Renault Duster [2016-2019] User Reviews

Hello People,

Would like to take this opportunity through this forum to warn you not to buy Renault India cars and especially from Unnati Motors, Pune. A must read for all the potential buyers and the existing customers.

I bought a brand new Renault Duster India RXS 2016 Model in July 2016 from Unnati Motors, Chinchwad, Pune and have been conducting regular serving of the vehicle at the same service centre.

In this one year I have experienced immense mental harassment and monitory loss due to the irresponsible behaviour of the Renault India and Unnati Motors Staff.

On May 19, 2017 while travelling to my home town with family. After driving about 400kms, two of the critical indicators started blinking. (PFA Pics) Would not like to comment on the horrible road side assistance that was provided. Somehow I managed to reach Nagpur. It took Renault Nagpur Service 23 days to replace the turbojet pipe as per diagnosis. Moreover at the time of delivery they lost the only souvenir of my late friend, a Renault Logo key chain.

On June 27, 2017 the Fuel panel cable broke which was unavailable for a month, as usual. So we had to wait for the spares to arrive. On Aug 17, 2017, I took the vehicle for denting and painting work, plus break shoe and cable replacement.

After much to and fro of phone calls and complaints the vehicle was delivered on Sept 8, 2017 with NO replacement of break shoe or the cable and majority of the denting/ repairs were still pending.
At the time of delivery they informed that the break shoe were replaced and even going to charge for it until I caught the lie. The door fittings were improper, due to which the indicators buzzed and the scratches were still present. For which they had no explanation! (PFA Pics).

They took my vehicle again for inspection and final touch for a couple of days and delivered with a defect on 13th Sept which could have cost us our lives.

On Sept 17th, Me, my wife, my 3year old daughter and my in laws were on our way to a hill station. After a sudden jerk, the steering and the brakes got locked. On the steep slopes at a speed of 70kmph, I was terrified to the soul. Somehow I managed to stop the vehicle avoiding the cliff and reached out to road assistance immediately. The technicians showed me the broken fuse box and the battery wire without a bracket, just placed on the terminal. (PFA Pics).

The pictures clearly shows a deliberate attempt by the service personnel to hide their mistakes and cover up their misdeeds. TO WHICH THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION YET AGAIN!

On Sept 19th they took my vehicle again for repairing the damages. Returning it the next day with the parts replaced. Promising and assuring me that this won't be repeated and I should not publicize it as it would severely damage their reputation.

Unfortunately we met with an accident on 27th Sept and had to tow the car to Unnati Motors, Pune again. (PFA Pics). Duster was delivered on 13th October with a final assurance of a flawless service by the service centre.

An guess what? The AC stopped working after 50-70kms, There was more engine noise plus vibrations. To this their diagnosis was that the condenser they replaced the last time had very less oil and that the AC coil was covered with ice due to subzero temperature as the parts replaced the last time were not accepted by the internal vehicle system.

So now, I HAVE RETURNED THE VEHICLE!

This seriously questions the integrity and morality of Renault France as a brand and it's staff. I feel absolutely betrayed by them. In the past 12+ months my car was in the Service Centre for more than 3 months, called for road assistance thrice.

People mock at me asking "Where's your Duster? Don't tell me it's in the Service Center again!"

But now I want to question Renault India, if we would have ran out of luck that day, would Renault India be able to bring back our lives?

My whole family would have perished in a fraction of a second and none would have known that it was all Renault India's fault.

Every time the delay in delivery costs me a huge chunk due to cab charges and the inconvenience, to which one of the consultant said that he will pay it for me if I cannot afford it.

This kind of treatment to the customer is insulting, embarrassing and fatal, as in my case.

It sounds like a joke when I call the road assistance and hear the IVR say, "we invented the turbo charger and are 9 times F1 champions". Seriously?

My father once told me not by anything other than Tata Motors. He distinctly said that "Tata's won't ditch anyone ever, they are the real sons of India".
It's been 13 years for his association with Tata Motors and he never faced such problems. I really regret not taking his advise.

Be that, I myself am a proud owner of a Yamaha Motor RX135 motorcycle since 1999. And believe it or not it starts with a single kick.

Renault India I think this will give you a fair idea about quality, loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Regards,
Mandar Deshmukh.

Exterior Cool, Hefty, rugged over all its awesome.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Decent cabin space, all the necessary features loaded except push button start, comfort wise its good for city and very good on highways.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine with 110 bhp I felt little less for a heavy vehicle like duster but it pulls strongly even after you reach 100 km mark on your speedometer.

I know most of the people will be waiting for knowing the mileage

I got a high way mileage of 17.9kmpl maximum and 16.5 kmpl minimum (speed between 100 - 120)

In city ride the mileage is in between 13 - 15 kmpl depending on the traffic. for your knowledge I belong to coimbatore.

AMT Gear Box, really we have to learn to drive an AMT. with slight accelaration the vehicle shifts gears to 4th, when it reaches 40km then at 90 km it shifts to 6th gear. It is bit slow than manual but its very comfortable in city and also in highways. over taking has to be planned as it takes a moment to understand our urgency in speeding. 

