Please see below my initial ownership review of my Renault Duster 85PS Diesel RxL, after 3 months and 4500 kms.
Purchase Background :
I became a Duster owner by happenstance. You see, my wife and I had been wishing for an SUV for a few months now. We have a 2000 Santro LS and a 2006 Honda City VX. Both are great workhorses and are well maintained and behaving wonderfully, yet we were impressed with the SUV class and had wanted our next to be one. (We both have been avid drivers for 14 years now and enjoy our wheels). To add to the melee, my 9-year old son is a very very passionate motor enthusiast - he can reel out statistics and information about almost all models in the marketplace(cars and bikes) and can instantly recognize all Indian car brands and models on the road in the darkness AT NIGHT from a fair distance just by momentary sighting of the contours and headlamp shapes. So you can imagine his enthusiasm and animation upon hearing that we were looking out for a SUV. So now there were three of us pulling in three directions.
His favourite for months has been the Honda CRV, for the looks and the brand(we own the City and love it), followed by the Audi. However, for my wife and me, budget was important and we had been toying with the idea of a Scorpio for the mHawk engine. So we used to have these animated discussions about what car to buy and why, day in and day out.
That is until one day, when I sat sipping my morning cup of filter coffee with The Hindu in hand. I casually turned to the last page and spotted the full page launch ad of Ford Ecosport. Two things immediately caught my attention - the price of Rs 5.95 lakhs and the impressive looks. I immediately called my wife and showed her the ad and the decision was made - we are going for the Ecosport. One week later, we went to the dealer and booked a 1.0litre Petrol Ecoboost version - Mars Red to boot. We saw the car in flesh and blood and liked it immensely and the deed was done, with a waiting time of 4 months. Chose the petrol over Diesel as I had always driven petrol cars and thought of diesel cars as those noisy, shaky cars(how wrong I was !).
The deed done, I started researching cars and found Team BHP (quite through serendipity) and thereafter, one hour every day was religiously spent on the Ecosport pages, chewing on the previews, reviews & opinions, and basking in its aftertaste. I started worshiping the Team-BHP site as it converted me into this bloke who could suddenly understand cars in a completely new light and talk intelligently about their pros and cons without batting an eye.
The SA had promised me delivery in 4 months. These four agonizing months went by. The initial ownership reports had in the meantime, started coming. The SA had no clue about when my car will get delivered. The price raise happened and more importantly, the key features that differentiated the product in my mind - like keyless entry - got knocked off from what I was getting. That was unacceptable to me. I felt cheated. And with them, the reports of toppling, poor water wading, engine seizing, high speed instability, etc. All due respect to the Ecosport owners, no offense meant. I have a strong stomach for all of the above, except high speed instability. Having been driving cars for 14 years, I know what it actually means as I have experienced near misses myself. So suddenly all the rationalizations I had done in my mind about the Ecosport started unraveling and I started having my doubts. I became more open to alternatives like the Duster.
So one of those days, as I was heading out to the Ford dealer to enquire one more time about the car delivery, I passed the Khivraj Pearl Renault dealer at Anna Nagar and out of sheer curiosity, my wife, son and I peeped in. I had until then seen only the likes of the brown, black, white and red dusters. However, the dealer had placed a fully decked up grey Duster 110PS in great lighting conditions in the shop. We got in. My son played around with the touch screen audio system. And declared instantly that THIS IS THE CAR WE NEED TO BUY ! Here I was, someone who has spent almost 4 months on Team BHP researching cars and dissecting the Ecosport(and the Duster as well) and suddenly, in just 4 minutes, my son had made the purchase decision ! Well, as all parents go, we too agreed(of course we loved the car too). We cancelled the Ecosport(although just the previous day, the dealer called to say our car has come and could we please arrange the funds) and booked the Duster. We were promised one-week delivery and got it on 20 Nov .
So that is how the Duster Metallic Grey 85PS Diesel came home.
Likes :
++The comfort of the drive and handling
++The stance and looks - has been turning heads even though Duster has been on the roads for months now
++The accessories I installed(more on it later)
++Fuel-efficiency - I visit the gas station much less frequently now
++Dealer experience(until payment was made)
++Seat positions and comfort
++Gear shifting ease, post the initial break-in period
++Space on the back-seat
++Boot space
++Some security features, like putting the door lock button in the center console
Dislikes
--The persistent rattling I got from all doors which refused to go away until I put my foot down and got the service folks to rectify it
--With just one dealer(Khivraj) monopolizing Chennai, hate to be at service provider's mercy
--Unethical experience with accessories dealer
--Fewer gas station options in Chennai for the Duster - I normally fill at Shell stations for my petrol cars; but they apparently don't retail ordinary diesel, so now have to plan out my visits to other "reliable" gas stations carefully
--The service guys do not even change oil during the first service for the Duster. It is just an open-the-bonnet-and-look-see routine. And the second service is after one year ! So practically for the first year, your vehicle doesn't get looked at seriously at all for any manufacturing defects, tuning requirements, etc. I am not at all comfortable with this.
