Review — Renault Duster AMT 2016

If there is one vehicle that influenced India’s sudden deep impact interest in the compact SUV space, it would have to be Renault’s Duster. Renault introduced the Duster in India as its second offering in mid-2012. Ever since, it has kept the production lines busy.

On a product level, bringing the Duster into India was a no-brainer for Renault. I think need harnessing was the major chunk of work. But fair and square, Duster is a global vehicle on which Renault can always bet big on. It can sell anywhere because it is a segment of its own.

Till 2014, the Duster had a bull run. Nothing could stop it. But there was always a hidden fear. There was this another vehicle showcased by an American manufacturer at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2012- it was still a concept back then, no hints on the pricing or the engines, but damn that vehicle looked good.

That vehicle is the Ford EcoSport.

Fast forward to 2014, the Duster got a brute force attack from Ford. The EcoSport kept winning the Duster’s buyers — it had the looks, competitive engine option flexibility, burst of features and had a better dealership support network than Renault. It was only much later that the market matured with a fair difference of segmentation between the EcoSport and the Duster.

Fast forward further to 2016, couple of limited editions, product update and additional AWD system later, the Duster started to show signs of ageing. Revealed at the Delhi Auto Expo in February 2016 was the 2016 Renault Duster. This time with Renault’s Easy-R AMT option.

The Outside

To be fair, the Duster fits the image of a compact SUV much better than certain other competitors. It clearly and consistently communicates that it is heavily SUV influenced and not cross-over influenced.

Design perception wise, it has got a firm balance between form and function. The design is simple, no-nonsense and very straight forward without lines and curves running around. That is what makes it very SUV-ish. Otherwise it would just be a hatchback trying to prove a point.

The new front design on the facelift gets a mild overdose of chrome on the new twin slack grille with the bumper design retaining the same form. There’s also a silver garnish scuff plate taking some limelight and adding to the SUV perception.

Move around to the side, the Duster’s generous 205 mm of ground clearance gives it a tall ride height. The short front and rear overhangs and a fairly long wheelbase confirms make you relate to the SUV perception better. The large windows feel proportional to its dimensions. It also gets added roof rails and side steppers. What’s not very SUV about the vehicle is the new black 16” 5-spoke alloys that give in to a hatchback feeling.

Moving to the rear, the facelifted Duster gets LED tail lamps with the bulb arrangement mildly altered. Like most modern SUVs today, the Duster hides the spare tyre under the body rather than on the tailgate like the Ford EcoSport or in the boot like all other hatchbacks/sedans. What it takes seriously though is the Duster badging on the chrome tailgate plate.

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The Inside

Once you get in and adjust the seats, you’d realize that the Duster’s driving position is no different from your regular hatch/sedan. That being said, it makes you feel at home more easily with that sense of familiarity. There’s enough headroom and legroom for passengers

The dashboard is fairly simple looking, functional and ergonomic. The black piano finish center console catches some attention being the only glossy element. But the quality of plastic is inconsistent. The Duster shares the same touch screen infotainment system with the Renault Kwid. The AC temperature control dial is not the best in quality but the other AC control switches felt better to use.

The seats are fairly wide and give you extra room to make you feel comfortable quicker. Though slightly firm, it provides a good driving stance. What is very interesting is the positioning of the power window and ORVM switches on the insides of the door. Being on an inclined angle you don’t have to try hard to reach out or spend some time in figuring which switch works for which window when your eyes are on the road.

The steering wheel has a chunky feel to it and is fairly proportional to the size of the car. Steering mounted controls only offer buttons for cruise control. Music and phone related controls are included on another extension behind the steering wheel. This could be hassle because these controls don’t rotate along with the steering wheel.

The sound quality from the speakers is live-able. It comes with a good mid-range but the bass could be more acknowledged. The diaphragm starts to vibrate uncomfortably with the base set high.

The circle type AC vents are a mis-fit in the cabin. Though they offer practicality when it comes to angle and flow adjustment, they don’t seem to justify the bill you pay for such a vehicle.

Moving to the rear, the Duster offers good legroom and headroom is generous. The rear foldable arm rest makes comfortable rear seat occupancy. Though the lack of rear AC vents is a downer, the front ac vents do a good job with a good blower reach and throw. The large windows help in maximizing the sense of space. Great for occupants with motion sickness.

Like very few SUV’s, the Duster’s boot opens upwards instead of sideways to a generously sized boot. The boot is not just wide but also quite long, making it a perfect size to fit multiple golf kits. The large parcel tray opens some more possibilities for rear occupants’ storage.

What I should mention is that, thought the Duster’s interior would feel very frugal, it’s build quality is to be commended. Bumpers don’t bend, door taps don’t sound hollow and side steppers don’t creep when you stand on them. All this put together, gives you a sense of security more than anything else.

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The Drive.

