[Neil Roy]

Now, how on earth did I miss your review? Just now looked it up and boy am I glad I did. Thanks a lot on such a detailed review. So when I do see your review on true blue Duster off-roading terrain?

[thalavoy]

Superb writeup. I think this will be the reference write up for Duster and probably for other cars as well for doing ownership reviews.
Reminds me to complete my thread as well.

[GTO]

It's a gift to be able to write in a style that is informative & entertaining. I learned a lot from your review, Suchit. Many thanks for sharing. This thread will be going on our home page the next that the "Hot Threads" list is refreshed.

The Duster is a robust SUV built for abuse, and will serve you well for years to come. It's also the only 10 lakh SUV that knows how to ride & handle. Congrats on the Duster and do drive safe!

[veedub89]

I have read countless ownership reports here on TeamBHP and yours, sir, by far is the best I have come across. Not only have you given an unbiased view but have also added a couple of documents which will help all prospective buyers.
Thanks a lot!
I have one question for you though. As you will be already aware, Renault has hiked the price of the Duster post the launch. Now the top end Duster is uncomfortably close to the W6 XUV5OO which as we all know is packed to the rafters with features.
Doesn't the Duster loose out there?
Drive safe!

[mkpiyengar]

Fantastic review... Rated 5 stars..
Best parts being
1. Additions made to TBHP PDI which isalready exhaustive and takes 30-45mins to complete.
2. Final validation of how Duster satisfies your initial requirements (83%). Being from Software background may be it comes naturally to you to match the V&V against initial Req. Specs

Personally like the road presence with such compact dimensions !!

Cheers
MKP

[parsh]

Just can't thank you enough, not for the Duster Review, which in itself has turned out to be a milestone for reviews and reviewers alike, but the eye-opener style in which you have brought out the details. Have to admit, haven't seen such a comprehensive ownership review till date. You might have considered breaking it into more parts though. I was glued to reading it completely from first letter to last. Hats off to you Suchit on turning up this fantabulous write-up. Ofcourse Congrats on acquiring a Superb Drive, it does beat hell out of its competition on many crucial aspects of power delivery, ride and handling, damn the features, I am more confident it will be very reliable compared to competition.

Probably just needs getting used to the lag though which may over the period of engine breaking-in diminish considerably. I am saying this because the first gen Innovas (mine) had this peculiar Turbo lag pre-1500 and now as I feel my ripened Innova, it seems non-existent as my bro too comments having used both old and new Innovas (post-2009).

The SteelMate reverse sensing system does perform fantastically as we had installed the same quite some time back in our Etios as well and it matches pretty well with the red color as with our Red Etios.

[Autocop]

Suchit,

First of all many congrats for owning Dusty. She looks wonderful in Red and especially with those alloys. Wish you and family many many happy miles with your Dusty!

Just finished reading the review in one go. Thanks for honest, entertaining, informative, unbiased and one of the best ownership reviews have come across so far. Rated 5 stars!

Cheers

[motorhead1981]

Suchit

Dude, it's just no fair that you set the bar so high! It is going to be impossible for fellow duster owners like me to even think about writing a ownership review now :-) Amazing review man, you have comprehensively penned down the facts in a lucid manner. Wish you many happy miles and hope you will keep this thread updated.

[suchit23]

To All: First of all apologies for late reply as it was my bday and I was understandably a little busy

But the best gift I got this bday is your kind and motivating words. Thanks to Vid6639 who had given me an interim feedback on my review, I knew it will be useful for readers, but in my wildest imagination I did not think you will like it so much.

Last but not the least, my review was a direct inspiration from the detailed reviews the mods do here and to hear good words from them is really all I can ask for!

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Suchit,

By far this is one of the most comprehensive ownership reports I have seen here on Team-BHP. Hats off to you for covering every possible detail. Your thread will go a long way in helping prospective buyers and current owners of the car.

ps: A very Happy Birthday to you as well.

Thanks Vid for your great support.

Originally Posted by noopster

Superb review, Suchit! Rated 5 stars.