--Internal plastics - pretty bad
--Tightness of steering(when compared to Santro Zipdrive and Honda City)
Alternatives considered:- Ecosport 1.0L Petrol Ecoboost Titanuium and then 1.5L Diesel Titanium - for the looks and the price. However, the 5.95 lakhs price tag was for advertising purposes only and any decent version was atleast 9.5 lakhs OTR at Chennai. Although was convinced about the value that this still delivered, the endless wait, price raise with features knock-off, the doubts I started getting about the SUV stance of the Ecosport(it started looking quite comparable in size to hatchbacks like Polo, Indica etc., as I started seeing more and more Ecosports getting delivered and getting parked next to these hatchbacks on the roads) and the reports I started getting about stability and engine conk-off on water-wading(in Kolkata for a gentleman) made me start looking for alternatives. Duster's size and SUV stance apart from the test drive comfort won my heart.
- Scorpio mHawk - The ride quality, poor mileage and noise didn't work in its favour although the looks and stance was most impressive.
- XUV - The best in terms of looks, but I found a thread for issues with the XUV that was more than 100 pages long on Team-BHP - and this was a deterrent.
- Honda CRV and Audi SUV(my son's consideration set) - too expensive
Once it was decided that Duster it was going to be, the 85PS was selected because of reports of better in-city driving capability than the 110PS. Wife does a lot of driving and didn't want her to deal with Turbo-lag etc. We have always gone for the mid-trim in the model we choose in both the Santro and the City(maybe something psychological) - and the same was the case here too. RxL it was. Grey, because that is the color we fell in love with at the dealer's. There are just too many Browns on the road nowadays and we didn't want to be one more.
Purchase/Delivery Experience :
Strange are the ways of the car dealers in India. They are strange animals:
- Once I went in and said I am cancelling the Ecosport booking, not once did the dealer ask why I was cancelling, could I reconsider etc. (Maybe i was vain enough to expect all this). He just gave the cancellation procedure and asked me to send out an email. For all the four months I spent after booking the Ecosport(from Chennai Ford), it was me who made all the calls, to the dealer enquiring about allotment/delivery. The dealer never once bothered to call. But once I had communicated my intention to cancel, the next day, I got a call from him (and twice more in the next two days) asking why I hadn't sent my cancellation email and could I please expedite it !!
- The Duster dealer experience(Khivraj Pearl) was great right until the final full payment was made. after that, even though my questions were "answered", i could perceive a subtle toning down of customer service. Especially the delivery. it was done in a summary fashion with minimal ceremony by a flunky, who cursorily showed a demo.
Price & Discounts:
The On-road price was as follows :
Ex-showroom price - 9.90 lakhs
Regn & Service charges - 1.14 lakhs
Insurance - 36,109
Total OTR price - 11,40,109
Discounts - Rs 60,000 cash discount, club membership, etc
Rs 20,000 exchange bonus for my Santro(I actually didn't give in my car, but just gave a photocopy of the RC book and voila, the discount was given)
Total discount - Rs 80,000
Engine Type & Variant:
Renault Duster RxL 85PS Diesel Metallic Grey
Kms completed : 4500
Time since purchase : 3 months
Daily commute : 20km+20km in reasonable peak-hour traffic(not to Bengaluru benchmark levels, but what one would find on Chennai 100 feet road at 0845AM). Average speed would be 30-35kmph.
Positives & Negatives in detail : - Comfort : I had heard great things about the Duster comfort, but one has to experience it to really realize the full import of this claim. Before buying it, I did back-to-back test drives within an hour of each other, of both the Ford Ecosport 1.5L Titanium Diesel and the Duster 85PS Diesel, on the SAME road in Chennai(Koyambedu to Chennai bypass toll gate and back) and deliberately went over the SAME pot-holes, badly broken road margin, etc., for comparison. Both my wife and I did the driving and both of were of the same opinion that the Duster was about 50% better then the Ecosport in terms of driving comfort. It took the broken roads with aplomb and we felt lesser rocking and shock. In fact, we felt a bit queasy when driving the Ecosport over the broken roads. That in fact sealed our decision to go in for the Duster. Our post purchase experience has been the same - stand-out comfort; even better than my Honda City. Good ground clearance as well.
