[swiftnfurious]

Don't know how a 4x4 Duster will help compete with the Ecosport. They have got their strategy clearly wrong. A person who wants to buy an Ecosport would at any cost NOT want a 4x4!! And their pricing is already a mess, this will look like an exorbitantly expensive NO fills car especially when pitched against the XUV!

[ajnagpur]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Don't know how a 4x4 Duster will help compete with the Ecosport. They have got their strategy clearly wrong. A person who wants to buy an Ecosport would at any cost NOT want a 4x4!! And their pricing is already a mess, this will look like an exorbitantly expensive NO fills car especially when pitched against the XUV!

+1
& also EcoSport is going to be in a lower price bracket so anyways I dont think there will be any effect of this on EcoSport how much ever they delay.

Their campaign itself starts with "Urban" so I dont think they will target 4x4 territory.

[Achyuth Vaibhav]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Don't know how a 4x4 Duster will help compete with the Ecosport. They have got their strategy clearly wrong. A person who wants to buy an Ecosport would at any cost NOT want a 4x4!! And their pricing is already a mess, this will look like an exorbitantly expensive NO fills car especially when pitched against the XUV!

+2.The Duster is already overpriced and the 4x4 will be waste of time for Renault.The XUV5OO with more features will simply be the most tempting deal in the SUV segment.My Neighbour has bought the Duster RxZ dCi in September and it cost him 14.5 Lakhs.I feel it's not worth that money.The EcoSport will be priced better and the common buyer of India will not even be aware of what is 4x4.I feel that Renault must bring a CVT gearbox for the Duster diesel.It will greatly enhance the sales volumes for the Duster.And Renault must correct the interiors and give climate control and also improve the quality of the plastics.

Cheers,

Achyuth

[sandeepmohan]

4by4 on the present Duster sounds stupid. The ground clearance is not sufficient to take this thing mud plugging. It is amazing how most folk call/consider this an SUV. I find the pricing for the current front wheel drive variants to be ridiculous. Can't imagine the price Renault is going to ask for a 4by4. You are better off with a much cheaper and far better appointed Vento/Rapid. If you must have a nice all wheel drive/4by4, the Yeti/Scorpio is the best you can get from the segment.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

4by4 on the present Duster sounds stupid. The ground clearance is not sufficient to take this thing mud plugging. It is amazing how most folk call/consider this an SUV...

Sorry buddy! But have to dis-agree! Duster has 205mm ground clearance! That's 25 mm more than a Scorpio! And Duster 4x4 is a proven capable off-roader wherever it is launched.

The major difference between the other SUVs and Duster is the chassis - Duster is monocoque while usual SUVs are ladder-frame! But Duster still is competent!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

4by4 on the present Duster sounds stupid. The ground clearance is not sufficient to take this thing mud plugging. It is amazing how most folk call/consider this an SUV. I find the pricing for the current front wheel drive variants to be ridiculous. Can't imagine the price Renault is going to ask for a 4by4. You are better off with a much cheaper and far better appointed Vento/Rapid or if you must have a nice all wheel drive ride, the Yeti is the best you can get from the segment.

This vehicle is not for serious mud plugging. For that, go get a Jeep or a Gypsy.
This is a hugely capable soft roader and its 4x4 will help in getting out of rubbishy, snowy, icy, slushy, gravelly, sandy situations very well indeed. Its 200mm ground clearance is more than sufficient for the kinds of situations it is meant to handle and this includes rutted dirt farm tracks and the sub standard Indian roads both!
And it most certainly fits the dictionary definition of an SUV.
There is nothing wrong with having 4x4 in any car. Why else would an Audi Quattro have 4x4? And they do definitely sell in decent numbers worldwide, by the way...

[amrisharm]

The 4x4 Duster is already being produced in India for the export market. By introducing it in the Indian market, it will Renault "ZERO" Rupees. So if you have it why not sell it? I dont think Renault is targeting potential EcoSport buyers with this model as it is in a different category due to the sub 4m size. I think its got to do more with the upcoming Nissan mini-SUV based on the Duster. The cheaper nissan will only be available as FWD where as the duster will be available in FWD and AWD as well.

If you think the Duster is a total waste as an SUV, well check out the video below. Its no Hard core off-roader, but is worth the extra money for the capabilities it has over the FWD version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlg1Tw-reBs

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Sorry buddy! But have to dis-agree! Duster has 205mm ground clearance! That's 25 mm more than a Scorpio!

Hmmm....I did not know this. I would be really interested to see this thing climb a rock cutting like how some of our member's do with their Jeeps.

I just don't see myself plonking money on something that costs well over 10lac, gives me a low rent interior and just a 110bhp engine. Personally; I don't like the idea of telling someone that my ride is something called a Duster.

