[M35]

Originally Posted by M35

Just came to know that the 110 (D) has 2 Lakh price cut and now the OTR in kerala is around Rs. 11.3 lakhs.

Originally Posted by deehunk

I think Renault finally realized what I have been saying is a reality, there is no better choice than Duster at 11.3 lakhs, Ecosport is no match if you are a passionate driver. Buy it with closed eyes.

Correction and apologies. Rs 11.30 Lac is for the Sandstorm 85 PS. I had asked for the 110 but the sales man had sent out that of the 85.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by M35

Correction and apologies. Rs 11.30 Lac is for the Sandstorm 85 PS. I had asked for the 110 but the sales man had sent out that of the 85.

This would have been a revolutionary decision by Renault, please look for other options.

[Archie81]

Originally Posted by deehunk

This would have been a revolutionary decision by Renault, please look for other options.

Last year, after a lot of research, I had narrowed down to Duster (85ps RxS or CVT version) for an upgrade from my 5 year old Punto MJD. But just before handing them the down payment, I quit the idea of buying a new car.

Here is what I was looking for in an upgrade:
- More cabin space (primary reason for an upgrade) : After driving 2 hatch backs (Wagon R & now Punto), I have probably had enough with the space constraint. I need more space in the cabin, now that I have 2 kids and Jimmy (my Labrador), all of whom love long trips.
- Better/ bigger engine : I have no qualms with the 1.3 MJD, it’s a masterpiece of an engine, but I need more power (mine is not the 95bhp) and it had to be diesel – not that I am going after cheap fuel (maybe I am), but to me SUV + diesel engine is the perfect match.
- Better feature : Being a 5 year old mid-variant, my Punto did not even come with a USB / Aux input stereo, let alone an air bag. But now I am looking for better features and convenience.
- Budget : 12 -13 Lakhs max

And now, the cars that I had considered and why they never made it:

- Eco Sport – Real lack of cabin space. My neighbours have an Eco Sport and I have seen how they struggle with it.
- Brezza – A very good contender, if you ask me. Two issues that poked out – 6 months waiting (are you crazy??) and the same 1.3 MJD fiat engine, only a little tuned. Also, for some reason, I am not very comfortable with the build quality and that is probably because of all the quality issues I faced with my Wagon R.
- Scorpio – Probably what I should buy, but my family is not very comfortable with the body roll. Both kids and adults had trouble coping with the motion sickness (and the urge to throwup). Also Mahindra has too many unnecessary variants and for the one I want, it goes over my budget.
- Thar – Love it, even with so many items from wish list missing, but as usual, big “no-no” from my family.
- XUV 500 – way too costly and somehow way beyond what I want right now.
- TUV 300 – Perfectly fits within the budget. Smaller car, compared to Duster, but still doable. But the 1.5 litre engine is just too noisy and shaky. Probably because of the 3 cylinder instead of 4 and then the usual body roll. And the boxy looks takes some time to get a liking. Not happening!
- Terrano – Just a costlier version of Duster, in my opinion. More difficult to find service centers.
- (Finally, for the sake of comparison) Hyundai Creta – almost same feeling as the XUV and does not have the feel of driving an SUV.

To give a quick background, I drive a lot (read: I love driving) – I completed 80k kms on my Wagon R in 5 years, before I switched to Punto and now have completed 1 lakh kms on my Punto in another 5 years. Daily drive during weekdays is around 45kms (to and from office) and I do frequent trips to Chennai from Bangalore and often go on other long drives with family (Goa, Mangalore, Ooty, etc.).
Have driven my dad’s 800 and Swift, before the Wagon R. So that’s way too much investment towards Maruti from my family, I guess..

The urge or the itch to upgrade really materialized after borrowing a Scorpio for one such long drive – what an experience that was. That was the first time I ever tried an SUV and I fell in love with the feeling – sitting really high above the road, the power, features, etc.

After a lot of research and convincing the Duster seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It has a lot of cabin space (and then some), which I so desperately wanted. Loved the looks and posture. Sure, it has some nagging issues with the interiors, but have you seen the interiors of the Scorpios yet?? Nifty features and convenience, hands free Bluetooth – which are very nicely placed BTW, touch screen, dual air bags, ABS, EBD etc.
Bigger engine and within the budget - or atleast one of the variants was and that was the problem.

When it came to decision making, the CVT did not make sense at all (no matter how much ever I tried to convince myself), due to its low mileage and the fact that it’s a Petrol. So, it was either 85PS or 110PS Diesels.
85PS was within my budget, but I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of power I was looking for in my next car. 100PS made more sense, but it was a little over budget since now they only have RxZ / RxZ AMT & AWD along with the RxS Sandstorm versions with the 100PS engine. I got lost in this comparison and kind of lost interest after sometime

Now, after 5 months, here I am still with the same dilemma. Punto has started giving me trouble and I need to make a decision before a disaster. And guess what? There still are no better options.

I was slowly getting myself to tilt towards the 85 PS Sandstorm, until I read this thread. So please tell me, if you had been in a similar situation what was the best option? What are the “other options” I should be looking at, since clearly I am missing something here. Some help – any help, would be highly appreciated.

