Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo Manual And Automatic Driven: Best Driver's SUV In Class!
The Duster 1.3 is the new 'Driver's SUV' in the mid-size segment, nosing ahead of the Volkswagens and Skodas. But very few buy a mid-size SUV only for driving pleasure. So, read on.
250 kms of mostly twisted roads is usually the most fun someone like me can have in a day. Renault gave me just that, with both the 6 speed dual clutch automatic and manual trims of the Duster for company.
We started off from Taj Mussoorie at 7ish, hit plenty of morning school traffic, and even a traffic jam as we made our way towards Rishikesh, the Rajaji national park, hill roads and then Tehri lake.
Looks: It's similar to the Jeep Compass from the front. Nice, chunky bumpers at the front and rear. It has lots of street presence thanks to straight lines, slab sides and the sculpted high set bumper. The functional roof rails give it plenty of height. Overall, the new Duster is a pleasant, butch looker.
Stepping inside, you get a fair sense of the build. The doors have a heft - somewhere between the Koreans/Japanese and the Germans. Surfaces feel hard wearing and built to last.
The contrast stitch gives the cabin a sporty feel. I like the black/green interiors. There's lots of layering on the dashboard. The hexagonal steering felt too big initially, but I got used to it. The AC is a chiller, even has turbo boost mode (100 % blast).
What I didn't like? Some plastic parts feel low rent: the cover for the center console glovebox was shaky. Good bits: Cooled glove box. Driver focused ergonomics, lumbar adjust for the front seats, ventilation.
This cabin, while being a huge upgrade over the 1st gen Duster, is not as plush as the Koreans. But it feels a step up over the Germans in terms of surface feel. I particularly liked the clear demarcation between driver and front passenger on the automatic trim. This bit makes it feel like a car from two segments above.
Screen quality: The Driver TFT reads nice and sharp. Even the Google profiles for infotainment are very useful. However, music playing on Android Auto wasn't audible a couple of times. I had to switch the car off and on, and then reconnect. Maybe it's a work in progress that can be fixed with a software update. As for sound quality, it's good.
Rear seat: It's very comfortable for two. The third adult won't like longer trips. It's not about the space per se but the tall transmission tunnel in the middle that intrudes into space for the person in the middle.
Turbo DCT first. The Duster settles into a smooth, silent idle and the DCT surges ahead smoothly. There's a steady surge of torque. It does NOT lurch ahead like the Volkswagen 1.5 TSI but keeps building very strong momentum, right up to the redline. There's a surge everywhere.
Wet clutch automatic: Should last in tropical Indian conditions. You have the 7 year/150,000 Km warranty too!
The Duster's engine pulls like a locomotive, and that's very enjoyable. It's somewhat reminiscent of some diesel engines. And across the range, it's very smooth and you also hear a very nice engine note that's got a mild turbo whine.
Don't take the blow off valve noise that you hear on Duster reels seriously. That's because the reels have the mics under the bonnet.
In cabin engine note is a sporty one but never intrusive or loud. Between the 1.5 TSI and the 1.3 TCE, I found the Duster's engine note a lot more enjoyable. And it doesn't get boomy even in the higher reaches of the rev band. There's a silkiness to the note. Good stuff!
You can see the sculpted bonnet from the driver's seat. It's one of most commanding driving positions this side of the Scorpios and Thars of this world. It helps that the touchscreen doesn't get into the way but instead sits flush with the top of the dashboard.
One gripe: The A-Pillar is very thick, and this produces a big blind spot. One has to be mindful of this.
Rear visibility: No problem. Wing mirrors are nice and large, and helpfully convex at the edges. It's a win!
Rear camera and 360 camera: Works well but quality is so-so. It's simply not as sharp as the ones on the Korean competition!
Ride quality in the city - with expansion joints, manhole covers, rumbler strips and the occasional pothole/speed breaker - is very good. You will be very comfortable but this is NOT the old Duster.
The new Duster's suspension comes into its own on broken roads with potholes here and there, and sudden patches of no roads. You'll slow down in most other cars but simply power through in the Duster. It's the same scene with two wheels on the roads, and two wheels off it. The Duster gives you confidence to go hard and fast.