The Duster is frankly the only vehicle in the UV segment that appeals to me, though it has its issues: hard clutch being one of them. If Renault finds a way of mating an AT box to that K9K engine, I will be the first in line!

The colour options on the Duster are quite cool. Your red looks smashing and the brown in the showroom that you shot is also lovely.

Keep posting- will be glued to this thread.

Thank you for the rating! Will surely keep this thread alive!

Originally Posted by volkman10

Congrats on your buy. Nice and detailed review!

All color options on the Duster look good. Keep posting your experience as you go.

Cheers!

Thank you and will do!

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@Suchit,

Congratulations on the Dusty, the colour looks quite fantastic on the car. What a passionate write up, very detailed reviewe, thanks for the same.

Its strange for the DTE to switch off after the low fuel light is ON, is this configurable or std as per the manufacturer. How much mileage are you getting from the Dusty?

Thank you! The MID cannot be configured in any way what so ever, per my understanding, fellow Duster owners please pitch in if I missed a trick there. If I were to choose one number for average mileage I would say 13!

Originally Posted by bruiser

Congrats on buying the Duster and I must compliment you on writing a very detailed ownership experience. Wish I had the moolah to buy one of these, the thing looks fantastic in red. The alloys are smashing too. Wishing you million miles of happiness.

Thank you, wish you will have the moolah soon and who knows may be the 4X4 is in your destiny?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

5-star thread! No doubt. The amount of information in this thread may likely be even more than the official review.

Duster is a good attempt by Renault, but I'm suprised by the total lack of features in such a high priced vehicle. This is the first Duster ownership report that I read fully - and somehow my mind can recollect mainly the points that highlight 'lack of features' part. Shame of Renault for not offering even a single airbag on a vehicle that costs 12L OTR.

This is the case with many cars. Is it logical? If it doesn't brighten up - how can you read in harsh lighting conditions? Similarly - if it doesn't go dim at night - you'll get irritated with the glare after a while. Same case as how cellphone 'auto-brightness' mode is based on!

Thank you for the information, personally I had never seen it so it seemed illogical to me, but what you are saying makes sense. That also explains why some cars have controls to either completely switch off the illumination or dim it during night.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on getting home the Duster. Its raining Dusters everywhere. The alloys indeed look splendid.

The review is again comprehensive. The reviews over here are getting better by the day.

Enjoy many more happy miles with the Duster.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

A very nice review. Extremely comprehensive and in my view, an absolute "must read" for anyone on the forum or elsewhere, who may be considering a Duster.
I really appreciate your diligence and patience and attention to detail.
Thank you for the effort!

Thank you Shankar, in case it was not evident I like and admire most of your thought process (in various posts) and I am glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by F150

Wow. Now this review is almost reaching General Guderian's level of detail.

Any specific feedback on the MRF Wanderers ?

OFFTOPIC: I see your phone is galaxy nexus, which car holder is that ? Whats the price and where did you procure it from ?

The wanderers do their job and I can rate them above average, nothing exceptional. Initially I was considering a tyre upgrade, but after using them for some time I am quite happy about them.

That holder is a long story, actually its part of a handsfree unit which I had bought in Belgium way back in 2006 for my Palio but could never use it because one specific connector was required which I never got in India. Those were the pre-bluetooth era so this had to be connected using a bunch of wires etc. Now I am just using it as a holder while bluetooth does the rest. Luckily it fits my Nexus perfectly and more luckily it had a screw mechanism which I have screwed on to the dash which is a relief because all those vacuum type ones come out sooner or later not inspiring confidence to put costly phones that we use these days!

Originally Posted by TaureanBull

A really comprehensive thread.

I suggest that links of such threads be mentioned in the original Official Review Thread of the vehicle.

Would like to hear the cost of accessories if you can.

Happy ride and ownership.

Thank you, Alloys were 26K, Reverse Sensor 6K, Seat Covers 7K, Arm Rest 2K, Steering Grip 1K.

