Thanks to all for your encouragement and support! Honestly, I did not think that my first piece on TEAMBHP would get a five star rating. Here’s an epilogue to my initial review of the AWD.
Speed limiter and cruise control
I had tried out the speed limiter during my run in period. It works as expected – there is no response from the engine on pressing the accelerator after the limit is reached. I am not sure if I am ever going to need it!
I am yet to actually test the cruise control. There has been news where some people have reported it to be broken, so I am a bit apprehensive. Personally, I am not a fan of cruise control and similar electronic gimmicks, but I do intend to test it out on the highway very soon.
More on features and driving dynamics Hill Hold
The hill holding feature works for both inclines and declines. But the manual gives a warning that it may not be enough to hold the vehicle on very steep inclines. It works perfectly fine on shopping mall ramps (even steeper ones) but I personally would not bet my life and that of the car on electronics, if I am stuck on a 40 degree incline and a few feet from a gorge somewhere in the Himalayas! I have been practising the heel toe technique (thanks to BlackPearl and Debdeep27) to minimise my dependence on the hand brake!
I would have really liked an option to switch off hill hold function though, to practise the heel-toe thing properly. As it turns out, it cannot be switched off.
In fact, from my brief off-roading experience, I found that the handbrake is sometimes not enough to hold the car on steeper inclines (it was a bit dusty though).
Also, I found that the duration of the hill hold can be tricky (the manual says 2 seconds, but on very steep inclines, I felt that it disengaged the moment I touched the accelerator. It can be my error too and I promise to give a second feedback after I try it again.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
As mentioned before, this feature doubles up as Understeer control and traction control. I have found that the car has a slight tendency to understeer at higher speeds and the ESC works perfectly to keep things under control (works well in AUTO driving mode as expected). However, when driving in deep slush or snow in 4WD LOCK mode, the manual recommends switching it off for better traction where brakes can be applied to a single wheel if it is spinning.
The ESC cannot be switched off if you want! It automatically comes back on if the vehicles speed reaches 50 kmph.
Towing
The manual clearly states that the car cannot be towed without a flatbed truck. If it is not available, rollers have to be placed under the wheels which are in contact with the ground. Now I am not sure if this is the case for all 4WD vehicles, but having had the experience of being stranded once on the road, I am planning to fabricate a set of rollers myself in case of exigencies in remote areas. If anyone has similar experience of building a roller, please share. (BTW, the manual says that Renault road side assistance is not available in most NE States, J&K and Sikkim!)
Attachment 1364436 Some other points
I do miss a MIST mode for the wipers which I had in my Swift (a single touch on the stalk to get one swipe of the blades). I also seriously hate the reverse positions of the turn indicator and wiper stalks.
Almost all surfaces of the dashboard are curved, so much so that I could not find a place to fix my mobile holder! Finally, I had to stick it on to the windshield.
Also, I sorely miss a USB point inside the glove box as I almost always play from my IPOD and I hate to keep it lying around on the dash.
It was only a couple of months ago that I discovered this wheel behind the audio control stalk which can be used to advance tracks and radio channels!
Another feedback, though it will probably not be clear from photographs, is that the windshield curves quite deep into the cabin and might give a feeling of limited headroom to some. May be I am comparing it to my Swift, where the driving position and headroom was perfect. I always push the seat up to the highest position to get a top of the road view, and I always get a feel that the windscreen is too close to my head! (I am only 5'5"
)
A snap of the raised honeycomb patterned seats in red and black! This almost makes up for the spartan interiors!
Though this is an entire personal opinion - the clutch, although considerably lighter than the 110 PS Dusters, has more room for improvement.
My planned mods in future
The car has a decently high GC of 210 mm. But I would urge everyone who owns it to be extra careful as it is not a ladder frame chassis and the suspensions are tuned towards the comfort side. The underbody (including rear diff) is quite exposed and it cannot take serious hits from rocks on the crucial components. I plan to upgrade to the Ironman kit for the Dacia AWD (with 40 mm lift) after the suspension warranty ends.
http://shop.mudster.ro/en/ironman-of...itrogas-40mm-2
I am also planning to get a differential cover and fuel tank guard similar to what we find here.
http://mudster.ro/en/duster-off-road...ction-shields/
This is a Romanian site and has some interesting mods.
ADMINS: I hope I am not breaching any rules my giving external links.
The approach angle (29 degree), though not that great should be good for most places. Even in the picture below, I could not hear the scuff plate scraping.
I was considering whether to fit a custom made steel/aluminium one but I need to check out if they affect the already poor approach angle.
Once again thanks to everyone for their support. Hopefully, my text piece will be that of a travelogue to the High Himalayas!