This is where the Duster surprises and also disappoints.

Starting the 1.5L Diesel 110 PS engine is instantaneous and the engine is surprisingly well refined at idle. No unexpected rattling or vibration though the noise is slightly on the higher side.

The engine is mated to a 6 speed AMT transmission box that is pretty simple in construction. It’s more like a bolt-on to the existing manual gearbox with very few changes. Though it does remove the inconvenience of the manual with a heavy clutch, it has it’s share of positives and negatives.

For starters, the AMT doesn’t sometimes behave like regular AMTs or ATs. In the automatic mode, the transmission would only shift up at the 2500 RPM mark. Nothing less or nothing more. This is great when you are out on the highway as you have a lot of torque on demand to execute that overtake, but within the city (where the AMT should offer convenience), you have a sudden burst of either torque or deceleration because the gearbox doesn’t shift up early when you normally would while driving a regular manual.

Another thing that could be bothersome is that the gear shifts in the automatic mode can be felt quite evidently. You can sense your body pushed forward and backward when there’s a gear shift as the transmission doesn’t smoothly cut off the acceleration during shifts (yes, it’s true).

If you want some enthusiasm to the drive, you can always shift to Manual mode and change gears at intervals of your choice. But here’s another tiny catch that might need some getting used to. In other AMTs/ATs with manual shifting, you’d have to push the gear lever up to shift up and vice-versa. But nope, with the Duster it’s the opposite. You push up to shift down and push down to shift up. Yes, definitely needs some getting used to.

Issues with the AMT apart, the Duster genuinely excels at something I look forward to the most in a car — ride quality. The mildly firm suspensions arrest the road undulations from being transferred to the body. Doing good speeds on highways, the suspensions would work to your advantage by ensuring that your confidence is in abundance and you do not easily get the feeling of instability.

The Duster scores high on drivability as well, especially when you decide to take things under your control and shift manually with the AMT. The 1.5L engine serves up torque as and when you want it. The gear ratios are planned out to ensure that there is a significant difference and better accommodation to your throttle inputs.

The hydraulic steering unit works very well for a car nut as it provides generous road and tyre feedback. But if you are looking at the Duster as an exclusive city vehicle — it might not work out too well for you as the hydraulic unit, as in all cars, require more effort to steer than the regular electric ones. The extra effort requirement might put you off when you have to park in a tight spot or take that quick U-Turn.

What I did miss the most was the presence of a dead pedal to rest my left foot. I should also say that it’s beyond me to understand why Renault would decide to skip it.

The Verdict:

When I picked up the car for this review, I had one major question in mind — Does the Duster still have what it works for the current market?

The basis behind this question is the fact that the market dynamic has evolved in the past two years. It’s a fresh market with fresher demand and fresher challenges now. This is not a Duster vs. EcoSport market anymore. Every other main stream manufacturer now has a compact SUV — Hyundai’s Creta, Maruti Suzuki’s S-Cross cross over, Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza, Honda’s BR-V, Tata’s upcoming Nexon. The Duster’s budget also see vehicles like the Mahindra XUV 5oo which could also show up as a valuable option.

The answer? It’s going to be both yes and no.

Yes, because the Duster still somehow retains its individuality. Its also got the pre-facelift version’s charm working for it therefore keeping the re-sale value at a consistent price too. It’s also the only compact SUV around to offer you a AWD system.

But I should also say no because it is far from improving it’s game when it comes to the interiors, fit and finish and plastic quality. With the focus shifting to the market share figure, Renault is focusing more on the smaller products to improve volume. And it’s not a great sign to see the same infotainment system available in the Kwid.

I should also mention that the Duster’s biggest weakness as a product is it’s limited flexibility of engine options. The Duster’s more partial towards the diesel when it comes to variant options. The 104 PS 1.6L petrol powered Dusters are available only in two variants — RxE and RxL, which don’t offer the best of value.

But here’s another thought — what if the Duster wasn’t launched when it was, but with the same spec as a fresh product in the market right now? Would it work?

This is where I finish the review.

Pros:

1. Build quality; that sense of safety
2. Space
3. Amazing drivability with loads of torque to serve
4. Suspension set up
5. I somehow give in to the looks.

Cons:

1. The AMT needs a lot of improvement and refinement
2. Seriously, no dead pedal in an AMT?
3. Sales and service network — I’m not too confident
4. Quality of interiors
5. Lack of petrol engine options

CarMatch and CarPal

As always, just in case you are confused about options and would like to explore what’s best for you — do check out CarMatch. The app is currently available on the PlayStore and has a trick up it’s sleeve. It’s simple — it asks you for what you want from a car, the budget you have in mind and make some killer spot-on recommendations.

And if you are based in Chennai, India and would like to buy a new car, CarPal is always here to support you and ensure you get great prices with a completely stress-free car buying experience.

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