What car to replace a Renault Duster AWD? Hola fellow internal combustion engine lovers.
I am in a quandary.
I have a 6 year old Duster AWD which has done 77K kms. Not all of those have been in the city. It has done Gurgaon to Dhanushkodi. Bhutan. Spiti. And quite a lot of trips to Himachal and Uttrakhand. In fact the girl I was in love with, was just like me in love with the hills, maybe that's why I fell in love with her but I digress. So, since both of us were smitten with hills, I sold my first car - Fabia, and got the Duster. Frankly going to Duster from Fabia was quite a let down, in terms of equipment and interiors, but mechanically the Duster was leagues ahead. It had AWD, independent rear suspension, cruise control, speed limiter, ESP and switchable traction control. From the F1 days I had known that Renault were brilliant with software, read traction control, so I had no qualms with the electronics. Or using them. The speed limiter is a life saver these days with speed cameras popping up everywhere.
Then there is subjective thing of looks. I just love the way the Duster looks and its proportions. I think lots of car makers don't really get proportions right. It doesn't look that tough, but apparently it is. I also like its squattish looks.
But, what I absolutely love is the fact that it can go anywhere. It has the ability to surprise you. Fast corners, take them. Steep incline, just press on. Snow and ice, easy peasy. Sand, ok maybe not its cup of tea. But, still if there is a car that embodies the war time Britain's favourite line "Keep Calm and Carry on" this one is it. In fact for a crossover it does the car bit also very well. I have surprised many car owners on fast mountain roads, the duster skimming the camber like a surfer on waves. Its mechanical grip is very good and then there is its ability to simultaneously transfer information of the road to your fingerprints while not letting you know the professional integrity, or rather lack of it, of the Chief Engineer of PWD or NHAI or BRO.
To be honest, I love it for it can flirt with Centripetal force while still adoring bad roads.
Oh, oh, the engine and gearing is a peach too.
So, not with the 10 year thingmajig in NCR looming and stories about injector issues scaring me, I was thinking of replacing it.
I value ride quality, steering heft, a good punchy engine, mechanical grip, an elegant proportionate design and a good AC. The rest are kinda negotiable.
What are my options?
Err, these.
1. Skoda Slavia 1.5: What?! Ok, I get it. Not really the go anywhere machine that I want, but it tugs at my heart. It has very good ground clearance too. So, can kind of do bad roads I guess. Ok, maybe not Spiti and other such solution to mid-life crisis but it will be better at dealing with roundabouts and twisty roads better than any SUV.
2. Tata Safari: The more I look at the XUV 700 the more I realise I don't like its design. It is just the XUV 500 with some nip and tuck. And i never liked XUV 500. I understand that in terms of engine and suspension (independent rear) it is better, but I still like the Harrier/Safari combo. But, two problems with it. One, and this is me being a weirdo, I hate the way its rear axle looks from behind. I don't know, can't explain, but just makes me go barf. The second is that it is still FWD and if I have to go FWD, should I go for..
3. Jeep Compass: Like the looks, like the interiors and I know it rides and drives well. But, expensive, since I can't afford the 4x4, and for an SUV its approach angle is atrocious. And did I say expensive.
4. ScorpioN: The amount of jokes i have cracked on the Scorpio and those who drive them, are going to come and bite me in the behind and be proof of the karmic theory, but it looks like a decent package. Maybe just RWD is going to be good enough, since I have seen enough and more Boleros and Scorpio eat the crap roads in the hills that is the most off road I am going to be doing. I am just worried about Mahindra's ability to even make classy things chintzy. And the fact that it is a B0F chassis, and I don't think it will really be that much enjoyable in the good roads in the hills. The suspension and inherent nature of BoF chassis might make it a bit boing boing even on straight but undulated highways that we have many of. So, that's that.
What do you guys think? And recommend.
TIA.
Last edited by Aditya : 23rd June 2022 at 05:48.
Reason: Acronyms
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