[h.s.r]

This is ownership review of Renault Duster 84 Bhp RXL + (Option Pack).


Prologue:

I have never owned a SUV before, but I admire them right from adolescent.
Way back in school a friend had Tata Sierra & we used to roam around for hours.
Bigger tires & alloys were rage those days, not to mention Boom Boom which can be heard few blocks away.
Then came Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner. I experienced them drove them and what not.
But the itch to own SUV always remained
Time has gone by, a lot has changed.



Buying:

My Key requirements which needed to be fulfilled were:

1. Diesel: I have never owned diesel before. Petrol prices are sky high, therefore buying Diesel is justified.

2. Big boot space: I do quarterly highways trips, I need big boot space that’s requirement for me.

3. Economical: I needed a vehicle which is economical on my pocket also.

4. Safety: Since a lot of highway driving is involved, I needed a vehicle with certain safety features like Airbags & ABS.

5. Color choice: White & only white.

6. Comfort: Need a car which can carry 4 Adult & 1 Child with ease & comfort.

7. High ground clearance: Although not necessity but it will added bonus. My running is mostly highways with good amount of luggage.
Apparently I needed a vehicle which can go over any kind of terrain with ease.

Budget: 1 Million Rupees. Can be stretched upto 1.2 Million.

Cars considered before buying:

Disclaimer: No offences to owners of below mentioned cars. These are my personal opinions based on my requirements.
I am cross shopper. I considered several segments & chose which suited me best.

1. VW Vento Highline: Superb build quality, Good highway manners.
My Dad was mighty impressed with Vento and almost booked because there was no alternative to it.
Why not Vento:
• A.S.S / Higher maintenance.
• Dealer attitude
• VW believes that they are doing prospective buyers a favour by selling them VW cars.
• Started looking aged.

2. Skoda Rapid Elegance: Baby Laura looks better than Vento IMO. Drive & features almost like Vento, its just different badging & cheaper too.
Why not Rapid:
• Skoda A.S.S big no no
• Team Bhpians Experience with the Skoda.
• May get upgrade next year.

3. Hyundai Fluidic Verna SX (O): Killer Looks, Has features which put even some D segment cars to shame. Hyundai Reliability & A.S.S
Why not Verna
• Bad highway manners
• Soft suspension. Low ground clearance when loaded to the brim. Existing owners know what I am talking about.
Although Hyundai claims they have tweaked the suspension now.

4. Scorpio SLX: Gem of an Engine, Has good road presence, Can shoo away bikers & notorious autowallahs.
Why not Scorpio
• Painful to drive in neck to neck city traffic
• XXL gear shift rod, longer gear throw
• Bumpy ride.
• Upgrade on the cards.

5. Toyota Innova: Toyota reliability, Can accommodate 7 people in comfort.
Why not Innova
• MUV
• Taxi image
• Considered as people mover
• Top end pricey

6. MS Ertiga: MS A.S.S,7 seater,value for money
Why not Ertiga
Ritz look-alike front
Looks small
Full Beige interiors

7.Skoda Laura TDI Ambiente:
1. Extremely drivable
2. Great highway & city manners
Why not Laura
1. Pathetic Skoda A.S.S
2. Out of budget

9.Fortuner:
1. Love to the core,
2. Massive road presence,
3. Don’t mess with me status.
4. Toyota reliability although only 5 Speed manual and rear drum brakes are not expected from vehicle of this price bracket.
Why not Fortuner
1. Way out of My Budget
2. Mine is merely 50% of the Fortuner’s value.

10.XUV 500:
1. Best SUV money can buy at this price value.
2. At least now I can say this with all issues & niggles of XUV sorted out.
3. Tons of features, Duster look bare bone naked in terms of features compared with XUV.
4. Awesome road presence & good looking too
Why not XUV
1. W8 variant out of Budget
2. W6 variant does not have white color, which is a priority.
3. W6 variant OTR was 13.75 lakhs, I already stretched my budget to 12 Lakhs, could not go further.
4. XUV niggles, although sorted out, but it seems Mahindra have habit of repeating mistakes e:g Rexton engine problems.