- Long-distance driving : I did a Chennai-Kodai-Chennai drive and we were able to cover the distance one way in 8 hours(excluding the breaks), with Chennai-Trichy in 3.45 hours ! The car seems to have sweet spots once at 80kmph and then at 120kmph, where the engine settles into a rhythmic thrum and goes along almost in auto-pilot mode. Pure joy at 120kmph to drive. And best of all, I didn't feel ANY body pain/tiredness etc. - and I am not kidding here - at the end of the drives(which I normally feel in my City). I was ready and raring to go after each drive. Headlights are adequate for both dim and dip.
- Ingress/egress - Getting in/out can be a bit of a challenge for elderly folks. My mother found it easier in my Honda City. Duster seat was too high for her comfort. Also, the beading around the doorway(where the scuff-plates go) easily gets dirty from the shoe undersoles while getting in/out.
- Speed Handling : As I said earlier, the straight line speed handling is exemplary. However, both my wife and I felt that where it showed, say a 50kmph on the speedometer, it actually didn't feel we were going that fast - maybe 40kmph max. Don't know whether this is because we are at a higher sitting position from the road level in the Duster as against our Santro/City and hence our visual perception of speed becomes lesser(just like it doesn't feel like the aeroplane is taxiing at 300kmph when the on-screen information display says so during takeoff)
- Braking : Didn't find any issues with Braking. Good response.
- Internals : The mechanicals are good - The pedals are quite good, big and good-to-the touch(compared to the Santro and the City); well-spaced out as well
- Seating : The driver's and passenger's seat are big enough and well-contoured for a good, snug fit. The vertical and forward/backward adjustments are good and have a good range of play. The solid lever for forward/backward adjustment is a good plus, compared to what I get in my Santro and City. The only issue I felt with the driver's seat was a rather soft central portion for the spinal support. I felt the vertical band of support at the center was too soft, with the result, my spinal cord didn't get adequate support. This could have been reinforced a bit. Back-seat is very spacious and can easily sit three grown-ups. Leg space is also adequate, even with the front seats reasonably pushed back and no cause for concern there. The only eye-sore and possible long-drive irritant I felt was the foot rest bar at the back of the front seats. What a dumb idea ! Also, I don't know about others, but where my right knee touches the front door panel when I drive, it is quite sharp and painful to the feel. Nothing can be done, perhaps. Not enough space between top of seat and bottom of steering wheel; thigh gets stuck often when getting out. Rear-view mirrors are adequate. One gets used to the unique placement of the mirror adjusters beneath the handbrake.
- Airconditioner - Good throw, lot of setting options, cools quite fast. Even at the back. Only issues are with the fact that the temperature setter dial has an orangish marker for the tuning which is not so visible in daylight. Could have been more visible. Also, when the a/c fan is switched off, the compressor indicator light also gets turned off. Which means I don't have any visual indication if the compressor alone is switched on by mistake. I could drive for miles without even realising this. Don't know if that burns diesel.
- Music system - My son was convinced on the touch-screen system we saw in the 110PS display vehicle at the dealer's, so we decided to upgrade to a touchscreen system on our car too; so no opinion on the OEM music system.
- Gear ratios: The gears are good, although I feel a speed that can covered in 3rd gear on my City, I will need to downshift to 2nd gear on the Duster to cover.
- Steering comfort : Steering is good, well weighted and responsive. However, it hardly feels like a new power-steering car; I could steer my Santro LS with my little finger when it was new and same with my City; Can hardly do the same with the Duster. Some shoulder pain does show from time to time.
- Build quality : Internal plastics of very poor quality. Can't hold a candle to my City plastics. All plastics buckle when pushed even lightly. Door closes with a good thud, that gives a good feel. However, I could hear and feel rattles in the car from day 2 ! Mentioned it in the first service after 2 months and apparently they "were fixed". However, they returned immediately and I had to take it back. It is then that the SA sheepishly agreed that this is a recurring problem and in such cars they remove all four doors and revamp(I dont know if they replace) the beadings etc. I got it done 2 days back and now it all seems to have gone away. Fingers crossed.
- Pick-up : Until the first service, the car used to surge forward suddenly if the clutch alone is slightly depressed in anticipation of a braking action.This was scary at first and needed some getting used to. It has since settled down.
