What happens when some German, Japanese and French automotive engineers decide to get together and build an engine?
They make me choose a Renault Duster 1.3L Turbo MT variant in 2021!
A little background as to why I chose this Genghis Khan of SUV's (in a way, the one who started it all, founder of CSUV segment in India, you get the drift?). Anyways, back to the story, Our first family car was a Hyundai Eon Sportz variant (Blue) which was bought 8 years ago by my Dad, and came with a driver side airbag only. I myself bought a Tata Tigor Revotron XZ(O) 3 years ago. It was decided we'd part with the Eon, and I'd give my trusty and reliable Tigor to my Dad, which is an upgrade from Eon in terms of safety and performance. Then started my search for a Car/CSUV. I went into all the car showrooms of various brands (except Maruti-Suzuki), took test drives of various sedans/CSUV's, but came out impressed with the professionalism of 2 out of the many I visited, VW and Renault. I had my heart set aflutter first by Vento TSI, but they didn't have the affordable Vento Turbo Limited Edition with them (maybe due to semiconductor shortage), which would have cost me approx INR 10.1 Lakhs on-road. The other option was the Highline variant, but I was a bit unsure about buying a sedan which cost over 11 Lakhs on-road. Plus better half also kind of stated, why go from sedan to sedan again, lets look at CSUV's as well! So with that, Vento was dropped. I had always given a thought about what CSUV's I would keep as options to mull over.
These are just my views, and are not meant to offend owners of these particular models.
Ecosport: Brilliant, affordable, safe, but is a little too compact for my liking especially for a family of 5. Dropped it.
Nexon: I went with the high hopes being a Tata customer (Tigor), but the Sales Rep (SR) seemed distant and disinterested. No loyalty bonus, less exchange value. Left me with a bittersweet feeling, bitter coz I expected more being a loyal Tata owner but was left high and dry, sweet coz their Altroz and Nexon are selling like hot cakes. Dropped it too.
XUV300: The petrol engine really deserves praise and the diesel engine more so, however, why did they design the rear of this CSUV like it is? It ends even before it starts. It's like they were building it over 4 m but then suddenly decided to cut the rear to keep it within 4 m segment. Wife was okay, but I just couldn't bear the rear looks, so convinced her by saying that boot space isn't adequate. Thank God, it worked (phew!). Dropped this one too.
Magnite: I know this is a make or break model for Nissan in India, but the less I talk about it the better. The most disinterested SR I've met. They didn't even have the top variant on display in showroom, let alone a Test drive vehicle. Dropped the idea of Kicks as well due to this (plus unaffordable). And with the not so pleasant stories of after sales doing the rounds on the internet, we quickly made an exit.
Sonet/Venue: All the bells and whistles aside, I found the ride quality not that great/assuring and the steering felt disconnected (a little soft for my liking). Dropped these too.
Seltos/Creta: As is the case with the expensive cousins, apart from the points given above, the view of the outside is a little restricted from inside, because of the way the windows, rear windshield etc. are designed. I know there are gizmos designed to help you with these, but I don't want my car to be smarter than I'm, I'm a little oldschool that way. And the turbo variant was way over my budget. Dropped these as well.
which brings me finally to (drumroll..) Make : Renault
Model : Duster 1.3L Turbo
Variant : RXZ MT
Fuel : Petrol
Booking Date : 15/03/2021
Booking Amount : ₹10000
Color : Mahogany Brown
Expected Delivery Date : Within a week possibly
Dealer & City : Renault Pathanamthitta (Kerala)
Price (INR)
Ex-Showroom - 12,33,500 TCS - 9,251 B2B Insurance - 50914
RTO - 161985 Basic Accessories Kit - 15500
Extended Warranty - 15062 Fastag - 600 On-Road - 14,86,812 Less Exchange Eon - 1,70,000 RIPL Exchange bonus - 30,000 Insurance discount after haggling - 10,000 Corporate discount - 15,000 Final On-road Price - 12,61,812
Loan assistance ICICI @ 7.6% for 7 years (I intend to pay off early though, godwilling)
So, the Renault SR was eager, he first let us test drive (TD) the Kiger. Although the top variant had all the techno wizardry, I felt the build quality was a little iffy, especially since you could feel the potholed roads inside the cabin. Plus the door thud wasn't reassuring to me personally (coming from a Tigor owner). Then he wanted us to TD the Duster, and had a CVT model for TD. This was it for me. As soon as I got into the cabin, it felt different. The view from inside is so commanding, the cabin felt roomy and big, because of the size of those rear seat passenger windows, rear and front windshield and those rear quarter glass windows. Yes, the interiors are dated and unchanged almost since its debut, but it offered almost everything that I needed. Sometimes we have to understand that need and desire are two different things! Then comes the Engine, boy o boy, as soon I put the pedal to the metal, I started grinning from ear to ear. The punch in the mid-range is unbelievable, it just pulls and keeps on pulling. And the ride quality is unmatched at this price point, you guys have already read the review here, so you know already what I'm talking about. Although I liked the CVT, I preferred the manual because of the price difference and the fact that I'd like to be in control of the gear shifter myself. Plus as you can see above, the deal looks great IMHO. I'm not a great stickler for gadgetry and gizmos, and drive-ability and passenger ride comfort are paramount for me. So although the head keeps telling me to choose something else, I'm relying on my heart and going with this one. Hope it is a wise decision in the longer run (fingers crossed). Can't wait to lay my hands on this elegant and time tested piece of fine machinery...
(Mods: apologies for any grammatical or spelling error, wrote this quickly within the hour of allocated dinner break of my work from home)