11. Ford Ecosport
Look stunning in pictures.
Almost identical to Duster in terms of Size except boot space
Why not Ford Ecosport
Boot space of a hatch.
Launch nowhere to be seen.
Only show & No go ford strategy.

I have test Driven all above mentioned cars with father in Co driver’s seat.
Out of budget vehicles added to the list for comparisons purposes & to satisfy my itch (to own bigger, better)

Buying Decision

Twist in the tale

July 2012
July 4th Renault launched its crossover Duster.
Renault showroom is on my way to work.
Saw Duster in person for the first time on day of launch.
Got confused with quirky look of the car, from certain angles it looks bigger, from others it looks smaller & weird too.
It was absolute chaos at the dealership no information on delivery dates. Test drove 108 Bhp in haphazard manner.
CS incapable to handle such rush, booking amount was 50K with cancellation charges of 5k.

Duster launch was spot on for Indian car market & for me. I never expected Renault to launch this vehicle in such a
timely manner, considering their A.S.S & puny footprint in India it was hard for me to go for Duster.
I did some research on internet regarding Duster, found impressive reviews.
Although most of them are related to 4WD
I absolutely had no doubts about Renault K9K Engine.



Duster Background

First unveiled on last December 2009, the Dacia Duster was designed with the goal of creating a comfortable, robust and affordable 4×4, aimed primarily at emerging markets.
The needs of European customers were also taken into account from the start of the project.
"In emerging markets (Russia, Brazil, etc.), the middle classes aspire to own a modern car that reflects their social status. At the same time, they want a strong car which is reliable and versatile, capable of withstanding extreme climatic demands and conditions that can be tough and varied (long distances, mountainous terrain, rough tracks, urban driving, often within large conurbations, etc.).

The Duster project was developed with a collaborative engineering between Renault Technologie Romania (RTR) and Le Losange (new name of Renault’s Technocentre site near Versailles) in France.

The design process began at Le Losange, but Renault Technologie Romania engineering resources were devoted to the Duster project from the beginning.
From the stage of the second fleet of prototypes (roughly one year before the launch of Duster), the nerve centre of the project moved to Romania to be closer to the factory.
Vehicle design was conducted at Le Losange, in cooperation with Renault Design Central Europe (RDCE, the satellite design facility in Bucharest).
Duster arrived at the Pitesti factory in April 2009. This process was facilitated by a new production line for prototypes which is managed directly by Renault Technologie Romania.

Design
Based on the Nissan's B platform, the Duster measures 4.31 metres (169.7 in) in length, 1.82 metres (71.7 in) in width and has 210 mm (8.3 in) of ground clearance. Its luggage space has a volume of up to 475 litres (16.8 cu ft), while with the rear benchseat folded and tipped forward, its carrying ability can exceed 1,600 litres (57 cu ft).

Reception
British motoring journalist Jonny Smith took the Duster on a road test in Morocco for the Fifth Gear TV programme, describing it as "brilliant"; "I really like this". He particularly praised its handling on poorly-maintained mountain roads.

The Dacia Duster won the Best SUV from the Scottish Car of the Year 2012 held at Glasgow on the 14 October 2012.

The Dacia Duster was named "The Bargain of the Year 2012" by Top Gear magazine.

The Indian version of Dacia Duster, the Renault Duster (launched in July 2012), has won the prestigious Indian car of the year award, awarded by a jury comprising leading automotive magazines of the country

Now question arises?

What to buy: Sedan or Crossover a.k.a Duster



A sedan has loads of features like climate control, reverse cam, Push button start etc
Or a crossover which has ample ground clearance, & can ride over any terrain in comfort but has bare bone basic features.
Another thing which cannot be overlooked is Renault A.S.S in India.
After lot of consideration I decided to go for Duster. I must say this decision was taken by heart.

