I've been living with a brand new Amazon Green AWD for the last 20 days or so. This also happens to be my first car. My dad already drives a White 110 RxZ(O) bought in November 2011 which has done 65,000 km till date. So it was not such an exciting happening to have bought basically the same car the second time round.
It does come with a lot of new stuff which has already been elaborated here but the things that stand out for me (in this order..):
- The Colour
- ESP
- Cruise Control
- All Wheel Drive
- Maps
Subtle things which are different on the AWD duster which I noticed:
- Turn signals cancel closer to the center position than the non AWD model
- The washer spray nozzles seem to be different from the older model and have a better spread over the windshield
- The rear wiper starts automatically if the front wipers are on and you engage reverse gear
- They've given a service reminder
- Outside temp gauge has a good 4-5 degrees error on really hot days.
- Headlamp-On reminder
- Seatbelt Reminder (Driver)
- No Ash-tray (cost cutting)
- Engine sump guard plate
- Mine came with a bit of underbody coat
The boot space is reduced but the foam surround for the spare wheel in the boot under the floor can take up a lot of things. I've put my DC powered Air Pump in the cavity of the spare wheel and have put tools like allen key sets and a screw driver set in one of the cavities of the moulding. It can easily take up some liquor bottles if someone is looking for safe and noise free transportation of the same.
The all black interiors give a feeling of a small and dingy cabin. The beige colored cabin of my dad's duster looks much more premium and airy. It also takes lesser time to cool A) due to the lighter shade absorbing lesser heat and B)due to added cooling from the rear AC vent.
The increased CG was not noticeable because that spec had vanished in some corner of my mind, but the first person to point it out was my mom when she sat in it for the first time two days after we got the car home.
A word of caution for people who do not know
about the speed limiter. The accelerator pedal, at the end of its travel comes and rests against a switch. This switch when pressed by further pressing the pedal cancels the speed limiter and accelerates the car further than the speed at which you have set the limiter. So its not like the valet at car-parks cannot have a joyride in your car. But more importantly one needs to know this as the unexpected acceleration can be contrary to the expected behavior of the vehicle when the speed limiter is engaged.
I also felt in the limited experimentation that I have done that the Hill Hold feature will only activate if you're in 1st or 2nd gear (didn't try 3,4,5,6) on an uphill slope (front of the car raised higher than the rear) and in Reverse gear if you're on a downhill slope (Rear of the car raised higher than the front). I was reversing from a ramp (village car wash, very steep variety) and was halfway off the ramp with Reverse gear engaged and the hill hold thing didn't work.
My usage pattern will mostly be 30% light city and 70% highway as I've bought the car mainly to travel by road. Good riddance to tatkal bookings on late running trains and non-AC slimy sleeper connectivity to tier 3 cities.
In the last 20 Days I've done 1,500 km and the FE I'm getting is 14.2kmpl on the MID. The highest I got was 16kmpl on my way from Jaipur to Auraiya maintaining 90-100 kmph. I don't see myself exceeding 100kmph as there's really no point in doing so, either from safety or from time saving point of view.
The engine is opening up and feels a bit slow in the responsiveness part compared to my dad's car. But this engine has a history of opening up gradually. And once it does it gives the car a new feel. This happens close to the 6-7.5k mark and I can't wait to let that happen.
There are two Issues that I am facing One which I'm sure Renault Jaipur will have fixed on my next visit and for the second one I need fellow forum-ers' help:
- The paint on all the exterior panels has a matt finish to it. I mean not matt but a rough feel to it when you touch it. The paint has gloss but still feels rough. Rougher than the paint on the door sills. This was reported to Renault customer care and they arranged for an inspection and rectification (probably a full body buffing) when I go for the first service.
- I need to know which kind of Medianav system does the AWD Duster come with? The Naviextras website asks me to choose the type of system for which I would like to receive updates and I am confused whether it is Medianav Evolution or Medianav.
Till then I would say I'm loving the upgrade to Four wheels and the good weather.