Renault Duster, the verdict (1)
Renault Duster the competitively priced SUV offers a chance to the French auto maker to strengthen its grip in the mass segment of the Indian car market. The craze for SUVs in India has been proven by the hysterical response for Mahindra’s XUV 500 SUV which was launched last year in India in the month of September. Indians simply love the masculine look of the SUV, its presence on the road and the huge ground clearance to be able to run smoothly on the Indian roads. However, the SUVs do not offer excellent fuel economy, are priced higher and cannot be driven in small lanes of India. However, Renault has tried to change the philosophy with Duster, it has augmented a new segment that offers luxury and comfort.
The SUV is priced close to sedans and hence could price to be a huge threat for sedan cars in India. Being a pioneer in this segment Renault has taken a huge risks which comes with trying something new, if it works things turn around for good and if backfires it becomes hard to bounce back in that segment. A perfect epitome of this is Maruti Ertiga, the first compact MPV that turned out to be such a huge success. Customers simply loved it and it has turned fortunes for Maruti Suzuki India. The SUV is 4.3 meters in length and is 1.8 meter wide, the height is around 1.7 meter. It can be tagged as a compact SUV, however it looks huge in appearance. The SUV has many innovative features like the flared wheel arches, blacked-out bumper trim, high ground clearance, roof rails etc. These features make the SUV stand out when compared with its rivals.
When you get inside the cabin you will not be able to guess that the SUV is conceived on Renault Logan sedan. Renault engineers had to work day and night to make sure that the interiors do not have any resemblance with Logan. The interiors are better than Logan however, it still does blend well with the exterior appearance of the SUV that gives an impression of luxury. The quality of plastic is not that good and the dashboard surface is not smooth as it should be. The rear seats can be folded that creates ample boot space.
The rear seats offer adequate leg room to the passengers, the high end version even has an AC vent placed in the rear that keeps the rear cool even when the mercury is soaring high. The SUV is offered in three engine options, first is the 1.6 litre petrol engine that belts out 102.5 Bhp of power. The diesel version is offered in two engine options which include the 1.5 litre, 84 bhp motor while the other one is again the 1.5 litre diesel engine that churns out 108.5 Bhp of power. The petrol engine is mated to a five speed manual transmission while the diesel engine is harmonized to a six speed manual transmission.
The low weight of the SUV helps it in making the SUV faster, powerful and fuel efficient. Renault Duster price has been placed aggressively which will definitely work in the favour of the SUV. After launching three products in the premium segment, Renault has finally rendered an offering in the mass segment. The base version of the petrol variant, Renault Duster RxE, is priced at Rs 7.19 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), which is extremely competitive. The high end trim of the diesel variant, Renault Duster RxZ is priced at Rs 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). However Renault Duster RxL, the mid variant of the diesel version of Duster Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) which is again priced competitively.
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