Now another question arises?
Which variant?
Renault goofed up on variants 8 of them confused buyers big time.
Did comparison between 108 Bhp & 84 Bhp
108 Bhp has
• An additional gear
• More power
• Rear A/C Tower
• Some cosmetic Addons
• Lesser mileage

All this with price difference of over 1 lakh rupees
After comparison between variants, Me & my Father decided to book 85 RXL (O) We booked the vehicle on 8th of July 2012.
In mean time Duster created quite a buzz in the market.
Approx 20 K vehicles booked in a month’s time.
Delivery started in August 2012 with 108 Bhp being delivered first no sign of 84 Bhp even test drive vehicle were not available.
Another twist came on 31 August with Renault increasing prices of Duster by 40K, what brought smile on my face was that vehicles booked before 31 August are eligible for older prices.
Nearly 2 months after booking I test drove 84 Bhp, TD was done in B2B traffic. Turbo lag was less as compared to 108 Bhp & it was much easier to drive in the city, I never felt I was driving a SUV, I felt as if I was driving a sedan. Only things which remind you are in SUV are high seating position & great commanding view.
After test driving 84 Bhp, I got desperate to own it.
Renault chose to produce high profit margin variants which were 108 Bhp.
Early bookers like me were left wandering.
People who booked 108 Bhp even after 2 month of launch got delivery in a month but there were no sign of 84 Bhp I was offered 108 Bhp every time I went to know status of my booking but I refused to take 108 Bhp
After endless meetings & coffees with manager I finally got good news that vehicle is shipped from factory & will reach within a week’s time.
On 20th Nov vehicle was confirmed & VIN was allotted, we were told to complete all the formalities ASAP. I further saved 20K on no claim bonus which I transferred from my older car. PDI of the car was not possible as yard is out of city. Car was driven to showroom from the yard.
After 4 months of endless waiting I finally got delivery of the Duster on the auspicious day of Prakash Utsav of Guru Nanak ji i.e 28th of November 2012.
I saved total of 60 k (20K of no claim bonus & 40K of price hike, which was price protected)















Initial Impression

Pros +
+ Remarkable fuel efficiency for vehicle of this stature.
+ Extremely drivable in bumper to bumper traffic
+ Ample Ground Clearance, at 205mm, more than you required.
+ Minimal turbo lag as compared to 108 Bhp
+ Commanding view of the road
+ Brakes are spot on, although feel spongy at low speed.

Cons -
- Gears shift not as smooth as it should have been.
- 84 Bhp lacks the punch of 108 Bhp
- Air Conditioning not up to the mark, atleast in north Indian summers; ACC is a must for vehicle of this segment.

Engine
The engine is a 1.5 Litre, 84 Bhp diesel K9K with fixed geometry turbo.
Going by the engine specs & power output, car seems underpowered, but once you turn on the ignition, this doubt vanishes. It is a quite frugal engine, with sufficient power for sedate driving. The turbo in 84 Bhp kicks in at 1800 rpm. Can effortlessly Cruise whole day at 100 kmph. Engine feels most happy between 2000 to 2400 rpm.



Safety
Euro NCAP test results Dacia Duster score 3 Star Test Points %
Adult occupant: 11 74%
Child occupant: 12 78%
Pedestrian: 10 28%
Safety assist: 2 29%
85 PS + option pack comes fitted with front driver & passenger airbag,
Other safety systems provided is ABS & reverse parking sensors.



Drive ability
Duster 84 Bhp is a breeze to drive in the city, with minimal turbo lag, its easy to stop & go in B2B traffic. Adequate torque, I can easily pull vehicle from 2nd gear after a complete stop which means lesser gear changes.
On highways i would say acceleration is par with the Innova.
But 84 Bhp certainly lacks the punch of 108 Bhp.
108 Bhp also has additional 6th gear, which makes it a great highway cruiser.



Handling & Cornering:
Duster remains steady and planted at high speeds, as oppose to rumors that it wobbles at high speeds. Maximum speed attained by me is 120 kmh, didn’t go beyond 120 as it was still in run period. Suspension setup contributes a lot towards better handling of the car.
Have driven more than 600 kms on hilly areas, Duster was very stable on corners as well as on hair pin bends. Body roll is acceptable and minimal when compared to scorpio & safari.

