[Brishti]

After parting ways with my Maruti Suzuki A-Star I was left in a bind since the car I had my eye on was not available anymore. The car in question was a pre-facelift BMW 520d which was available at a very very good price but it was not to be. The BMW dealer refused delivery on bases of non-availability after sitting on my money for 2 weeks. Thank god I was bugging them every day otherwise these 2 weeks would have been months.

I in the mean time was without a car it was truly hell on earth. Driving loaner cars from friends really took my peace away especially that Honda Civic.

After a few more trips to the BMW dealer got my refund and got the loan cancelled for which I had to pay an additional fee to the bank . The sales team pressured me a lot for the BMW 320d Luxury Plus pointing out similarities in interior space and promises of a better platform over the 5 series since its a newer car.

Can't say I was not at all influenced by their words. After reaching home I did search about the differences in platform and build between the 320d and the 520d but alas I could not find any direct bases of differentiation and I gave up.

Since the treatment BMW gave me was beyond acceptable I started to look at other cars. The list was small at first with only the top three Germans:


1. Audi A4:

Not a good car at all there is no feel in the steering its light and does not gain weight properly on highways. The CVT was another problem its very different from my old DSG box in Superb. The car had its appeal but not for the asking price so dropped it at once. Dare I say it but my old Superb was better in most aspects.

2. Mercedes C Class 250:

Its a very nice car build like a tank with the refinement level that rivals the greats. The interiors seem better than Audi "A4 has soft touch material behind the door handles not above or below it." The only thing wrong is the engine its no match for what is under a BMW.

3. BMW 320d:

Loved the test drive the car and the engine. There is something about the BMW engines that is different. It was great but it was not a 520d there were differences in the interior, the engine, etc. The only way to explain this was either I fell in love with the 520d or there really was a difference among the two.


With time rolling on and me still confused on a car friends forced me to try out the Volvo S60 which I did love but because of lack of brand value and it not being as involving to drive dropped the idea.

It was after a comment of a friend on the Fiat Linea T-Jet I started to look into D2 and D1 space.


D2 had five main cars of which I drove three:

1. Toyota Camry:

Big car with no soul to speak of don't think many will think this way. It was not much compared to the likes of 320d or C class.

2. Hyundai Sonata:

Good car for the price had almost everything but thin sheet metal made me think twice and not to mention lack of spares for my friends tucson made me question the car in the long run. Steering feels better than Camry but the Passat feels more planted.

3. VW Passat:

I was not expecting a lot after reading online that it essentially had an derivative version of PQ35 platform but was a wrong. It was great to drive and be driven around. With all sorts of features at my disposal it was my most loved car in the D2 segment. Compared to the 320d and the C class it was 70% of each but at a lower price. The only problem was with it being upgraded next year.


D1 was next and after my impressions of the Passat I was ready to try out some VW honey. So I made it a point to test the Jetta before any other cars:

1. VW Jetta:

As expected it drove very well gave good feed back and I swear it had a lot of A4 in it both drive and look wise "Rear boot" just like the Passat. The problem was the interior doors felt cheap like something out of the Polo, the plastics at other places while better than others is not as good as the Octavia as I found out later. According to the dealer there are no plans like BSI or extended warranty this fact really bummed me out.

2. Skoda Octavia:

It was a surprising car for me not only did it have better materials than the Jetta it also had a newer platform. The dealer promised a BSI type maintenance pack to be launched later next year. The Octavia had it all but the drive is less stellar than the Jetta and the manual variant only comes with dual airbags which is a huge oversite by Skoda. My Superb had a DSG issue and now don't trust VAG DSG's at all.


Still confused even after all my test drives I started a thread on TeamBHP on the technical aspects of a platform mainly to formulate some sort of a difference between the Jetta and the Octavia.

Thread

With a lot of double sided talk I was confused. If I were to take a chance on an Octavia DSG with 6 airbags it should be for a very good reason but it was ascertained that platforms don't matter much.


