0:00 Look at this table. It lists almost every mid-size SUV. Now, look at the sales figures for the top six SUVs. The Creta sold the most units this quarter as well. This means it's still the top-spec car. The Victoris will likely overtake the Creta soon. The Seltos' comeback looks quite strong, and the Sierra has also sold over 20,000 units in just three months. But as you move down from these six cars, you notice a significant difference. Renault's Duster came in at number seven this quarter, selling only around 4,600 units. And you can also see the cars after that. The sales gap between these top six cars and the bottom five or six is quite large. So, are these cars below them inferior to these top cars in quality or other aspects? I cannot say this for everyone and especially if I talk about Duster, it is actually the opposite. The Duster surpasses most top-selling cars in many ways.
0:46 But it's probably not for everyone. And the people who might like it the most, the ones for whom the Duster is most useful, may not be reached by Renault yet. I drove the 1.3 Turbo DCT version in a media drive. I drove the 1-liter manual in a separate media drive where we went from Gurgaon to Neemrana. And I kept a 1.3-liter manual at home for 8 to 10 days. I took it to the mountains with my entire family. Meaning, I've thoroughly decoded every possible powertrain. That's why today you'll understand the Duster in a way you haven't yet. And today you'll actually understand whether this car is exactly for you or not. So, don't skip watching the entire video. First, let's talk about the 1-liter MPFI turbo engine. The Duster weighs around 1350 to 1400 kg. This means this car is quite heavy, even considering its segment.
1:32 And the fact that it only has a 1-liter MPFI turbo engine raises the question: is this small engine enough for such a heavy car? This engine only produces 100 bhp on paper. This means it's even less than naturally aspirated cars in this category. However, its torque output is 166 Nm, which is the highest in the entire category. Renault believes this engine isn't just adequate, but in some ways even better than other naturally aspirated 1.5L cars in this segment. I'll give you my perspective on how much better, or not, in a moment. But before that, check out these two charts. Renault showed us before the 1L drive to illustrate its point. The first chart shows the car's power band across the rev range. Here, they've also shown the competing car's power band, which I believe is better, generating 104 bhp of power when converted to kilowatts.
2:21 The second chart shows the torque band, which shows how the car performs with rev range. Here, too, the competing car is the same. Through this power chart, Renault is trying to say that while the competing car's power output is slightly higher, but our car's peak power comes earlier in the rev band. In terms of torque, their chart shows that the competing car's torque is significantly lower than the Duster's, peaking at 4500 rpm, while theirs only peaks at around 2000 rpm. In the power chart, they also mention that their car accelerates much more smoothly. But if I talk about real-world conditions, after driving this car in the media drive, I felt that some things are going a little different from the brand's claims. For example, if you are driving this car at lower speeds and in a higher gear, and if you want to pick up speed again, you will have to downshift the gear. Renault certainly says that their car can run in third gear at a speed of 20 km/h
3:10 and pick up speed from there, and this can happen on a smooth surface. If the surface is straight, I believe it is possible. But the speed is not as good as what you can get from a bigger engine. Understand one thing, friend: this 1 L MP5 turbo engine will behave like a 1 L naturally aspirated engine until it reaches the turbo range. and this car is quite heavy which is why you'll notice a slight lag even when you accelerate on fourth gear from 50. For example, if you look here, this is 1000 rpm. This is 1.5. This is 2, and this is 2.5. Now, you see, I am running at a speed of 52, and I am in fourth gear. Normally, if any other car is in fourth gear, it will easily pick up at a speed of 52. If the speed is 52 in fourth gear, then the car gets decent traction. But you see here, I have pressed the pedal completely. And look at the speed here.
