News

2025 Duster owner shares his Indian perspective about SUV from Turkey

4th June 2024, 10:17 by Rahul Nagaraj

Ideal for city traffic. It's not too big, similar in size to our Creta.

BHPian PJ1987 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Before I begin, I want to clarify that the car I'm reviewing is provided by my company for my personal use.

Hello guys, I'm Pranav, a Chemical Engineer originally from Thrissur, Kerala. I've worked in various refineries across different states in India before spending 4.5 years in Kuwait. Currently, I'm with a Spanish firm and stationed in Adana, Turkey. I've been a member of Teambhp for a few years now, mostly lurking around, but today, that changes. I'm finally writing a review about the car I drive here: the Dacia Duster, which is essentially the Renault Duster we had in India but under the Dacia brand. I drive an automatic, but I often switch with my colleagues who drive the manual 4×4 version.

When I started writing this review, I realized how challenging it is to write lengthy reviews. My hats off to those who do this regularly. You guys are champs.

So, let's get into the review. It is a 4-cylinder, 1.3 litre, turbocharged 150 hp engine, with a 6-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic transmission (250 Nm torque). The vehicle I drive is the base version, so there are no bells and whistles inside—no fancy screens or electronics. It has rear parking sensors and that's it.

Pros:

Ride Quality: Simply put, it's superb. Despite being slightly firm, you'll love how it rides. It handles potholes and expansion joints with ease. On highways, it's a mile muncher. It easily masks the speed—I once got a speeding ticket for going at 164 km/h on the highway without realizing it.
Dimensions: Ideal for city traffic. It's not too big, similar in size to our Creta. Maneuvering through traffic is a breeze, and visibility is excellent. You sit up nice and high, even with the seat on its lowest setting, and large windows give a good view outside with no big blind spots.
Seats: Fabric seats in my variant, but they're incredibly comforting. Even after long rides, no backaches or discomfort.
Engine: A gem of an engine—very tractable with minimal noise at higher speeds.
AC: Cools the cabin immediately, probably because it doesn't have to deal with extreme climates like in our country.
Engine Start/Stop: Works really well. The engine shuts down immediately at stops, and when you release the brake slightly (or clutch in manual cars), it jumps back to life without delay. The tuning of the start/stop function is impeccable.
Space and Practicality: Despite its small size, it offers decent boot capacity and backseat legroom. Plenty of nifty small cabins to store your items. The brochure claims a boot capacity of 445 litres, which I consider plenty for a relatively small vehicle.
Reliability: Despite driving it for a short while, my colleagues assure me it's a reliable car. We have around 60 cars in use, and none of them have spent any time at the workshop other than for regular servicing.

Cons:

Gearbox: My biggest gripe. It's slow to respond, especially for quick overtakes. There's a noticeable delay in response, especially up to 1500 rpm, then a surge of power up to 2500 rpm before the gear changes. You can mitigate this by using Manual mode, but you wouldn't want to do it regularly. In my humble opinion, the company producing these gearboxes should be banned from manufacturing gearboxes. This outstanding engine's entire character is being marred by this useless gearbox.
Brakes: Spongy and uninspiring. They don't stop where you want them to, especially during hard braking. You have to keep this in mind every time you pick up speed.
Interiors: Just plain and simple—non-exciting. Hard, scratchy plastics everywhere, but understandable considering the price point. Basic knobs and buttons for all functions.
Steering: Very light, which is great in city traffic, but it lacks feel or feedback, especially at higher speeds. It's okay on highways, but for fast corners, you have to make constant minor adjustments. But light controls really take the strain out of parking.
Twisty Roads: If you carry some speed into a corner, the car feels like a bouncy castle. Reminds me of the horse carousels for small children. This is not a car that has to be hustled through a twisty corner.

Some general points:

Can't comment about the fuel efficiency as I never measured it. I always fill the tank full at any Shell petrol pump, and it is paid for by the company. I will try to check the fuel efficiency and update here if someone is interested to know. But so far, I think it is pretty fuel-efficient. A full tank is taking some time to empty. My regular travel is 20 km one way to the office. If I don't take it on a long drive, it lasts me 3 weeks or a little more.

Driving in Turkey.

Now I would like to share a few things about driving here in Turkey. All Indian nationals having a regular driving license can drive here in Turkey for 6 months without any additional documents. If you exit the country and come back again, it is another 6 months. My company gives me a 15-day vacation every 4 months. So, I believe I don’t need to go through any hassles for taking a local driving license. And for those who are interested in knowing the details, I will ask around and find details about how to get a license here.

For me, the driving experience on roads here is very similar to our country. There is a general disregard for road safety rules, jumping red lights, honking for no reason, changing lanes without warning... it reminds me of our roads and people. Guess I don’t have to miss that part while driving here.

But the highways here are just outstanding. You can travel at a very serious pace. And the scenery on both sides is breathtaking. You may mistake it for some European countryside. So far, I have only visited a few places near Adana like Mersin/Erciyes, etc. Planning to cover most of Turkey before I leave this beautiful country. I welcome any suggestions from our esteemed members.

Also planning to update this thread with travelogues and photos of the places I visit. Maybe it will come in handy for any members who plan to visit here. Hope you guys enjoy this very short review.