3. Chevrolet Cruze:

Chevrolet has somehow managed to spoil what the old cruze had. It no longer pulls like it used to, no longer are you pinned like you would in a BMW, no longer does it play on your heart strings. I had driven the old cruze and it was great fun but now not so much given that it has hard plastics everywhere and less space on offer compared to Octavia and Jetta it stood no where.

4. Hyundai Elantra:

The design is very in your face and will get old very soon. The steering is not good and while its better than Verna it still goes like it has water legs on highway speeds. Loved the ventilated seats its something very useful and effective but the holes can get blocked with dust. Overall even with the new facelift the elantra just does not have the X factor.

5. Renault Fluence:

I was fortunate enough to test drive the car in Mumbai when i went there on the 11th. Had no plans for the Fluence at all but after test drive and a proper look which lasted an hour I am a changed man. Very nice looking car its headlights reminded me of BMW. The interior rivals the Octavia its much better than Jetta. It drove wonderfully the steering adds weight around 60-80kph and is instantly better than Octavia in feedback. The cabin has soft touch everywhere and I was surprised by the attention to detail. The storage pockets and bins are lined. Negative's are the engine power and a facelift that is about to hit.



Confused but quite sure that I don't want to drive loaner cars anymore I formulated a plan to buy a D1/D2 now and buy a Luxury car later when the bank allows. For my plan to succeeded I needed someone who would buy the D1/D2 car off my hands when the bank comes up with a similar loan offer as I got for the BMW. Asked my friends most said no so asked my family members and my uncle said yes. He would buy my D1/D2 when I get authorization from the bank for the loan in a moments notice given there is at least a years warranty left.

With that out of the way I looked into the cars for the D2 only Passat but new facelift rendered it useless. In D1 Jetta was great but the fact that I may have to wait for 1-2 years meant that without any extended warranty my uncle would not get the years warranty he wanted. The Octavia was the next choice but its extended warranty is yet to be launched never the less this was one of my finalists. Finally the Fluence it has 4 years warranty without any additional amount so it ticked all the box's.

So it was Octavia vs Fluence but it was kind of a no match really. Fluence was cheaper in spares, cheaper to run, cheaper to maintain and better to drive. Octavia on the other hand was a car with lighter doors than Jetta and manual did not have 6 airbags not to mention the horrific A.S.S stories. Since this would serve me for a year or two it does not need to be a German I can wait for a proper German beauty

So since airbags are important to me I would have to spend around 18.3/19.6lakh ex-showroom for the top end Octavia petrol/diesel or around 15.3lakh ex-showroom for the top end Fluence petrol/diesel.

After that the decision was easy.

[Brishti]

13th Dec

Went to a Renault dealer in Pune had a look around but before anyone could attend a very rude lady came up to me and asked what I want. I asked for the Fluence and she started to show me the Duster. After a small argument with the lady a very nice and helpful guy with the name of Raj came by and assisted me.

After explaining him that I wanted a Fluence he told me they had two white Fluence in transit which would reach in a day or two decided then and there to get either of the two.

Freebies

Carpet footmats

Discount

41,000 off on ex-showroom.

The wait started

15th Dec

Got a call from the dealer my car has arrived and VIN number was given to me. I asked about a PDI but the dealer had other plans in mind and told me that's not possible. I left for the dealership to put some words into their head and after a bit of talking I got the PDI done along with a friend.

Car's registration and delivery was to be done the next day.

16th Dec

Skipped work went to the dealers early, after sitting on their head got a months temporary registration done and took delivery after taking a demo of the car features.

Likes:

1. The car suspension feels soft and comfortable over bumps.
2. Ground clearance while on the lower side does not warranty a lower speed over speed bumpers.
3. The engine pulls very well around 1300rpm range which makes it wonderful for city drives.
4. The key slot next to the start/stop button is useful so that the key does not get misplaced.
5. Headlamps are halogen plans for night breakers in about 2 weeks.
6. Diesel quality does not hamper this car drove all around without the engine skipping a beat.
7. This is the most underrated car in India making it unique and special.
8. The 2+2 year warranty is great specially since I had to pay no extra money for the same.