4:08 This means that it took a lot of time for the car to reach a speed of 80 from 52. At the lower end, a 1.5 L VTEC engine in the Honda City starts pulling even on a slight incline at a speed of 20 in fourth gear. That means again the same thing if with this engin, you are in a higher gear at slower speeds and if you want to take the car back into your own lane or overtake another car then you will have to downshift. This means you'll have to play with the gearbox a bit at lower speeds. But other than this scenario, the engine feels quite good in bumper-to-bumper traffic, which is surprising to me because, ideally, a small engine in such a heavy car should increase the chances of stalling while accelerating from a standstill. But this didn't happen to me even once in my 200 km media drive, even though we had a slight climb to Neemrana Fort. This isn't happening because Renault has tuned this car very well.
4:57 As soon as you shift into gear and press the clutch from a standstill, the RPM automatically increases a bit, without you having to do anything, which supports your throttle input and never lets the car stall. The clutch of this car is also very soft and progressive. This means that the chances of this car stalling are reduced even further. Even though the turbo engine of this car is the same as kiger. But still Renault says that its tuning is very different. Its gear ratios are different, and some major components have also been changed in it. For example, a dual-mass flywheel is found in this car. Whereas I have rarely seen a dual-mass flywheel in manual cars. It is not there even in Kiger. Now, I don't think anyone has told you this information about the Duster. So, if this information has added any value to your time, please consider subscribing to our channel. We're not far off from reaching 1 million. Maybe we'll reach it sometime.
5:44 But we need your support. Please subscribe. If I keep getting this kind of motivation, I'll keep making great videos. The first gear ratio of this car is 4.09. Whereas that of Creta is 3.88. I am talking about Creta petrol here. What I mean to say is that the size of the first gear of Duster is much bigger to support the less torque available at the lower end of this small engine. Even the second gear ratio is bigger than the Creta. Due to these reasons, this car makes you feel quite good in stop and go conditions in city traffic. You do not face any problem in first or second gear. And this car makes you feel Similarly good at higher RPMs. Once the turbo revs up, this car reveals its true worth. When you take it out on the highway and cruise above 2000 rpm, you won't even notice the 1L MPFI turbo engine.
6:31 There's definitely some turbo lag, and that's noticeable. But once you enter the turbo range, the jolt and kick you get adds to the fun of your drive. The car feels much more alive. In fact, I feel that if you need to overtake slightly faster vehicles on the highway or engage in spirited driving, this is better than any 1.5L naturally aspirated engine. I'd prefer this car on the highway. Even though its zero-to-100 timing is slightly behind the Honda Elevate, it's still better than most naturally aspirated cars. You can see the chart here, where we've averaged the zero-to-100 mean from various media outlets. So, slightly contradicting the brand's claims, the power didn't feel linear, but it did feel quite dramatic if you pushed the paddle hard and downshifted a bit.
7:16 The Duster 1L, in fact, holds a unique position within this segment, the C-segment, due to its fuel economy. Granted, the slightly lower mid-range feel of this car is lacking, but you trade that for good fuel economy. I think this car's fuel economy can be 12 to 13 km per liter in the city. And the way I drove this car from Gurgaon to Neemrana and back from there. There was a lot of construction going on on the highway. There were bad patches, and I even had to park the car and shoot at several places. Despite that, this car gave me a mileage of 13.5 to 14 km per litre. So, my estimate is that this car can give you very good fuel economy on the highway, even between 17 and 18 kmph. Meanwhile, most naturally aspirated engines with 1.5L only deliver 9 to 10 km/h in Delhi. I'm talking about top-end engines, and even on highways, they only deliver 15 to 16 km per litre when driven at 120 mph,
8:03 as they have to work harder on highways than turbocharged engines. It's a three-cylinder engine. But its sound has a very sporty feel, which adds to spirited driving. However, when the AC is on and the car is parked, the engine also produces significant vibrations. If you open the hood, you'll feel the engine vibrating significantly. Those vibrations don't translate as much internally, but they're still felt. And with three-cylinder engines, I've noticed that after a certain period of time, after 40-500 km, the vibrations increase a bit. Some have less, some more. We'll have to see how the Duster fares. But I suspect it will increase. I also suspect that when you take this car up hills, you'll have to play with the gears a bit more. Even though the first and second gears are quite long. However, the engine's small size will be felt when pulling the car up hills.
