Thread Starter
#16
Whoa you spend a million bucks and you get free dust and muck as well, I would suggest your friend to post the pics(assuming he took it ) on to the duster facebook page as well or send it to their customer care. Pathetic dealership attitude to say the least.
Btw that apart your views on the car, good and bads are pending sir
Btw that apart your views on the car, good and bads are pending sir
The less said about Renault Customer Care, the better. The Avia Auto sales manager (Mr. Neeraj) had the audacity to tell my friend that we could cancel our booking (after deduction of Rs. 5000, no less!) unless we purchased Insurance through them. Upon listening to this, my friend promptly shot an email to Renault Customer Care. Today, 3 days after delivery, he is yet to get a reply, let alone an auto mail. Its another thing that I set Mr. Neeraj right upon my arrival (and saved a cool Rs 12000 on insurance premium).
My views on the car, well that would be a separate thread, but a few quick and random points nevertheless (I call it the TAIndian itch):
1. Body: Contrary to most reviews, I did not find the doors flimsy at all.
2. Interiors and plastic quality: Nothing to write home about. Dont expext too much and you wont be dissappointed. Plastics do feel hard wearing though.
3. Switches: The power window switches have a strange rubbery feel to them. I dont like. Neither would I call them extremely robust. French quirks = ORVM adjustment knob below the hand brake "You Fool!! Why did you apply the handbrake?" "No sir, I just adjusted my ORVM".
4: "Can you see the bonnet?": YES SIR! But its more akin to looking 'up' at the bonnet rather than looking 'down' at it as in the Safari. You dont get that 'Sitting Like a King' feelig that you get when you sit in the driver's seat of a Safari. It feels more like sitting inside a raised sedan (as is the case with most soft roaders today).
5: Engine bay: Pretty neatly arranged and with room for mods. I will give one reputation to anyone who sees the engine bay for the first time and locates the engine oil dipstick withing 15 seconds. Okay, make that 30 seconds, or 60, or......
6. Visibility: Good- frontal, rear, and sideways. No claustrophobia.
7. Space: Good for 5 adults who weigh 70 kgs and are 5'10" tall. The rear AC duct is a nuisance though. The luggage space is great (rear jump seat Rs 7500+ labour Rs 1500).
8. Engine: Pretty smooth and refined for a SOHC 8 valver. Cold idle is impressive. Low end torque enabled this one to be used as an automatic in the city - pulls cleanly in first, second, and third gears one after another without use of accelerator (we were 4 adults in the car). I dont think the car's dead before 2000 rpm at all. Feels immensely tractable and solid in an old fashioned way. I wonder how much more tractable the 85 bhp would be. Did not rev it above 2500 rpm. New car Duster soft heart Dinkar after all.
9. NVH: Good. Sedan like. You can listen to Eric Clapton at volume 10.
10. Steering: Not too light. Not too hard. Not too feelsome. Not too numb. The text sounds like poetry but the steering isnt like that. Its like eating a banana. Doesnt melt in your mouth, isnt crispy, but eat one and it satiates your hunger. Zero play.
11. Suspension/ride/handling: Oh the much talked about Duster suspension! I was eager to take this one on bad roads at speed to appreciate its much acclaimed suspension. However, I think the tires of our Duster were overinflated. Absolutely noiseless suspension. Did not test over sharp bumps though. Despite riding on overinflated tires, the way the dampers compress and recoil is fantastic for a car under Rs. 20 lakhs. Its like a baby being cosseted in her mother's lap....up down...up...down.....up AND down....without feeling anything. I think, like the Citroen 2CV, the Duster can carry a crate of eggs across a freshly ploughed field (shhh....did someone say 4x4?) without breaking a single egg. Ride is absolutely flat and the Duster feels planted at all times. Cornering is confident and car like, unless your definition of car is a Lotus/Ferrari. No unsettling during quick lane changes. Some body roll is there but it is liveable.
12. Brakes: Well, it has ABS and I did try a few emergency braking manoeuvers. The Duster always stopped in a straight line (poor Mr. Rana). Brake pedal modulation is good and there is no sudden jerkiness. Pedal travel is adequate.
13: Clutch: I did not find the clutch very hard. It's not feather light of course but its definitely not hard.
14. Gearbox: Not snickety snick but precise enough. Pull-to-engage reverse. Shift gates are adequately spaced. Unless one is a total noob, one cannot mischoose ( I know there's no such word but it sounds cool) a gear.
15. Accelerator: Throttle input is smooth and pedal modulation is well matched with the FI system. No jerkiness.
16. Seats: Do the job. Cant comment on seat support as the test drive wasnt too long.
17. "Kitna Deti Hai?": My friend drove it from New Delhi to his home (400kms). Smooth road. Not exceeding 2000 rpm. 3 adults and a baby with some luggage. Smooth driving style. Low traffic. And it gave 17.5 kmpl.
18. ICE: Not bad but not for audiophiles (well, no OEM ICE does for ANY audiophile). Weak bass and treble. Sounds okay at higher volumes.
19. AC: Not tested.
20: Headlights: Not tested.
21: Wipers: Not tested.
22. Valur For Money: I think the top version is overpriced by about Rs 2 lakhs. Renault's mishmash with the variants is well known by now. At that price range, I expect more features, a 4x4, better plastics, and a 2.0 litre engine (doesnt mean the 1.5 DCi is bad). However,to each his own.
23. Overall: A good, solid, fuel efficient, spacious, comfortable, manoeuvrable, dependable (based on the Logan, remember) albeit overpriced car that will last for at least 10 years and fetch good resale.
24. XUV 500 or Safari Storme or Duster?: Heh heh. Well bowled but not out. Ask Raja/TheXover/TSIVipul, add their responses and divide it by 3 to get no result
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what a dealer who kept on printing the service book till the end of 2nd service