[trail_lover]

In my view, the foremost in my mind that got everything right was the Renault Duster. It ticked most of the boxes.

1. A true BORN "SUV" with good road presence.
2. Rugged vehicle with an excellent balance between RIDE & HANDLING.
3. Refined long lasting diesel, with good fuel efficiency and torque for the hill stations.
4. Excellent drivability and fun to drive vehicle.
5. Purportedly Offered 3-star safety rating at an attractive price point in the times when
safety was pro-actively offered by OEM, and not mandated.
6. Spacious vehicle, and was versatile to even serve as an off-roader. In the early days
the DUSTER cost around 10 lacs on-road. Excellent value for money.
7. Renault also offered a 4x4 diesel on the Duster with fuel efficiency that was then best
in the segment.
8. It had a rugged hydraulic power steering which didn't end up adversely affecting fuel
efficiency.
9. The Duster had excellent dynamics, with a kerb weight of just 1160 kg it was rugged
enough for off-road, yet had a likeable handling characteristics and low body-roll for a
SUV. It was built on a very versatile architecture - one of the best ever created.

What didn't go well for the Duster:

1. Reliability issues and the dealer service quality standards was lacking.
2. Intense competition from the Ford Ecosport in the early days.
3. It was one of the models subjected to intense elimination, substitution, reduction.
This was evident in the interior and some exterior trims, instrument panel, lighting
systems and infotainment system which didn't inspire any excitement.
4. It didn't score so well in terms of eye-catching designs, which one sees in Ford &
Hyundai cars. The root cause of this being the cost-cutting strategies for the model.

Above all I still wonder why the Indian car buyer didn't perceive the intrinsic versatile qualities of the DUSTER, resulting in poor sales volumes. The sales was only a fraction of the Mahindra Bolero even since 2014. I'm hoping for the return of the Renault Duster, and it turning into a blockbuster hit amongst Indians, in its new avatar.

[th2]

- Ignis with CVT and All-Grip. Perfect city runabout with the occasional farm visit.
- S-Cross with All-Grip. Perfect crossover.
- VW Tiguan locally manfuctured. It doesn't get the price right, everything else is fine! It would have been the perfect replacement for my Forester. Lower CG than full-blown SUV's, fun to drive, basic AWD, etc.

I like smaller sized vehicles, with reasonable ground clearance, a history of reliability and basic 4WD capability (not for off-roading, but just the occasional get-through-a-difficult-patch scenario).

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by th2

-
I like smaller sized vehicles, with reasonable ground clearance, a history of reliability and basic 4WD capability (not for off-roading, but just the occasional get-through-a-difficult-patch scenario).

Considering that you owned a Forester, I wonder you didnt get a Yeti. It would have been just right for you from what Im reading.

And of course while it never came to India, the Fiat Panda 4x4 would have also been a great vehicle to own here.

Skoda Yeti 4x4

https://youtu.be/FXYPpPUmw_E

Fiat Panda 4x4

https://youtu.be/XPfEzL2j0ac

[th2]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Considering that you owned a Forester, I wonder you didnt get a Yeti.

The Yeti came about when the Forester was still going strong for me. In fact I still have it, though now it has started showing its age - don't feel confident enough to take it on long multi-day outstation trips.

A bit of a tragedy that the Indian market is not developed enough to support niche vehicles. It is mass market or nothing!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by th2

. In fact I still have it, though now it has started showing its age - don't feel confident enough to take it on long multi-day outstation trips.

vehicles. It is mass market or nothing!

Do post pics of the Forester! On the Forester thread maybe?

It is true that our Indian market is only able to appreciate mass market vehicles. This is due largely to the fact that a car is still a distant dream for the larger majority.

[fhdowntheline]

Of all the cars I have owned , I think two come to mind
1) Duster , which had everything except regular cabin updates as others have commented extensively.
2) Fiat Linea, which had almost everything, and was a perfect candidate for the 140bhp 1.4 engine with a TC box. And 6 airbags and ESP would have kept it in the reckoning for some time. It was the best drivers car south of 15lac, period.

[2000rpm]

Rear leg room (at the cost of boot space) in the Polo!!

[SR-71]

This thread would probably be incomplete if the Chech twins and their infamous gearbox being their Achilles heel are not mentioned :-)