- Fuel efficiency : Have been getting a consistent 16kmpl(except for the Chennai-Kodai run, it has been largely in-city driving in Chennai)
- Replacement Caska Music system : The USB drive (in the replaced music system, not the OEM system) starts from the beginning sometimes upon restarting the car, whereas at other times it starts from where it left off. Can be quite painful to scroll down again using the touch screen/stylus. Maybe need to do more R&D on this. MapMyIndia was reasonably good, although didn't get to test it fully. It was asking me to take a U-turn on OMR when I was going down towards my destination. Was hilarious !
- Small items storage : Not enough storage space for knick knacks at all. All my goggles, mobiles, toll tickets, headphones, pens etc., get accumulated on the dashboard and add to a cluttered look very soon. No chance of a drive-in MacDonald's experience in this car, as there is place to keep just one glass of Coke.
- Insulation : Sound insulation is good. However, there is a high degree of accumulation of dust on the insides of the door(visible when opened). This can happen only if there is poor insulation/beading for the doors. Expect this to become painful to maintain clean in due course.
- Service Experience : Khivraj has a monopoly in Chennai. And for someone, who services all Renault cars in Chennai, there are too few SAs - the receptionist is constantly searching for SAs to assign cars to. Finding your SA once assigned also can prove tricky. The first service is an eye-wash, so nothing to write about. Except that the rattle that was supposed to have been rectified returned with renewed vigor in 2 days. And what's with the Khivraj Service Centre in Chennai and Diesel ??!!. Two times I gave my car for servicing(first time was free first service where they don't even change oil, but just peep into the bonnet and do a look-see. Second time was to rectify the unresolved rattle issues). Both times, I found that a significant amount of diesel had been pilfered from the car. In fact the second time, I consciously noted that there were 2 "bars" on the fuel indicator above the reserve; when I got it back; it was in the low reserves and continuously glowing. This is so cheap. Never happened with my Santro(DSC/HMP) and Honda City(Sundaram Honda) service centers ever in my 14 years of servicing my cars.
- Strange the accessory guy in Khivraj doesnt want the service assistant to know that he has made an accessories sale to me; and the service guy is quite keen on finding out. Quite strange. Apparently something about giving a cut to the service center guy. Doesn't leave a good feeling as a customer. Also, the accessory guy did not give me an invoice in Khivraj's name, but it was in the name of some 3rd party. I realized it too late.
Accessories :
I got most of the accessories from Privilege Motomall on Anna Salai and the owner was quite helpful and competitive(he quoted high rates, but once I quoted the OEM price list form the dealer, he agreed to match all of them). The following were added :
- I replaced the inbuilt music system with a CASCA 7" touchscreen system with DVD player(apparently this is the only one approved by Duster as it neatly fits into the slot and doesnt need any cutting/additional filler) for ~46K. This came with a built in Map My India and a single reverse camera. I insisted and ensured the wires weren't spliced when fitting these, but appropriate connectors were used.(very important for warranty). Enjoying the Casca system, especially my kid with his Lion Kings and KungFu Pandas. Amazing picture and sound quality.
- I fitted Boston Component speakers for the front and tweeters (~Rs8K) and retained the OEM speakers for the rear. Don't have enough high quality music to try these out to the fullest though.
- I fitted two 7" AVN brand LCD monitors for the two headrests (for the kid) with the headrest cover changed appropriately(with zip opening). About Rs10K.
- Apparently another customer had replaced his brand new Duster OEM alloy wheels on his 110PS with imported ones and these were available for sale. I got these installed for 28K(as against 39K for a set of 5 OEM)
- Got a coat of DiamondBrite surface paint protection (from Mr Ramaswamy, regional manager - wonderful gentleman. was gracious enough to do this for me at his home on a Saturday !)Rs 5K.
- Recently fitted leather seats for 17.5K from the dealer and got leather steering wheel covers (Rs900). Highly recommend these; increases comfort and looks greatly.
- Went in for full area carpet for protection against dirt. I strongly recommend this. Rs.4K
Some tips given to me by the SA:
- Do remember to keep the type pressure at 29 for all four and the drive becomes very soft. The petrol bunk guys, left to themselves, fill in 33.
- When filling diesel, switch off the engine and remove the key. Replace when done and then start the engine again. Apparently, if this is not done, the odometer and mileage functions will get negatively impacted.
- Never use the front charger outlet for anything other than cigarette lighting. Don't use it for say, mobile charging etc. Apparently the current output is insufficient and it can blow the fuse.
Photos attached. Shall add some more soon.
27th February 2014, 16:53
(17)
Thanks
post them at your earliest best. Till then happy and safe driving!
. Totally agree with Girish. Would love to see the pictures of your ride and also the mod's you have done.
