'DNA' Drive: The Renault Duster

After at least four years of trying and a year of four launches, the No. 4 carmaker in the world with four Formula 1 engines burning global tracks seems to have hit a segment-busting sweet spot.

It was a surprise to see the Renault Duster in flesh and blood.  It’s not as tall as an SUV – as the adverts make you feel -- but is as wide and long as many premium ones.

Very unusual combo indeed. Did we say segment buster?

Renault India is looking to lure all three types of vehicle buyers with the Duster – SUV, sedan and hatch. If that sounds overambitious, it isn’t. It’s a brilliant strategy and package because the company, through 60% localisation and indigenous craft – Renault’s design studio in the Mumbai suburb of Andheri and its engineering centre in Chennai have Indianised the vehicle such that the French carmaker has – unlike its wont – has become a price warrior too.

DNA took the top-end Duster from Coimbatore through unbelievably winding and narrow roads of Annamalai Tiger Reserve in Munnar, Kerala, on Wednesday and escaped a few local-shuttle service maniacs in flying lungis wildly steering olive-grey Mahindra Majors to recount the drive:

The looks
The frontal visage, with double-optic headlamps, fogs and loud chrome grill give the car a look that says it’s ready for anything that comes its way. There is ruggedness in the flared wheel arches, and tailgate design. The door scuff plates and roof rail add a true-blue SUV touch. From some angles, the Duster reminds you of a station-wagon because of its unique design. But boy, does it have a road presence. With a ground clearance of 205mm, it’s as tall as marquee SUVs and better than the Mahindra Scorpio. The front fender is angled at 30 degrees to take on hill ascents better, while the rear fender cuts at 35 degrees to make the descents a breeze. It’s a thoroughly modern yet rugged offering, with dashes of conservatism.

Interior
The interior is in dual tone black and beige, quite neat, value for money, but doesn’t look premium. The beige plastic has line traces, while the black portions have a leathery finish – and they could have been a tad less shiny. The curved instrument binnacle and a no-airs central cluster with AUX/USB music system and red digital readouts give a prosaic feel, but no complaints because the Duster is priced-to-the-product, through and through. The glovebox is deep and cupholders are everywhere. Clearly, the Indian user is in mind in all the design touches. The front-seat-to-roof height is an outstanding 907 mm, and back seat 895 mm. That’s super comfortable for the tallest of blokes. The rear legroom is a massive 635 mm, thanks to a wheelbase of 2.67 metres. Overall, the seats are wider than those on the Scorpio, and come with excellent thigh support. The driver’s seat can be adjusted 8 ways, and offers lumbar support. A 12V socket behind the rear seat is a nice touch --  those in the rear can independently charge their devices. Air-conditioning is outstanding, thanks to the world’s smallest automobile HVAC unit -- designed and developed at Renault’s Chennai engineering centre – in the rear. Bootspace at 475 litres is adequate, and can be expanded to a gargantuan 1064 litres by folding the rear back. That’s good enough to take bicycles. These are some of the stuff that the Dacia/Renault Dusters abroad don’t have – including double-tray parcel shelf behind the rear seat that’s the epitome of Indian utility value.

Performance
Though we did not test the petrol engine, it comes 1598 cc, 4-cylinder in line plant mated to a 5-speed gearbox. On the other hand, the famous Renault K9K diesel engine displaces 1461 cc and is fused with a six-speed gearbox. The diesel one comes in two tunes  – 85PS and 110 PS. We drove the 110 one. Start the ignition and the engine noise is very refined and muted even on the outside. Overall noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) is well-controlled – barring, that is, the wind noise rushing inside at higher speeds. Renault must do some rectification there fast. The feeling inside is of comfort and safety, with great frontal view. Thanks to its monocoque chassis, wide body and long wheelbase, the centre of gravity is low and the Duster feels extremely planted even on serpentine roads. The ride is superbly flat due to Renault’s class-leading suspension and solid 215/65 R16 tyres on alloys. There’s a wee turbo lag but the power bands through the gears are more than adequate. The short-throw gear stalk is nifty and does its job of slotting well. Braking is above-par with ABS and EBD on discs/drums. The steering is light and firms up well with pace. It was also accurate on winding roads, and gives a decent feedback. The quirky touches? The dongle to adjust the electrical rearview mirror rests under the handbrake grip. Why on earth should one have it there? The only logic we think is that a door-mounted one would have cost more. One more: the windscreen wiper has only two speeds. Add a twist, please. And the media stick behind the steering takes a lot of getting used to.

Verdict
Cut to the chase, the Duster does nearly everything you need well, has nearly everything you need in an SUV, and comes at half the price of a premium SUV. That’s a killer package. It brooks no comparison currently. Some petrolhead peers we spoke with, who have driven the 85PS diesel variant, say that’s a better deal for city driving because of its torque band at lower revs. Mind you, the 110PS diesel is no slouch; just that it’s tuned for higher performance. You don’t necessarily need that in the city.