But the ride quality is not the 'magic carpet' that the old Duster was known for. This one is a great mix or ride and handling. You can drive this a lot faster than the old Duster, and you get lots of lots of confidence to push this car hard thanks to this balanced ride and handling set up. But is it as pliant as the Mahindra DaVinci? No. But does the Duster feel much more sportier to hustle? Yes! And this is what makes it a 'driver's SUV'.
While the old Duster/Terrano had a vague-ish steering at some points and also a violent steering kickback on bad roads, this one has no such issues.
The steering is quite light in eco and normal modes, but assistance can be decreased and steering can be made nice and sporty in the custom mode. Making it heavier makes the car a LOT of fun in the twisties. There's plenty of 'feel'.
But there's no sport mode here. Only steering weight can be changed. Even the DCT gearbox and engine response have eco and normal modes! Getting to them needs fiddling with the touchscreen.
Paddles come standard on the top-end Iconic trim. And they're very responsive, and a pleasure to use. The wet clutch, dual clutch gearbox is not the fastest around. The Vol;kswagen DSG still the king when it comes to snappiness/responsiveness.
It's easy to bog the Duster Turbo down while climbing steep inclines as the gearbox takes its time to respond/finds itself in a higher gear, but this is where paddles come in. Taking manual control is not just fun but also necessary to make the best of the 1.3 liter turbo petrol engine. Don't buy the Duster 1.3 without paddles!
There are no such issues on the manual version but it has a few challenges of its own. Let's get to them a little later.
Climbing up and down steep hills, the Duster came into its element. The combination of great steering feel, sorted suspension, super torquey engine and the paddle shifter equipped responsive gearbox makes the Duster a pleasure across all kinds of terrain.
By the end of the trip, I was pushing the Duster harder and faster into each corner and not bothering about bad roads at all. But when the roads get rocky, you want to slow down. It's very confidence inspiring.
After having a LOT of fun on the automatic Duster Turbo, I wanted to sample the manual. Clutch is between heavy and light, and has a long travel with the bite point somewhere in the middle! The gear throws are long-ish. And this is where the cookie crumbles!
The Duster DCT is far more involving to drive as you can simulate the manual's behaviour through the paddles (which keeps rpms up to 6k rpm). On the manual, it's possible to drive like an automatic on hill roads by slotting it into 2nd gear, which is good from 10 Kph all the way to 88 Kph.
The first tops out at 50 Kph. So, slot it into second and have a lot of fun. But still, if and when it comes to shifting gears, the manual's long clutch and gear throws take away the sporty edge of the Duster's other bits. On the highway, it may be fine but on twisty roads, the automatic is far more enjoyable. I was surprised as I expected the manual to be more fun.
In terms of outright handling though, the manual feels a little lighter and wants to turn in quicker. It feels a little more playful than the automatic. Ride quality: The automatic was a little more composed.
To sum it up, I'd pick the automatic over the manual simply because the automatic allows sportier driving, with more or less the same level of transmission control. In terms of interiors too, the automatic feels more upmarket. The manual doesn't have the raised center console, and the brushed satin trims. So, the automatic is also the nicer place to be!
Small but significant bits: One touch up-down operation for all 4 windows: Awesome. One touch ADAS on and off. Very nice. Hydraulic bonnet struts. Massive 700 liter boot.
Spare wheel? Surprisingly absent. Idle stop: Irritating. Physical controls on the center console for AC etc: Good. Lumbar adjustment: Very good. Seats: Nice and ventilated.
Cooled glove box: Deep and useful. Center console also flexible: Cup holders/Storage. Maps on the driver TFT: Good. USB type Cs all around: At least one type A should be there. Panoramic sunroof: Large. Coat hooks on B-Pillars: Useful.
Renault has priced the new Duster very well, and if one wants driving pleasure, there's a new champ in town. It's called the Duster. Any automatic trim with paddles is what I'd personally pick! Go take a test drive anyway. And drive it HARD.