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Now, how on earth did I miss your review? Just now looked it up and boy am I glad I did. Thanks a lot on such a detailed review. So when I do see your review on true blue Duster off-roading terrain?

Thanks mate, I am waiting for a chance to go out of Bangalore without family to try out any such thing, because as long as my daughter is around she delivers enough adventure inside the car, no matter what type of road we are going on

Originally Posted by thalavoy

Superb writeup. I think this will be the reference write up for Duster and probably for other cars as well for doing ownership reviews.
Reminds me to complete my thread as well.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by GTO

It's a gift to be able to write in a style that is informative & entertaining. I learned a lot from your review, Suchit. Many thanks for sharing. This thread will be going on our home page the next that the "Hot Threads" list is refreshed.

The Duster is a robust SUV built for abuse, and will serve you well for years to come. It's also the only 10 lakh SUV that knows how to ride & handle. Congrats on the Duster and do drive safe!

GTO, this is an absolute honor! I was speechless for a minute seeing this. Your in-depth reviews were one of my inspirations and this feedback will surely keep me motivated to produce more quality content for the forum. Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by veedub89

I have read countless ownership reports here on TeamBHP and yours, sir, by far is the best I have come across. Not only have you given an unbiased view but have also added a couple of documents which will help all prospective buyers.
Thanks a lot!
I have one question for you though. As you will be already aware, Renault has hiked the price of the Duster post the launch. Now the top end Duster is uncomfortably close to the W6 XUV5OO which as we all know is packed to the rafters with features.
Doesn't the Duster loose out there?
Drive safe!

Thank you, yes you are right about the price front but the top 2 reasons XUV would have still lost out for me is its a little bigger than I can comfortably drive in the city and park it and then the reliability of the core car. I dont mind if a switch or knob breaks, but I cant tolerate something like a brake or clutch failing. But its a great vehicle, if they can seal the issues in upcoming batch it can be a golden hen for Mahindra for next 10 years, if not already!

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Fantastic review... Rated 5 stars..
Best parts being
1. Additions made to TBHP PDI which isalready exhaustive and takes 30-45mins to complete.
2. Final validation of how Duster satisfies your initial requirements (83%). Being from Software background may be it comes naturally to you to match the V&V against initial Req. Specs

Personally like the road presence with such compact dimensions !!

Cheers
MKP

Thank you, you are right, we the IT people are eccentric about our requirements, arent we?

Originally Posted by parsh

Just can't thank you enough, not for the Duster Review, which in itself has turned out to be a milestone for reviews and reviewers alike, but the eye-opener style in which you have brought out the details. Have to admit, haven't seen such a comprehensive ownership review till date.

Thank you very much! Appreciate your kind words.

Originally Posted by Autocop

Suchit,

First of all many congrats for owning Dusty. She looks wonderful in Red and especially with those alloys. Wish you and family many many happy miles with your Dusty!

Just finished reading the review in one go. Thanks for honest, entertaining, informative, unbiased and one of the best ownership reviews have come across so far. Rated 5 stars!

Cheers

Thank you very much!

Originally Posted by motorhead1981

Suchit

Dude, it's just no fair that you set the bar so high! It is going to be impossible for fellow duster owners like me to even think about writing a ownership review now :-) Amazing review man, you have comprehensively penned down the facts in a lucid manner. Wish you many happy miles and hope you will keep this thread updated.

Thank you mate! Many happy miles to you as well.

[raul]

Suchit congrats on the Duster, and a superb write up! An incredibly detailed and useful report that lives up to the teambhp attention to detail and will help many forum members and readers.

I loved the aside about fitting the sun in the mirror to GTO

Your thoughts on the XUV mirror mine closely, infact our eventual purchase of Duster after considering the XUV and the reasons why are nearly identical!

The Rxz has height adjust and lumber support, but honestly I have not used either yet, there are 3 levels and the highest puts your eyeline on the top half of the screen, it's too high IMHO, the mid still leaves you at the top level, the lowest setting which is the default is about right. The lumbar support is good to have but haven't felt the need yet.