Ride and comfort:
What can I say about ride quality, it’s simply superb
Duster ride quality compensates all the shortcomings of the vehicle.
The ride is really smooth for vehicle of this segment and it absorbs pot hole with ease.

Ground Clearance & Off roading:
Ironically in India we need not go off roading to check Off road capabilities and ground clearance of a vehicle, courtesy our Indian roads.
Higher GC is boon on roads full of potholes.
Duster absorbs them all.
Duster ground clearance stands at 205 mm
It has Approach Angle of 30 Degrees & Departure angle of 36 Degrees
Water wading capacity of Duster is 350 mm
However i have not done any kind off roading in Duster yet & not intended to so in the future, but I have been to some extreme places which require higher GC vehicles.





Build Quality Fit & Finish:
Lot has been discussed already about build quality of Duster & rightly so.
I found interior build quality to the acceptable levels.
It’s exterior which needs attention while driving for e.g flared wheel arches, one needs to be careful; while negotiating through tight spots.
External build quality not sturdy as compared to scorpio or safari.
Don’t expect this vehicle to be rattle free. It will rattle. I am more concerned about exteriors as slightly bump can result in dent on the vehicle courtesy very thin metal sheet used.



















More to follow..

[h.s.r]

Interiors



MID (Multi Information Display):
MID or trip computer shows the following:
a) Total mileage recorder.

b) Trip mileage recorder.

c) Fuel used since the last time the reset button was pressed.

d) Average fuel consumption since the last time the reset button was pressed.
This value is displayed after driving 400 meters and takes into account the
distance travelled and the fuel used since the last time the reset button was
pressed.

e) Estimated range with remaining fuel
This range takes into account the average fuel consumption since the last time
the reset button was pressed.
The value is displayed after driving around 400 meters.

f) Distance travelled since the last reset.

g) Average speed since the last reset.
The value is displayed after driving around 400 meters.


Seats:
Front seats provide adequate thigh support. Although getting a perfect driving position is as easy as driving the vehicle
The rear seat can accommodate easily accommodate 3 passengers, yes I don’t have rear A/C tower.
Seat fabric is the best of the lot, with deep pockets in rear.
Back & side portion of front seats has art leather material which is a good option.
No split folding rear seat.



Central locking: No auto lock or speed sensing lock feature.
Unlock vehicle through central locking button placed on central console also unlocks boot, No auto unlock, so make habit to lock the doors & boot every single time. Suppose you unlock the vehicle load the boot, crank engine & go, at this time whole vehicle is unlocked including boot it will not get locked until & unless you lock it manually.

Few Observations

No door beeding just a small rubber packing
This picture shows small rubber

This picture shows no rubber,rubber fell on its own, out of 4 rubbers in front doors 3 of them misplaced.This shows poor build quality.


Odd speaker size,too small in my opinion,few options available for upgrade of same size, you have to go upsize for better sound.



Wish you were here section - The things that i wish the car had.

Climate Control

It is only feature which I sorely miss in Duster. Climate control is must for vehicle of this segment

Front arm rest

Front arm rest is also a need especially during long drives. It am looking for aftermarket options. But find none as of now.

Auto fold OVRM
It adds oomph factor to the vehicle

Modifications:

Visual Modifications:

Philips Crystal vision H7 low beam headlamps

LED lights conversion which includes

LED parking lights

LED boot light

LED license plate light

LED interior lamps



Renault logo shadow ghost light



LED Scuff plates



LED tail lamp Bulb



Other Modifications

Roots Megasonic horns



More Pictures..









Conclusion

Superb ride quality & comfort along with proven workhorse are the USP’s of this vehicle.
Although its not a blown SUV, nonetheless it has genes of it.
I have absolutely loved my purchase.
You like it, you buy it, so did I
Special thanks to TEAMBHP & TeamBhpian who helped me with questions & concerns.