Sudden Accelaration in 1st gear wont workout...otherwise its very smooth and downshifts the gear when ever necessary. Manual attached with AMT is very interesting and slick.

Ride Quality & Handling 120 kms on curvy Highway road no problem at all. Handling is good and has got very good control. A very well planted drive even at high speed. Breaking is not up to the mark. we have to apply little bit hard to stop the vehicle. But we get used to it with in two days. suspension is very good even in rough roads. On highways no jerk at all. 

Final Words Good vehicle at a decent price, good mileage, AC is good, My family loves to travel in this vehicle.

Areas of improvement

1. Wind noise has to be controlled.

2. Disc break has to be provided for all four wheels.

3. Dash board design can be updated.

4. Front door rubber beading stores dust and when you open the door it falls on you while getting out of the vehicle, that has to be taken care.

5. Driver side power window button control unit hurts the knees. it has to be finished smoothly.

6. Storage area can be improved.

Exterio rgood looking.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) base model not included abs.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox  not bad.

Ride Quality & Handling due to its bulk  wheel arches handle with care.

Final Words poor build quality.

Areas of improvement Very very poor breaking,build quality, my RENAULT DUSTER hit with a bycycle in Kollam, Kerala. No noticeable damage was found either to the bicycle or Duster externally. However it was found that damages had occurred to the Duster internally. On opening the bonnet I found the fan assembly misplaced - the Cooling Fan and inner parts of the Duster were damaged. My speed at the time of accident was around 20km/hr. The cyclist was unhurt during the incident. Still the Duster encountered a lot of damage during the accident. This reflects the poor built quality of Duster. Earlier I had recommended Duster to my colleagues and friends. But after this incident I feel disappointed and embarrassed at the vehicle’s poor build quality.

I became the laughing stock of others over the poor quality of the vehicle after the incident (since it was hit only to a bicycle). I feel ashamed and humiliated at this moment. Now I am actually planning to sell-off the vehicle. I feel like having been cheated & wasted all my money on this poor stuff. Images of my vehicle after incident also attached.finally the bill amt is Rs. 75000.

My new duster is just amazing and does not lack in terms of features, looks or performance. Not on is it cost friendly but also very good looking and i love driving it. it has no lag issues in traffic or high ways and engine is very powerful, i enjoy highway driving the most. i like the cabin space, it is quite spacious and there is no problem with lugage space as well since the boot is quite big. i have bought the green colored one and it looks very stylish with the new front grille, and better looking tail lights. also the AWD works amazingly well when driving on bad roads. for anyone who wants an adventurous car that is strong and masculine in terms of looks and performance but at the same time is not a pain to the pocket then duster is the ideal SUV to buy.

1.    The best thing about a Renault car is the feel when you drive it around and specially when it is a premium car like the Duster you cannot stop feeling this way. I was very apprehensive about buying the Duster until I test drove it and I was completely bowled over by it. The engine is powerful and for a diesel engine it is really lag free and the pick up is amazing. For anyone looking to buy a premium SUV, Duster is the best. The AWD works very fell and the driving and handling of the SUV on tough terrains is so amazing that you are not afraid of bad roads anymore. The suspension is very good and since it is independent, the car has a very good balance. A wider wheelbase and a good ground clearance are further in its favour. This SUV is meant for true adventure enthusiasts but will not disappoint even in terms of city driving. Service and maintenance is easy and did not face any problems at the service centre until now. Very happy with the Duster.

Exterior No need to say anything here, it really stands out different on Road than the rest.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Needs improvemnt, Renault can charge some extra here if want , but better plasting can defenetly help in improving the over all experience.Now new Models have started coming with more features.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox When went to Buy Duster, mileage oriented Indian Mind kitna deti hai selected the 85 PS version and after booking I started thinking that can 85 horses  manage such a big car  and somewhere in my mind I started blaming myself that, I did a mistake should have gone for the 110 PS version. But to my surprise in last two and half years and after 70000 Kms never felt less on power, it zooms like a Usain bolt on any type of road really great pick-up, Renault engineers really needs thumps-up for designing perfect gear ratios for a 85 PS engine.

It’s only when you want to go to 150-160 from 120 or 100, need of more power is felt on 85 PS version but believe me till 120 Km/hr  this car is no ordinary, its special. Some turbo lag can be felt if you are in traffic for more than 30 mns continuously else even turbo lag is not very noticeable.

Fuel economy is really good no complaint, it all depends how you drive I have managed as low as 11 km/l to as high as 21 km/l, in general Mumbai city gives me around 14-16 Km/l and on Highways anything between 17-20Km/l.So again no complaints on this economy with kind of pick-up and power feel it gives.

Gears are slightly notchy at times, not a very smooth shifting at times, Renault needs to work here the way they have worked on the engine, otherwise its manageable gear shifting.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is superb and this is coming after 70000Kms driving this car, feels like a Sedan gives confidence and toughness of SUV, I have driven this car 985 Kms in one day in some 14hrs (Allahabad to Indore in one day), believe me after reaching Indore I had all the energy to go directly to Mumbai but kids were bored so we halted, otherwise it offers brilliant drivability, simply superb.