The Duster to me is more a cross over and not an SUV in any sense of it.

Originally Posted by amrisharm

If you think the Duster is a total waste as an SUV, well check out the video below. Its no Hard core off-roader, but is worth the extra money for the capabilities it has over the FWD version

I've seen this clip and Jonny was mighty impressed with the 85HP Dacia. Its all good but if you are going to ask me to pay 10lac and above, I need a much better interior, exterior, better equipment and a more powerful engine.

[Achyuth Vaibhav]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

The 4x4 Duster is already being produced in India for the export market. By introducing it in the Indian market, it will Renault "ZERO" Rupees. So if you have it why not sell it? I dont think Renault is targeting potential EcoSport buyers with this model as it is in a different category due to the sub 4m size. I think its got to do more with the upcoming Nissan mini-SUV based on the Duster. The cheaper nissan will only be available as FWD where as the duster will be available in FWD and AWD as well.

If you think the Duster is a total waste as an SUV, well check out the video below. Its no Hard core off-roader, but is worth the extra money for the capabilities it has over the FWD version

Nissan has been barking like mad dogs that the Nissan Duster will have a 4x4 system,Improved plastic quality and a Climate Control.I hope the Nissan will get more takers when compared to the Renault if they give a 4x4 system and price it below the Duster 4x4.

Cheers,

Achyuth

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I've seen this clip and Jonny was mighty impressed with the 85HP Dacia. Its all good but if you are going to ask me to pay 10lac and above, I need a much better interior, exterior, better equipment and a more powerful engine.

There are also those like me who are willing to sacrifice space and a great looking interior for a SUV that is more car like to drive, light steering, light gearbox and clutch, functional dash. Thats probably why Renault sell as many dusters as Mahindra sell Scorpios and more than the number of Safaris that TATA sell. All of the above falling in the 10L range.

Speaking from personal driving experience of a scorpio and the Duster, The Duster just feels so car like and the tiredness one feels after a long drive is less on the Duster due to the light weight of the vehicle as well as the lightness of the clutch, gearbox and the brakes. Just speaking from personal experience.

[man_and_machine]

What does the Duster offer over its competition sedans? Say, 40 mm clearance and a additional pair of headlamps, in some case an extra cog. Its however lags in many other cases (like a sore thumb rear A/C blower?). Its already priced 1.5 L higher that the sedans. Why is it selling, it looks new, a poor mans (assuming 25 L for a Fortuner to be not-poor) SUV.
A 4X4 will be a USP, defiantly, over the sedans, but then will you pay top $$ for it? Maybe, but the general perception (and to some extent true) is 4X4 mode lowers milage. So the 1.5 L's mlage USP over teh XUV, Storme etc will be dented. Will works against the Duster.
I would rather say a 6 speed AT in the Duster is an USP that will be tough to match, might help keep the current bull run on.
Would I buy a 4X4 Duster for what it is, at 13 L ex-show room. NO!

[swiftnfurious]

I basically feel the things that worked in Duster's favour are

1. Ride quality over bad patches
2. Ground clearance to tackle the bad patches
3. Superb FE!!
4. Aspirations for an SUV!

I for one saw the superb FE + SUV characteristics as the USP for Duster.

[SS-Traveller]

Doubt if we'll see a 4x4 Duster before the end of 2013.

Who needs 4x4 anyway? This was from my dash-cam today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quQT1CsS2WY

[BUXX]

actually these were just bad roads.. Nothing that would require a 4X4.
Moreover, you can see a M800 traversing the same route !

an SUV/4X4 could give one the extra confidence to go over such roads, but its not a necessity...

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

There are also those like me who are willing to sacrifice space and a great looking interior for a SUV that is more car like to drive, light steering, light gearbox and clutch, functional dash.

Why sacrifice?All these things you ask can be had in a car and I personally feel that for similar or lesser money, you can buy a sedan that feels a lot more premium and is good to drive. Why on earth a built to a price Duster when you can buy a Honda City or a VW Vento. Drive these two sedans and then switch to a Duster and it is only then will you understand my point. I see a lot of folk disagreeing with me on this as a sedan and crossover should not be compared. Why pay so much for something that is essentially built around the Logan chassis. Its supposed to be cheap, not 14lac.

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Thats probably why Renault sell as many dusters as Mahindra sell Scorpios and more than the number of Safaris that TATA sell.

Renault has nailed it as it surely offers the best in terms of mechanical reliability if compared to a TATA or Mahindra.

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Speaking from personal driving experience of a scorpio and the Duster,

A colleague has had high praises too for the Duster when he took it for a spin and this is a Baleno driver so I am sure it is good to drive.