That's not all, a bonus travalogue in Duster to one of Extreme places in India coming next. Stay tuned

Here's teaser

[vivriti]

Very detailed review !. You have focussed more on the fundamentals.

Looking forward to more pictures of your trip and how Duster performed in the colder, harsh climate and road conditions.

[puchoo]

Great Read!! Very very detailed and informative. Have a blast with the car!!

[arup.misra]

Congratulations on your crossover. Duster has indeed hit a sweet spot for buyers. Would look forward to reading your trip log once you're through with the auto pilgrimage

Hope you have an hassle free ownership. Drive safe!!

[Raosaheb Desai]

Congratulations !!!
Nice pictures. Ride quality of Duster is too good. I felt like sitting in bullock cart, driving my X Trail just after test drive of Duster.
Driving position and cabin space is good but disappointed by gear shift and clutch action.
For pathetic road conditions and urben traffic I guess soft roaders like Duster and Ecosport equipped with auto box make more sense.

Happy miles ahead.

[Bapu]

hi,

Congratulations on your purchase..

you've mentioned that the fuel efficiency is good.. can you share more numbers? am looking to buy a new car and the duster is one of the contenders...

[evoque]

Congartulations on the new aquisition. This is one of the best reviews I have read on the Duster. Very detailed and focusing on the basics. It will definitely influence some of the potential buyers towards going ahead with the decision.
Which place is the travelogue of? The first teaser is a SUPERB picture and I would love to make it my desktop Wallpaper if it is Ok with you.

[sivadeep]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[ampere]

Congrats on the new drive, although its now many months "old" ! I was a bit lucky in getting the same trim a bit earlier. Because as per what I gathered pre-launch, I understood that the 85 would very easy for the city. So I had made a pre-launch booking for this trim. But post launch as you said, there were no 85 trims for TD. I had made it clear to the dealer, that I will confirm on the trim only after the 85 TD. That happened almost end of July. But since I was already in the queue, mine was allotted earlier. But having said that it still took almost 3 months for the trim to arrive while 110s kept flying past the shelves!

Originally Posted by Bapu

Congratulations on your purchase..

you've mentioned that the fuel efficiency is good.. can you share more numbers? am looking to buy a new car and the duster is one of the contenders...

FE comes pretty close to the certified ARAI ratings. They quote about 20 I think. I consistently get about 17-19 depending on city traffic conditions, speeds and AC usage. With heavy traffic and AC it goes down to about 16. But has never gone below that.

[girishglg]

A very well rounded review there of your white ride complimented by some superb shots in day and night. Indeed a very sensible buy considering the use and driveability in city and highway conditions.

Must say one of the biggest positive is and will be the ride quality over rough surface, something which the Ecosport will most probably not able to trump (confirmed after hearing some of the test drives as well) ever.

Also very excited to see those preview pics of your travels and looking forward eager to hear and see them and your experience with the Duster.

[ghodlur]

@h.s.r

Congratulations on the Duster. Reading your thread shows how passionate you are to the details and about the SUV. Good pics too.

I had the opportunity to sit in BHPian engrohit's Duster during the Mumbai T-BHP meet and the car felt very spacious from inside. Also the ride quality experienced was great. So what mileage are you getting from the Duster?

Happy many more mile cruching, drive safely. Looking forward to your travelogues in the coming days

[mayuresh]

Congrats on the new purchase. A nice review. Got acquainted much better with the Duster now.

Just a little surprised by absence of Safari/Storme in your-11s evaluation squad!

Your teaser photos have set anticipation for a mouth watering travelogue. Looking forward to the same.

[Neilguy]

Congrats on the wonderful vehicle and a detailed, comprehensive and very well written review. Lovely photographs too, I must say. Your review genuinely highlights the pros and cons of the vehicle. Makes me think twice about whether to go for 110ps model or 85ps model.
How is the speed and stability on the highway. How is the overtaking ability at 100+ speeds. Are the brakes adequate for this sized vehicle?

[sudev]

Nice coverage. While budget was a constrain why choose 84bhp model when you are doing regular outstation trips?