Duster diesel 110ps

While driving the duster it is evident that the car is fitted with a small engine and Renault has built this car to a budget.

I drove the Duster diesel 110ps and what I did not like about the car was that I found myself changing the gear continuously at low speeds. At a speed below 15 kmph the gear had to be changed to first gear every time, else the engine felt it would go off. Immediately after reaching around 15 kmph I had to change to second gear else the engine revs.

After the turbo kicks in the car is nice to drive – but only after really pushing the cars accelerator the turbo kicks in. The difference is easily noticeable of the turbo kicking in and it is not a smooth transition.

I think that the external looks of the car is very nice, the mileage is very good, interiors have a good colour combination, boot space is good and the audio system is good with mobile phone and usb connectivity. What I did not like was the front seats – they seem to have a lot of play and are not firm with all manual adjustments.

I think Renault has lost the plot with this car by building this to a real tight budget. The on road price for the base petrol variant in Bangalore is Rs 8,72,116 and the Top end diesel variant without leather is Rs 13,63,930. A difference of close to 4.9 lakhs in an entry level SUV is a lot between the base and top end variant. I would think someone looking to buy the top end variant would like a lot more and basic safety features such as ABS and Airbags should not be optional.  

I have driven other Renault cars such as the Megane, Clio and Koleos and did not have any complains. Maybe Renault should look at an automatic with a 2l diesel engine as this is like an urban compact SUV. I was quite disappointed on the whole with the duster as I really wanted to buy this car – now I think I will wait for the Ford Ecosport or buy the Toyota Innova as I do not like Mahindra XUV.