And I saw someone, comparing the Duster with the Ignis and I just couldn’t take it. Please don’t take this as a personal attack on you, you probably read it in some online/ offline article, so I can understand. But Ignis? Seriously? I really have a problem with the Ignis and here is what it is – it’s an abomination among cars – the alto looks a lot better. It’s like you have all your SUVs and then the Yeti. Again, not a personal bashing to the person who made the comparison on this forum/ thread, but to the original article and my personal feeling towards the Ignis. Admins can let me know if I need to remove this comment and I will do so with no regrets. But Ignis? Seriously???

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by Archie81

So please tell me, if you had been in a similar situation what was the best option? What are the “other options” I should be looking at, since clearly I am missing something here. Some help – any help, would be highly appreciated.

Welcome to Team BHP.

You looked at Maruti, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Mahindra and Renault. You missed out on one of the manufacturers moving up the ladder. I hope you have heard of them.

They have two vehicles that might interest you. One is the Nexon which has slightly more space than the Punto and a larger boot, has a diesel that's not the National Engine (I have the Quadrajet Vista), 110 BHP and 260 Nm of torque. Costs lesser than the Duster too. An AMT gearbox is to be launched shortly.

The other is the Hexa. You can probably use it to move house and dog. More pricier but definitely worth a look. Owners rave about the AT box on this one. There's a manual with AWD too (higher budget, of course).

My suggestion is to do multiple test-drives of the two and then decide. They come with an AMC package and extended warranty also.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by Archie81

And I saw someone, comparing the Duster with the Ignis and I just couldn’t take it. Again, not a personal bashing to the person who made the comparison on this forum/ thread, but to the original article and my personal feeling towards the Ignis. Admins can let me know if I need to remove this comment and I will do so with no regrets. But Ignis? Seriously???

First of all welcome to the forum, your first post itself makes a great read. I too agree that Ignis is not an ideal car for comparison with a Duster. I still maintain that Duster is one of the best car, but the service network is sometimes hopeless. Most of the cars in this segment have a noisy engine, reason, too much of cost cutting resulting in poor insulation. I would suggest you to take a look at WR-V and Nexon and Hexa.

[xjosephjacob]

Originally Posted by Archie81

..
- Eco Sport – Real lack of cabin space. My neighbours have an Eco Sport and I have seen how they struggle with it.
..

Plesae check out the facelifted ecosport if rear leg-room was your primary concern with 1st gen ecosport. We have one in the extended family and I can confirm that ford has reworked on the seats to optimize the space utilization. They've raised both the front and rear seats, resulting in best-in-class under-thigh support, and better under-thigh support means you won't have to stretch out your legs. I'm 5'10 and have absolutely no problem sitting behind my own driving position in the ford, it feels more spacious than Brezza and Terrano/Duster.

[ALTIMAed]

Originally Posted by drnilswap

Duster is indeed a good looking car. Timeless exterior design let down by the below average interiors and Renault India's apathy. I feel it's the only car in its segment worthy of the tag 'compact suv'.

The first time I saw the Duster was at Oman, I think it was before it was launched in India. Externally it looked impressing, a fresh looking so called SUV, but the interiors were an utter disappointment. No offence intended, but it stinks of cost cutting. The entire dashboard and switch gear give a feel of being made of really cheap material. Even the driver's seat fore and aft adjusting lever looks really cheap.

All of us, when inside our vehicles, need a 'feel good factor' which, in my case is much more than how the outside world sees my vehicle.

[Archie81]

Thanks deehunk, discoverwild and xjosephjacob, I think I'll have a look at TATA's offerings and re look at the ecosport facelift, as suggested by you folks. Fingers crossed!! Thank you for your time.

[SachinVD]

Originally Posted by Archie81

Thanks deehunk, discoverwild and xjosephjacob, I think I'll have a look at TATA's offerings and re look at the ecosport facelift, as suggested by you folks. Fingers crossed!! Thank you for your time.

Why don't you consider the Ertiga? Seems to be a perfect fit for your requirement.

[RAHS]

Originally Posted by Archie81

I think I'll have a look at TATA's offerings and re look at the ecosport facelift, as suggested by you folks. Fingers crossed!! Thank you for your time.

I was in same confusion back in 2016 when I was upgrading from my Swift.

Finally, I had shortlisted 3 cars - Duster, XUV & Creta.

XUV - Amazing vehicle! I dropped it since we didn't want a 7 seater SUV back then.

Creta - Didn't like the looks. IMHO, it doesn't have proper SUV stance from any angle. No offense intended to owners.

Duster - Everything was absolutely fine except interiors. Although it was improved in 2016 facelift. But I don't care about creature comforts/luxury. For me it's mainly driving comfort, ride/handling and go anywhere capability. So we ended up buying 85 PS RXZ ( Diesel, Manual ). What an amazing vehicle it's been. It gives me a big smile on the face whenever I take it out.

I would suggest you to look at Duster 85 PS RXS. It's really a VFM variant. Space is never a problem in Duster. You have loadz of them

If have any patience to wait for 1 more year, then you can certainly consider TATA H5X! What a stunning design...Simply amazing.

Good luck