!

Cheers!

Nilesh

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[raul]

gennius - thanks for the detailed feedback. The Duster is supposed to have good handling and a flat ride, was it uncertain or unstable at 110? That's a bit of a downer. Please share more details on this.

Great tip on the door, I guess these are things folks don't think about untill it happens.

[S_U_N]

Congratulations on the Duster. The SUV looks really big in the pictures and the boot space is very good.
Is there a reverse camera or are you planning to install one?

Black alloys will enhance the looks for your red SUV.
Sorry to hear about the damage to your face. Get well soon.

[gennius]

Originally Posted by raul

gennius - thanks for the detailed feedback. The Duster is supposed to have good handling and a flat ride, was it uncertain or unstable at 110? That's a bit of a downer. Please share more details on this.

Great tip on the door, I guess these are things folks don't think about untill it happens.

Well I think primarily there are 3 causes to the slight discomfort on highways:

1.) Steering feedback: I'm not a fan of Electrohydraulic power steerings. They don't give enough feedback and don't really weight up that well on highways. However, when I'm in the city it's pretty light to drive and it's pretty responsive for city speeds. I have maneuvered the Duster hard at speeds of 70kmph in the city and it is very stable and flat. But somehow on the highways the steering doesn't give me the feedback I'd want it to. Maybe it's just me being critical because of my Civic. It's not that the feedback is bad, but it's just that I've been used to better feedback from the hydraulic power steering of my Civic.

Interestingly, the petrol version of the Duster comes with a hydraulic power steering! Would love to test that on the highway someday.

2.) Body roll: The Duster is indeed very flat and stable in the city and also in straight stretches on the highway. But cornering at 110kmph does result in some body roll. Since I haven't cornered other SUV's at such speeds, I don't know if such body roll is present in every SUV. Again, although the body roll maybe very minimal for its segment, I'm used to much stable highway driving with my sedans.

3.) Wind noise: This thing is irritating sometimes. Considering the 110PS to be bought as a highway cruiser, Renault should have at least taken care of this issue in our model. I really want to install rubber beading from somewhere else. I think it would be crucial in insulating this wind noise.

Thanks! Yeah folks like me haha! I thought I should share this as this could be a very probable cause for injury to people new to SUVs.

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Congratulations on the Duster. The SUV looks really big in the pictures and the boot space is very good.
Is there a reverse camera or are you planning to install one?

Black alloys will enhance the looks for your red SUV.
Sorry to hear about the damage to your face. Get well soon.

Thank you! I'm not planning to install a rear camera as of now. The audio feedback from the sensors is very intuitive and the ORVMs and the IRVM are enough for the visual feedback.

Hmmm I'm not sure how black alloys would go with the red SUV compared to the standard. I'll have a look at it nonetheless. Thanks man!

[raul]

Gennius - Thanks for the feedback on the handling. This is a great help for folks who are thinking of going for the Duster.

On the body noise I will have to recheck and find the links but on most forums folks who tried to resolve the issue found its not the door beading but the roof railing that is causing the noise. There are also some design issues with the front that apparently causes this.

[KL01BE]

Congratulations Gennius on the new Duster. Frankly the silver color side mirrors and door handles look out of place in the duster, even more so in the nice color you have opted.

Thanks for the good review and the caution notice. Hope the wound heals soon and with out a scar.

[gennius]

Originally Posted by raul

Gennius - Thanks for the feedback on the handling. This is a great help for folks who are thinking of going for the Duster.

On the body noise I will have to recheck and find the links but on most forums folks who tried to resolve the issue found its not the door beading but the roof railing that is causing the noise. There are also some design issues with the front that apparently causes this.

Oh yeah those could be probable causes too. Please update me if there's any fix to this issue.

Originally Posted by KL01BE

Congratulations Gennius on the new Duster. Frankly the silver color side mirrors and door handles look out of place in the duster, even more so in the nice color you have opted.

Thanks for the good review and the caution notice. Hope the wound heals soon and with out a scar.

Thank you! Hmm I think so too. I think I'd be switching to body-colored door handles and ORVMs. Will keep you'll updated.


P.S. This guy's quite the looker, eh?

[gennius]

600km UPDATE:

The Duster is running comfortably and mostly niggle-free, though there are a few I've encountered:

1.) In polluted areas, there is a good amount of pollution sneaking into the cabin making it really uncomfortable. I need to tell the service center to fix this in the service.

2.) When you fill the tank and the car is on (not started), the fuel gauge does not crawl up. It showed me the full tank only after I started the car when the fuel was filled.

3.) Checked the tire pressures. 2 were perfect. But the rear left showed 38psi and front right showed 25psi. I wonder how there could be such huge variations in a short time.

4.) Before starting/restarting the car, the HU was playing Channel 3 (94.3FM). Upon starting the car, the HU starts playing Channel 4 (95FM) but displays it as Channel 3! Even pressing Channel 3 doesn't help either. I need to toggle the station to a different channel and then press 3. This is very weird. Also, although the scroll wheel on the steering-mounted control stops on radio presets sometimes, it scans through them most of the times. I think this is a flaw too.

5.) The MID showed an FE of 12.5kmpl and 47.5L of diesel consumption. However, 44.5L of fuel was filled, making the actual FE 13.5kmpl. Is something wrong out here too?

The dealer experience post the purchase of the car has been very poor. Commitments aren't timely honored at all. Firstly, I find it very peculiar that it takes 2-3 weeks for essentials like a body cover and mud flaps to arrive from the head office. Although the dealer promised us the body cover the next day of our purchase, I haven't received it yet. Moreover, the dealer took from us an extra 700 bucks to get the high-security number plates done and committed to us that they would be installed 2 days after the purchase (17th August) and the whole process would only take 5mins. However, they delayed it to the next week and after I pushed them to get it done yesterday, they made me wait for 2.5 hours, after which I called up the manager and told him that I would return the car back to the showroom if the plates weren't installed within 15mins. Only then was the process completed on time. I wonder if this is the attitude of the dealer within a week of the car's purchase, how would the after-sales service of Renault be like.

Cheers,

Nilesh

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Congratulations on your purchase. Probably the first Duster on teambhp. Red colour is really looking very nice. To be frank I think it has the best ride quality among SUV's in this price range. Little offtopic but how is its ride quality compared to Safari? Wish you many happy and safe miles.

Congrats on the Duster. Did you manage to slot the 6th gear? If yes whats the rpm in 6th gear at 80/100kmph?

The rear space should have been better in a Big SUV like duster.