Renault Duster [2012-2015] User Reviews

Hello Friends,

It was really tough to find Petrol variant user/experts reviews on Internet. I surely found some & helped alot in making my wishlist. Due to this I made my mind to post my personal HONEST review comments after I run 1000km in my new car. I do not like deseal sound noise inside or outside car + initial amount which is required to pay to buy deseal car. I decided to buy Petrol variant of Ecosport and was on verge of getting delivery, few things changed my mind

1. One of my friend told me FORD's claim mileage is usually not met in real world scenario.

2. Real Mileage review of Ecosport Ambient variant by one of the real time user whom i just asked mileage casually and he said less than 12km, which made me worried.

I started thinking - Is it really worth paying close to 7.5L for Ambient variant base version, as space is as good as i20 not much difference? OR Wait for new options to come, as Duster Petrol was costing 9+ i.e. difference of around 1.5L which was huge was me, as I was looking for entry level SUV, as I like driving. Thankfully I got a very good offer from one of well known dealer of Pune because of Gudi Padwa + Year End + Govt Change in Policies (however not applicable to Duster) and difference in Ecosport & Duster price came down drastically, It appears as if everything is falling into place just to change my mind & meet budget, Only concern was - Duster claim 13.24 Mileage petrol much lower than Ecosports (15.7), how much it will give in real world? Salesperson was saying 9-10, dealer headperson was saying 11 in real world. You cannot get everything in one deal, so I decided to go for Duster Petrol over Ecosport Ambient Petrol after calculating all aspects, mentioned below

1. Roughly I have to Pay 1 L  more in either car for deseal variant, If I have buy petrol variant, I can save 1L and can save interest which i have to pay to loan company i.e. roughly 12000 Per Annum.

2. I have to pay roughly 6000 per annum for deasel maintanence.

3. After few years deseal car ki jaan nikal jati hai, I drove petrol car for over 7 years and still pickup is good enough and you can even think of long drives.

Moreover you never know what price differene deseal/petrol will have in coming days, Overall It will take 5 years to recover 1L which I am gonna pay more, assuming 15000km drive per year.

Exterior

Simple and Sober. Will have good road presence and sooth your eyes even after few years.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Basic, It fulfils all needs which required in car.

Engine Performance - Very good, handling is awesome, I tested speed 120 km and It was enjoyable.

Fuel Economy - 11 KMP/L after first 1000KM in a months time, Expecting it will give me 12 after first/second service. I drive 60% on highway & 40 City drive.

Gearbox - Good, Initially it took time to understand it, but now its good.

Ride Quality & Handling - Awesome. I feel like yeh road kabhi khatam naa ho, chalte jaye :)

Final Words

1. Amazing SUV, must have if budget is < 10L, I had test drive of Deseal as well, I like that as well but I mentioned points for choosing petrol over deseal.

2. Much better than Ecosport in terms of Space, Drive Handling, Driving Experience. Only place Ecosport wins is pickup @ 1-2 gear and may be you will get 1 etc LM/L mileage.

3. Feel free to ask for Comparision in Eco / Duster.

Areas of improvement  

Improve Mileage, It sometimes hurt to pay monthly petrol bills, Overall worth buying Duster.