Dislikes:

1. Suspension being soft makes the fully loaded ride less than stellar.
2. Side plastic skirts play havoc with the drivers estimates.
3. The engine losses its puff above 110-120kph it feels like those electrically limited European cars.
4. The key is expensive and loosing it will give you nightmares. The shape does not help in fact had it been something small like the Octavia key it would have been better. Never place the key in your back pocket I learned that the hard way.
5. Stock headlamps have a limited high and low range and replacements are recommended.
6. Part sharing between this and Duster is not as common as I would have liked.
7. The build is good but the plastic bumper and the side skirts are of low quality.
8. Brakes have a bad bite that is instant and very scary, thanks to ABS they don't lock the wheels.

Features

4 Airbags
Push Start/Stop
Keyless entry
Alloy spare
ESP
ABS

Missing things

More power
Drive selector
Ventilation seats

Accessories

3M film

Sum Up

Who knew the French can make some nice cars. this is a perfect example of not to judge a book by its cover. This is true for the most part but keep in mind VAG products are a bit better only if VW had given me a warranty extension I would have been driving a top end Jetta. This car will serve me well for the coming one-two years hopefully the bank will get it in their brains that the whole BMW business was not my fault and give me that low interest long term loan again. In any case I will not keep this car for more than two years without the banks help I might only be able to buy a CLA or a 3 series CE but it will certainly be a German beauty.

Out of all the alternatives in the D1/D2 category this is best VFM car with extended warranty. The jetta is certainly the better car but with no extended warranty I had to drop it. Octavia was neck to neck but the price and the additional amount for extended warranty would mean on road above 20-22lac and at that price Octavia is a crazy option.

The dealer experience was limited at best had the waiting period been more the dealer would have mattered more. Certainly the readily availability of the car was a big plus. Just went to the dealer twice and the car was in my hand.

Price:

Ex-showroom - Rs.15,46,700
Discount - Rs.41,000 "Cash", 50% off on insurance

Model:

Fluence E4D with K9K dCI 110PS engine this is the topend diesel and costs about the same as the topend petrol

Distance Covered:

The car has done about 850km but it does not feel the engine has settled till yet. Fluctuation in average and different behavior around 2000-3000rpm are why I think so.

Drove to Himachal and back and everyday I go about 20-60km. The main reason to but a diesel over a petrol was not because of lower fuel bill but because K9 engine parts are much more readily available and it is a common engine across the range.

Looks:

The car looks great it has that European look going for it even if it is actually a Samsung product. Understated but certainly much louder than the Jetta or Octavia.

It looks very sleek and stylish, its headlights reminded me of BMW but now they remind me off Ferrari. There is a facelift on the way but a Renault engineer told me there are no sheet metal changes in the new car and maybe a bumper and grill transplant will be possible.

The curves are to die for its not as plain jane as Jetta/Octavia but not as crazy as Elantra.

Build Quality:

Build quality is better than any of the Japanese cars in the class why is it they cant make a 20lac car feel strong is beyond me. That said it certainly is no match for the Jetta which feels much better in build. Octavia on the other hand has lost some ground on build quality don't believe me just test it out and you will see what I mean.

Interior:

The interior design is again more eye catching than the Jetta but not as classy as the Octavia. Quality of the interiors follow a similar path, Jetta lowest and Octavia the best "Again the Octavia leads by a very small margin"

Inside the space is huge much more than Civic and rivals Jetta but the rear headroom is a bit tight not a huge negative and still much better than theElantra. The ride is plush and comfortable not typically European if you know what I mean.

The AC is a bit lacking but I guess its because of the rear vents. With all vents on and full the cabin reduces temperature within a few minutes. Seats in the front have good travel and are comfortable. Manual lumbar support is also given to the driver seat, Rear seats are lacking lower support and thigh support. Ergonomics are a bit screwed up the start/stop button for example is in the passenger area other than this other points are minor.

Its excellent you get pull up privacy curtains at the back. There is soft touch materials everywhere and the beige feels airy. It can seat 4 comfortably but the fifth is not totally unwelcome the center hump is a size lower than the Octavia.

