Renault Duster vs Tata Safari Storme 2019

The new Dacia Duster that was globally unveiled recently is the third generation of the SUV. This will form the base for the Renault Duster that we expect to be launched by the carmaker in India. It looks modern and feature-packed — from the pictures at least. But will it be able to rekindle the excitement when it was first launched in India? From the looks of it, it seems quite like it. But again, to remind you, the Duster was a mid-sized five-seater SUV with oodles of space, outstanding ride quality, frugal diesel powertrain, and handsome looks. It only started to feel old due to the other modern SUVs in the segment that were equipped with more features, better interior, several drivetrain options, and a more appealing proposition. Has the new one managed to tick these boxes then? Let's delve deeper.

The Safari Storme has completed a month in our garage and the first thing I did was to take it for a week-long 1500km long trip on a well surfaced road. That’s what SUVs are for. Of course, there were some broken roads and a few ditches strewn sparsely and I had to take it off the road across the wild grass to wash her in the pond so that she was ready for the picture above. I could have done most of it in my decade-old sedan, but guess what, it certainly wouldn’t have been so comfortable and stress-free.

We have cars that are new or fairly new in our long term fleet and the reason is to tell people how they feel to live with and help them with their buying decision. So then, the Safari Storme that was launched a few years ago is certainly an aberration. And that is not only because my boss loves it but also because the Safari Storme is here to stay. In spite of the competition coming up with cosier cars, modern designs and also despite the launch of the new Varicor 400, the Storme with the old 320Nm setup sells better and we want to know why.