Some advice here, Please throw away the stock tires (Apollo or MRF, I am not saying they are bad but no match to Michelin) as soon as possible, after 60K I changed to Michelin Primacy SUV tires and believe me they add a lot to your Duster, I cursed myself why I Changed after 60K should have done on day one itself. It makes duster more drivable.

Also I use only synthetic engine oil, it makes engine even smoother, and it’s costly but any day better for engine and its life.

Final Words Just go for Duster...you will never regreat your self.

Areas of improvement Only thing which is troublesome to me (may not be to others) is breaking( Post Michelin Tires it has improved but still), I think Renault needs to have all four Disc brakes ASAP for better breaking control apart from improving on plastic, gear shifting, softer clutch…blah blah...(wish never ends).

Very disappointed with Renault DUSTER RXZ ADVENTURE EDITION 110 PS purchased in May 2017. On 10 Sept 2018 in Udaipur city while driving the vehicle at about 15 KMPH in traffic had to slow down as an auto had stalled on an incline and pressed brake to stop but the vehicle came to *sudden stop with loud dragging sound. *On checking found that Rear Right Side Wheel had jammed and saw tyre drag marks about 2 feet long were clearly visible. Initially could not understand the reason so restarted to drive and found that the rear tyre was still dragging and another person said that vehicle Right Rear tyre seems to be Jammed as it is not rotating. Then to ensure vehicle does not slide back Pulled the Hand Brake. But found that Hand Brake was totally free and Not Effective and vehicle was stalled on road. This happened when I was riving in the city, all alone and at low speed. What if I was with family at the high. this pathetic car would have killed us. When I took the vehicle to the workshop in Nirmal Renault Udaipur, following things were observed. 1. *One Brake Pad had broken into "2 (two) pieces"* and had *become unstuck from brake plate*. 2. Then Left Hand Side Rear (LHSR) Wheel drum was also opened. On checking and comparing for wear it was found that the brake pads of LHSR drum both brake Pads were in better condition than RHSR pads which were thinner and more worn out. 3. No foreign object and or obstruction was found within RHSR drum brake. 4. It was clear that this was complete and *total Failure of OE equipment "BRAKE PADS" and Quality of PAD Material and Adhesive and Fitment was Sub Standard and of Very Poor quality*? How can A New DUSTER Vehicle with 8800 Kms running and in use for 15-16 Months HAVE BRAKE PAD FAILURE ?? *That also after vehicle had been fully checked by Company's workshop during Second Repair and Maintenance 4 mnths back in Apr 2018.* I regret purchasing this vehicle. I have written to customer care but nobody has reverted. If you care about your customer then call on 9672XXXXXX.

ZERO GRADE FEATURES IN THE VEHICLE ... NON-SUPPORTIVE COMPANY AND SALES AGENCY.

1. Features on display and music system take about 25 seconds to start after switching on the ignition, whereas it should start instantly. Only RENAULT logo displayed on the navigation screen.

2. Fan gets ON only after the vehicle is started and that too after long waiting.  We expect quick start of the fan like other vehicles during summer and humidity especially.

3. While putting the reverse gear, camera signal on the screen appears after about 5-6 seconds whereas the vehicle immediately gets move ON even without wasting a second, which is a major drawback and can cause accident & damage to the vehicle.  This feature is useless in the vehicle.  It looks as if the same is not company fitted.

4. While putting the forward gear from reverse gear, it takes about 10-12 seconds to get the camera signal disappear from the screen. This feature is useless in the vehicle.  It looks as if the same is not company fitted.

5. Blue-Tooth.

a) Voice clarity is very poor.

c) Mobile connectivity on blue tooth is also very poor. Sometimes, it is missing the connection.

b) While dialing and receiving calls, only mobile / contact numbers are displayed on the navigation screen (I mean to say that the name of calling person, stored in the mobile, does not appear on the screen), which is a major drawback because if I want to neglect any unimportant call during driving, I cannot do so.

6. GPS System.

GPS system keeps on whipping for a long time after exit, which is very disturbing during driving.

ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED FEATURES ARE CONNECTED TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHICH IS VERY VERY SLOW AND OF POOR QUALITY AND NEED TO BE REPLACED OR UPGRADED.

It seems that RENAULT has somewhere lacked on proper R&D on the features provided in the vehicle before launching. IT SHOULD BE TREATED AS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER.I look forward to an reply on the above.

VERY POOR AFTER SALES SERVICE BY RENAULT. IT'S TOO BAD.

KEEPING IN VIEW THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROBLEMS BEING FACED BY ME, I URGE THE NEW BUYERS TO PLEASE CROSS-CHECK TIME AND AGAIN BEFORE DECIDING TO BUY THIS VEHICLE HAVING VERY POOR AND LOW GRADE PROCESSING SYSTEM.

Areas of improvement RENAULT DOESN'T WANT TO IMPROVE.