Engine:

The engine performance is lacking in highway drives but in city the engine pulls from as low as 1200-1300 rpm when you are driving a diesel car this is a huge factor. The engine feels quite different than the likes of Duster which uses the very same engine with a similar output maybe there is a difference in tune up since the dusters 110 does not work very well in city conditions. That said the Duster 85PS is better than the Fluence in city drives.

The car feels at home on highways and a little too relaxed, the engine runs out of puff around 110-120kph and that rapid acceleration is gone replaced with a liner acceleration not that it is bad but keeping up with a A4/A6/320d is just not possible "I have tried"

It does not lack power anywhere in the city but on the highways it cant rival anything in its class other than that Toyota. Tried to keep up with a Audi but even with a CVT box that A6 was gone into the wind.

Have done 800Km and so far the engine still seems to be settling in.

Its 6 gears are easy to use there is no gate strictness here. The 6th gear is overdrive only for highways and the best for fuel efficiency, be warned not to use it in the city the car can shutter and die at any point of time.

The efficiency for now is variable I think the engine is still settling in. For now it fluctuates between 15-18 in city and 17-22 on highway.

Handling is quite good the steering gets heavy as speed increases, which can be noticed around the 60-80kph mark. On road the car stays stable around 120-130Kph have taken her upto 150kph but ran out of good road. The ABS is a god sent and works wonders for the car in emergency stopping maneuvers. Planing an upgrade to michelin tyres the stock ones are not good in grip and road noise is a bit high would not have upgraded had the stock tyres not been of such low quality grip.

Its a comfortable car unlike the Jetta or Octavia which have a harder suspension setup. This is not to say that the Fluence will bottom out on speed breakers. Its much much better than the civic that I drove for 20 days.

Audio:

The speaker quality is quite good and I was earlier planing on a multi channel amplifier setup but have dropped the idea and will instead go for a per channel tube amp setup. The only problem is warranty and will need permission from the dealer.

Problems:

The biggest dislike with the car is the plastic quality outside like the bumpers and skirt if you look closely it seems like the bumper has been repaired and repainted which off course it has not.

Being a sedan the seats are placed low so elders will have a little problem getting up. The cabin room and luggage space is more than ample, the boot lip is at a lower height and makes all the difference but a hatchback design of the Octavia is just better.

No problems other than this faced till yet was prepared for the worse since this company is new but thankfully no major problems or replacements.

[Brishti]

Shots Interior + Exterior

[Samurai]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[rahul4321]

Great Pick!! I happened to sit inside one recently at a Reanult showroom when i was checking out the Duster and i must say; the interiors are absolutely top notch!! Congratulations on your buy! I hope you have a great experience with the Fluence and then go on and get your German beauty in the next 2 years!

[Baddychat]

Congratulations on your new ride.
Please do add a few shots of the interior which do justice

Congratulations once again and wishing you thousands of happy and safe miles on the fluence.

Cheers

[girishglg]

Congrats on buying a looker of a car there. The first time I spotted this one was actually in Yearcaud and went just drooling over it. Must say after an initial burst of vehicles, the sales have fallen slow.

Liked your well balanced review bringing out the pros and cons clearly. Surely the big plus the brilliantly tuned DCi motor while surprisingly the brakes have been talked about more than required both in this car and the Sunny.

Congrats again and wish you many happy miles ahiead. Also post more pics of this beauty!

[GTO]

Nice review, enjoyed your unique style of writing . Thanks for sharing this straight-forward unbiased report. It's going straight to our home page.

I'm a fan of the ride quality of this car. Just like the Duster, it's definitely the best in class. Hear that the turbo-lag is more controlled in the updated version and your review confirms that.

Drive safe!

[sansvk]

Congrats on your new car, its a head turner, well I do turn when one is on the road.
How do rate the back seat? looks comfortable and also a flatter floor hump.

[prakhar1998]

Wonderful buy there, BTW how much discount were you offered for the pre-facelift 5'er?