8:52 However, you won't notice this significantly with its larger sibling, the 1.3-liter turbo. Because I've experienced it personally, that's why I'm telling you. I took the manual version of the 1.3 GDI turbo engine to Uttarakhand with my entire family of five and all their luggage to better understand the engine, gearbox, and interior space. I'd driven the DCD before and was quite impressed, but there were only two of us at the time: me and my DOP. After driving this car, I've realized that this 1.3 turbo engine is a gem. Yes, you do experience turbo lag. The low-end grunt seems a little lacking, but it's manageable. You don't have to change gears too often. And I'm saying this while I had four adults with me and a lot of their luggage. You're most surprised by this engine when you take it on the highway.
9:37 Even a 1-liter engine performs well on the highway. But this engine is nothing compared to it. As soon as I got on the highway with five people and full luggage, I didn't even realize when I reached 140. The upper limit is 120, so I had to reduce my speed. But I reached 140 accidentally because I didn't expect this car to gain speed so effortlessly. Brother, you don't even realize when you reach 120-130 speed, and the reason for this is not only its good upper mid-range engine but also the fact that despite going from 3000 to 3500 rpm, its engine does not feel like it is at that much rpm. It feels like you are driving at 1800-2000 rpm. It feels like this engine is very relaxed. Because there is no significant noise inside the car. There is neither any noise nor any vibration. The engine does not feel under stress at all. And for years, we humans have been conditioned to believe that
10:24 the engine is only running faster when it's working harder. When its effort is visible, we can feel it. But if you don't feel it inside, you won't get a clear idea of how hard the engine is actually working. Furthermore, the reason this car can't even reach such high speeds on highways is because its suspension is so amazing. Even with five people inside, there's no motion translation of any kind. Meaning, there are no expansion joints or undulations. This car remains incredibly stable in almost every condition. The confidence this car, along with so many people, gives me is something very few SUVs can offer. Yes, even the Kushaq can offer a good of confidence with its stiff suspension. But inside that car, I also feel that the motion of the road ends and expansion joints, etc., is reflected inside the car. It doesn't feel floaty or bouncy, but its stiffness definitely gives you a sense of speed
11:12 because it shakes at the ends due to the stiffness. But the Duster isolates you from outside noise, road unevenness, and even from the car's own speed. This car has excellent damping and amazing NVH levels. Honda engines start screaming at speeds you don't even feel. Maruti loses its life, and the suspensions of cars like the Seltos and Grand Vitara make you feel body motion. But it's not that its suspension is perfect. My problem with it is that when you're driving alone, it feels a bit stiff. It doesn't feel that way in most situations. But when those small and high speed breakers come and when sharp potholes come, then the sound of comes from inside. Whereas cars like Seltos, Elevate, and Sierra float over there. But I'm ready for this trade-off any day. The jerks aren't too severe. You can reduce the speed a little there. But it's very difficult to match the highway performance.
12:00 Similarly, there's a bit of a trade-off with the petrol engine in the mountains. So, here are the details of the engine and suspension. I've already talked about its DCT in my previous video, and if I were to tell you about it again, I found it quite appropriate. Now let's talk about the elephant in the room, i.e. space. My DOP and I went on a media drive in this car. But this time, my entire family and their luggage were there, as I've already told you. And large boot of this car accommodated all our luggage very comfortably. I unfortunately forgot to take a photo of our luggage. How much luggage was there, and how comfortably it came. But you can imagine, it was a four-day trip, and there were five people. How much luggage would we have? But all those luggage bags fit inside it very comfortably, and it was predictable that the luggage would fit inside it easily because its trunk is the largest in its segment, even if you look at the parcel tray. But because of this, the Duster compromised slightly on rear seating space.
