The Duster AWD : Freedom revisited

Introduction and On road drive

We have been oppressed by bad roads, broken tarmac, crater-sized potholes and the long bills at the service stations. All of us, the car drivers and owners, have wanted the opportunity to give it back to them. India, our country, got freedom on August 15, 1947, but we are still struggling to get good, pothole-free roads for our daily commutes or weekend getaways. Thankfully, we have now been offered the right tool to give it back to them – the Renault Duster AWD! I am not really sure about the billing part, but, I am pretty sure about conquering bad roads and big potholes.

The team at Blogadda invited us to try out the Duster AWD on Independence Day and having driven the 110PS Duster before, and knowing the capacity of the chassis, I had no second thoughts about sacrificing my holiday dose of extra sleep. We started early from the Courtyard Marriott in Hinjewadi, Pune towards Lavasa via Pirangut.

The Hinjewadi-Pirangut stretch is a pothole-ridden broken tarmac while the Pirangut-Lavasa stretch is a biker’s paradise with decently paved roads and the Mula and the Mutha ghats. As we kept the car in 2WD and Auto modes, the Duster levelled roads like a rolling pin.

The Duster has always been a good handler, going into corners almost like a sedan with body roll, but the AWD takes it one step ahead. The Torque on Demand AWD assistance helps in better car balance and hence better grip in and through corners. The braking is not really progressive and bites a bit suddenly, unless you get used to them. But, when it comes to actual stopping power, the brakes work great, getting the car down to required speeds in a jiffy.

The Off-road drive

The second leg began in Lavasa – the off-road challenge – where the real prowess of the four-wheel-drive was to be tested. It was raining slightly and as we left the paved roads for country side trails, the Duster was at home over those bumpy stony sections, still ironing out the road with élan. There were three challenges for us – a slush section, a flowing-water crossing and a steep incline to test the off-road capabilities of the Duster AWD. With a steady throttle and the drivetrain in Auto mode, the car inched its way slowly but steadily through to the other end of the slush pit.

The Duster is also quite capable when it comes to water wading. The car went through wheel deep water with no hassles at all. As we approached the next challenge – the steep muddy incline – I was not really sure about the Duster being able to make it to the top. I activated the 4WD lock with the toggle switch as I lined up for the climb. Slotting the car in first gear, I kept a steady throttle not to let the wheels spin too much to lose grip and the Duster climbed up the slope like it was a piece of cake! I tried a mid-slope stop and take off and the Duster did that too quite comfortably.

The AWD System

Honda CR-V was amongst the first cars in India to have a Torque on Demand all-wheel drive system with the primary drive provided to the front wheels. Basically, a Torque on Demand system identifies any slippage in the primary drive and provides the required amount of power to the secondary drive to keep the car dynamically stable. The AWD system for the Duster is similar and has been derived from the Nissan GT series of drivetrains which are known to be quite capable. Though the original transfer case comes with a limited slip differential, it does not feature in the Duster. The transfer case adds roughly around just 50 kilograms to the overall weight and hence the car does not feel heavy as such. The gearing has been shortened for the lower gears, especially the first, to make it easy to rev the car into the power band for tough off-road sections and also to get the car off the blocks faster.

The wheels do not feel heavy as the body remains stable while the suspension and wheels take up the road surface inputs. The Duster AWDs we had for testing had road tyres from Apollo as well as MRF’s Wanderers - a standard fitment on the current Duster. The Wanderers give a better feel of grip on all surfaces as compared to the Apollos. If you plan on visiting off-road trails more often, it would be better to switch to all-terrain tyres - though this would mean sacrificing a little bit of on-road smoothness and grip. This is one of the few cars in the segment that comes with an ESP along with a manual gearbox. As either of the wheels slipped over loose gravel or soft mud, the ESP light kept blinking. I was not really backing off with the throttle input but the drive-by-wire kept the power in check and the stability program ensured that I moved ahead in the desired direction. Even for high speed corners on gravel strewn tarmac, you just have to give a steady steering input while the ESP corrects any understeer or over-steer making it a safe car even for over-enthusiastic drivers.

The Duster AWD turned out to be quite a surprise package with enough grunt in the 110PS engine and a smart AWD system working in tandem to get through most of the obstacles you would encounter on your weekend adventure, if you were to venture off the road with the compact SUV. If you are an enthusiast, you will have fun driving this car almost everywhere, but if you are not – do not worry at all - the car will assist you through the challenges and make you feel at home. The test drive event was also planned and handled crisply by the teams of Renault India and Blogadda, letting us experience freedom in a unique way this Independence day.