Renault India has made waves in the auto industry with the launch of the all new mini SUV known as the Duster. If you were lucky enough to push you way through the massive crowds at the Delhi Auto Expo this year then you would have laid your eyes on this very handsome looking vehicle from the French stable. The Duster was finally launched sometime last month as we were given the opportunity to get a hand on experience of driving this much hyped SUV.
The one thing that really is good about the Renault Duster is that it looks really muscular. It’s got plenty of curves and the wheel arches bulge out to give it a muscle feel, while the long stretched front hood and roof liners give it that tough off-roader look, not to mention that it has a phenomenal ground clearance as well – much more than many other mini SUVs and MPVs. Its direct competitor in the SUV segment is undoubtedly the Mahindra Bolero, and the Scorpio can also be a competitor since the top of the line variants of the Duster will cost you more than Rs 12 lakhs on road. Then it could also compete with many other MPVs such as the mini Xylo and the Maruto Ertiga. However we like the looks of the Renault Duster much better than any of its competitors. It’s got the French flair of design and elegance.
When you step inside the cabin of the Renault Duster you begin to understand why its price can be maintained at a very low margin, because the overall quality and finishing touches could have been much better. The ergonomics are still good with everything in a neat and orderly fashion, the instrument cluster is easy on the eyes and the gear lever is placed comfortably well. There is decent amount of room for the front passenger and driver, but the rear passengers could have used some extra leg room. It is definitely not the most spacious car, but it is decently comfortable. There is also a good amount of storage space and plenty of cup holders.
The Duster comes with three different engines. There is of course a petrol engine and there are also two diesel engine variants. We drove the larger 110bhp engine that features a 1461cc 4-cyliner common rail direct injection. The engine is very well refined and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The 6-speed works really well and the car has got great acceleration, but what blew us completely away was the overall ride quality of the car. The Duster’s drive quality is phenomenal and the car literally floats over any kind of road surface. You don’t feel any vibrations, and even though we mentioned that the interior quality looks shabby, there wasn’t a single rattle or noise from the dashboard, which meant that the build quality was actually quite good. Shifting though the gears is a breeze and the throttle response is very good. The only thing we could have hoped for is a telescopic steering setup, but the handling of the car was still good as well.
Overall the car drives really well and what’s even better is that is provides a very efficient fuel consumption of somewhere around 18kmpl. This is pretty good for a car with 110bhp. So the Duster is efficient, drives really well and can take on any kind of road surface with ease, not to mention it’s pretty comfortable and enjoyable. Well it sounds like a great car but the fact remains that price for the top-of the line 110bhp variant is quite expensive at just over Rs 13 lakh on-road.
Nice features, good looking, now want to purchase immediately.
nice look