12:48 And this also raises concerns among people: "If there's no rear seating space in such a large car, is it wise to buy it?" Let me explain our scenario. There are three women in the back seat, and you might not find the seat right behind me to be very spacious, but my mother has enough legroom. Similarly, my father, who is 5'8", was also sitting in the back seat. But no one complained about the legroom. The seats in this car felt firm to me, and they still do. But my family didn't complain too much. We did stop a couple of times during our 7-hour drive, but no one complained about its firmness. It's possible that my height is 5'11", which is why I feel this way, and my body weight isn't particularly low. That could be the reason. So, in my experience, it felt a bit firm but I think the people with average height in India won't notice it. So, this is what I have understood from my experience, and I have said the same in my previous review,
13:34 that your family will face problems in the rear seats only if everyone in your family is of a decent height. Be it male or female. If your parents, wife, and sister are not all equally tall, some are taller or shorter as is natural. Or even if everyone's height is 2 to 2.5 inches taller than the Indian average height, I don't think you will face a problem. By taller or shorter, I meant that you can adjust the seats forward or backward. But if everyone in the family is tall, then there is definitely a restriction there. Look, this car definitely lags behind its competitors in terms of rear seating space. But we have to look at our family. We have to look at our situation. And from that perspective, I have said before, and I still say that this car is suitable for most Indians in terms of space. Also, the kind of buttons and ergonomics available in this car, or the one-touch up-down option for all four windows from the very lower variants.
14:22 You get hydraulic chutes for opening the hood from the very base variant. All these things make your life very easy. There is no unnecessary touchscreen operation, etc., in this car. And the quality of the buttons and ergonomics is excellent. You can't say that the low price means any compromise in quality. There's no such thing. Now let's get to the point. Should you buy the Duster or not? The Duster is a much more accessible car. The 1.3L turbo engine starts at ₹13 lakh (ex-showroom), while other brands price their cars around ₹17 to ₹18 lakh (ex-showroom). I'm talking about their turbo engines. Since ethanol blending, complaints about GDI engine injectors have increased. I agree. But over time, I've noticed that these complaints are mostly from German mass-market brands or European luxury car brands. Other brands have better optimized their injectors and engines for India.
15:11 We've seen this. And if you fill petrol like Speed, which has better detergent properties and cleans the injectors more effectively, the impact of blended fuel on your car will be less. Or, here's some general advice: listen to it a little. It'll be useful for everyone. Avoid filling petrol from random petrol pumps on highways. It's wiser to fill petrol from petrol pumps located in residential areas. You should explore a bit and find a petrol pump in a residential area. Find one that is accountable to the locals. Because if you ever go to the wrong petrol pump on the highway, you'll get away with it. You won't hold the petrol pump accountable for any problems you may have, nor will some petrol pump owners take this seriously, because their customers aren't recurring. They bring in a new customer every time. So, if you're careful, you can stay safe even with GDI-powered cars.
15:59 But one thing is for sure: in the long run, gasoline direct injection engines are going to be expensive in terms of maintenance and part replacement. But the upfront cost for the Duster 1.3 is still justified. I think the Duster is a much better package overall, and I personally liked the 1.3L variant a lot more. If you were looking to buy a turbo SUV from another brand, you should definitely check out the Duster, as a good engine is complemented by good suspension, and the Duster excels in this regard. Additionally, the 1L Duster, I believe, is ideal for those on a tight budget who were considering cars like the Nexon, Sonet. They'll get a large, punchy car with good fuel efficiency that fits within their budget and economy. Or, those who don't want to go for a GD engine, considering the long term, can also consider it. Otherwise, if you're looking to buy a naturally aspirated SUV for ₹13 lakh, go for that.
16:48 You're already on the right track. Naturally aspirated engines are more versatile. They don't vibrate. You won't experience any vibrations in the long term. Reliability is excellent, and the lower-end torque is better. So, those who want a spirited drive, a torquey car, a solid car with a good body, and those who want a turbocharged car should consider the Duster 1.3. However, in my opinion, the 1L Duster 1.5 isn't for customers with Na engines. Rather, it will be more useful for those considering sub-4-meter SUVs. They'll find more space inside and a better experience. So that's all for this video. Be sure to let me know your experience. You can also follow me on Instagram. I post amazing written content and amazing Reels there.