[createrkid]

Gratz on your new acquisition. I must say, it's completely drool worthy
I was curious as to why the top end diesel and petrol variants cost the same, I'm still not able to wrap my head around it, is it due to poor sales?

[Brishti]

Thank you all for your wishes, the car has done almost 900km now think its about time I change the bulbs with night breakers. The car itself is a relaxed ride while not a speed demon it does reach 110-120 in a hurried manner.

If I were to compare this to my old Superb it does stand out in value. The engine is a bit unrefined compared to the Superb and is not as instant. The Superb did have its negativities one being its relatively slow shift from 1-2 and the jerkiness made you rethink about the price. Not to mention the DSG issue that finally sank my interest in keeping the Superb.

Originally Posted by sansvk

Congrats on your new car, its a head turner, well I do turn when one is on the road.
How do rate the back seat? looks comfortable and also a flatter floor hump.

The back seats are very comfortable in fact its more so than my friends old 3 series CE. The rear headroom is also more than a sunny and middle passenger is semi welcome "Look at the rear hump photo"

Originally Posted by prakhar1998

Wonderful buy there, BTW how much discount were you offered for the pre-facelift 5'er?

I was offered almost 4Lac discount on the 520d which had an ex-showroom price of 43Lac making the effective price around 39Lac. Had booked and paid in full the same day to the dealer. The bank had paid 20Lac and 19Lac paid by me, registration and any additional formalities were to be paid by me.

The dealer after 2 weeks of sitting on top of that 39Lac told me he cant allocate a car from BMW. After a detailed talk it turns out that the 520d the dealer had promised me was actually allocated to another dealer and what these dealers do is that they buy cars from each other at dealership cost and then sell it off with a profit.

For what its worth I was offered a pre-facelift 525d for 43Lac ex-showroom afterwards but it was too little too late.

Originally Posted by createrkid

I was curious as to why the top end diesel and petrol variants cost the same, I'm still not able to wrap my head around it, is it due to poor sales?

Well the Renault K9K dCi is very same unit which is used in their pulse off course there is additional turbo and its tuned but still. The petrol Fluence uses a 2liter unit which is unique and is not used in any other car in their range. Infact I choose the diesel not for cost saving but the fact that the diesel engine is a very common site and in use across several cars making spares and engine know how much more accessible across India.

[Utopian]

Congrats for the Fluence. I believe this is the first ownership review of the car. The interiors are truly class leading.
BTW, did you compare the Fluence and the Duster110 back to back. Any stark difference in the engine tune/gear ratios?

[baskar]

Hi

Good review and congratulations on your purchase of a good looking car. I also liked the car a lot for its features and good space inside but later on moved on to Innova. Fluency is a very good looking car and since it is rare to find to one on the road, it gives that much more X-factor.

Wish you many more safe miles with this car.

One question - since you didn't have any specific reason against petrol, why didn't you opt for it? The petrol car has some more features compared to the top-end diesel and it is also more powerful. Usually engine parts and transmission components don't require replacements that often and especially, Renault engines are not bad at all (Logan, Verito, Duster, Sunny).

I liked the car very much.

Regards

[Brishti]

Originally Posted by Utopian

BTW, did you compare the Fluence and the Duster110 back to back. Any stark difference in the engine tune/gear ratios?

Yes there is a bit of difference the fluence has better low rev performance compared to the duster 110 which is worthless below 2000+ rpm. That said the 85ps duster is better than the fluence in low rev city drive.

Originally Posted by baskar

Hi


One question - since you didn't have any specific reason against petrol, why didn't you opt for it? The petrol car has some more features compared to the top-end diesel and it is also more powerful. Usually engine parts and transmission components don't require replacements that often and especially, Renault engines are not bad at all (Logan, Verito, Duster, Sunny).

I liked the car very much.

Regards

The petrol engine is unique and is not shared with any other car in the range. After taking a idea of the engine complexity from the engineer was told that very few units of this engine exist in India and added to fluence's uniqueness but for me very few engines means a bad thing.

Local know how is also important for me since sometimes I travel a lot and have suffered complexity of engines making a monkey out of the friendly neighborhood garage guy in case of some engine problems.