Unlike you the turbo lag was slight in my 110 from the beginning, more pronounced on cold start. But 2000 km later it's nearly gone, the engine is incredibly free and 'fluid' now and pulls cleanly from 1k rpm, there is no resistance, lag or hesitation I dont like stepping on the accelerator preferring feather touches, and it suits me now. It's feels powerful and zippy across the range.

I am sensitive to this and have been monitoring closely, it freed up in 2 stages, first at around 1150 and then at 1850km. I have been pushing the car consciously upto 4k rpm across gears after 1500km break-in to open up the engine. I can confirm the character of the engine has changed completely from the first 1000km. It's 'freer' especially in second and third gear.

[kaka46]

A very very comprehensive and highly informative review Suchit. Thank you. It will definitely be very very useful for prospective buyer's. I've been seeing a lot of new Duster's at work and Red , Brown shades look better compared to the other's (IMO).

Excellent Alloy wheels.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by suchit23

To

Thank you Shankar, in case it was not evident I like and admire most of your thought process (in various posts) and I am glad you liked it.

but the top 2 reasons XUV would have still lost out for me is its a little bigger than I can comfortably drive in the city and park it and then the reliability of the core car. I dont mind if a switch or knob breaks, but I cant tolerate something like a brake or clutch failing. But its a great vehicle, if they can seal the issues in upcoming batch it can be a golden hen for Mahindra for next 10 years, if not already!

ll.

Thank you Suchit. That was nice to hear.
These SUV's are so attractive for us guys on account of the really terrible roads that we drive on daily. The Duster and the Yeti share a couple of traits in common - good handling and excellent ride quality. But truth be told, I would tend to throw a Duster around a lot more on really bad roads than I would, the Yeti. The only reason for this is the price.
The Duster is the absolutely perfect upgrade from a Scorpio. Much more so than the XUV.
The XUV was in my consideration set but I rejected it summarily as it was too large for the city run, too crudely finished by half and way too full of blingy bits for my personal taste.
Wish you many enjoyable miles ahead!

[Docster]

Hi Suchit,
That is an awesome review.
I had a couple of questions. I have yet to figure out as to where the armrest would be bolted on. Would new holes need to be made? I have the option of getting this http://www.shopdacia.com/armrest.html
Do u feel the armrest would fit into place?
Have u thought of putting side steps so as to prevent pants being dirtied? Welcome has just come out with sidesteps in 2 designs, one in aluminium and the other in steel.
Waiting for ur response.
Doc

[ampere]

Beautifully written review. I used to read your arguments and comments on the Duster thread, I knew there and then that this review would be more
from than the heart than from the pen!

Congrats and wish you many miles. A Question on Arm rest though. The one you have, covers the centre bottle holder. As is; the bottle holders are
few in number. Any solutions thought on that front? Any ways to fit the arm rest, without compromising on the bottle space?

[NPV]

Excellent review with a great eye for detail, thanks for sharing. I liked the fact that many streotype phrases I have heard some of my friends use when discussing the Duster - like 'cheap interior plastics', 'evident cost-cutting' etc are put in perspective with your objective review telling it like how it is and letting people decide how important or not that feature/quality is. Also liked the great sense of humour used right through the review.
Rating very well deserved 5 stars.

sometimes the lady shouts at me even if some tree leaves are behind

Reminded me of the Red Soul branded reverse parking sensor in my Dzire (yes, the 'jugad' car that you mentioned ) - this has given me several false alarms (but that's probably better than failing to sense an object)!

At that time there were no proper mats for the Duster, not sure if there is one now in the market. So took the universal one as a stop gap, not a great fit but at least it protects the rug type mat that came from the dealer.
Phase 2 accessories pending availability:
2. 3D Mats

I wanted to suggest the 3D Kagu mats but found you already planned for it in Phase 2 list of accessories. I remember a friend mentioning he got it for his Duster so I don't think availablity (mats customised/designed for the Duster) is an issue. I can find out from where he bought them, in case you need it.