Renault Duster AMT

One of the best AMTs in the market

THE DUSTER HAS COME back from the Chikmagalur rally, where it was used as a recce car by Byram and then by me to go around and watch the stages. The roads were not great and there was plenty of running around we had to do at decent speeds to catch the stages. I was expecting battle scars in the way of rattles and squeaks picked up over the weekend, but in the three weeks that I used the car after the trip, there was nothing to show of the hammering it has taken. That’s a very strong testament to the build quality of the Duster as well as the suspension’s ability to absorb all that our roads can throw at it.

The day after we returned from the rally, I had to make a run to Mumbai and I topped up the car before leaving Pune. The 50-litre fuel tank coupled with the 16kmpl I managed to squeeze out (including driving in some heavy traffic) gave me a real world range of over 700km on a tankful of diesel! And though it’s no hotrod, the 1.5-litre turbo diesel under the hood covers distances at a

Tvery decent clip. The thing that stands out most about the Duster is its incredible ride quality. The suspension soaks up all but the worst surfaces which is great, especially after a long tiring day when you just want to get home. At most places where you would have to lift off in other cars to make sure you go over at a lower speed, in the Duster you keep your foot planted and let the suspension work it out. As I have had more time and miles with the Duster, I have really come to appreciate its practicality. But it has a few flaws – like despite being majorly updated on this facelift version, the interiors are still not what you would call luxurious, though they are practical and everything works well. There are enough storage places for knick-knacks. The stalk-mounted audio controls may be quirky, but you get used to it. The air-con keeps passengers happy most of the time, but can take its time to cool the cabin down on a hot day.

While there is a lot going for the Duster, my biggest grouse (which was an issue on our previous AWD Duster as well) is the driver’s seat does not stop rocking back and forth! Driving in stop-go traffic is painful business when you are constantly braking and accelerating. Another issue which has been worked on heavily but isn’t sorted out completely is while cornering hard, there is kickback from the steering, which is a bit disconcerting. But these issues aside and given the car’s all-round ability, I would choose to live with it any day and that’s why I’ve been most upset since the Ed asked me to return the car.

Now that the Duster AMT has gone back, I’m finding it hard to pick a car to replace it. The Duster made my commute in traffic and my regular trips out of town a bit more enjoyable. By the time you read this, I’m going to have tried to convince the Ed to call for the facelifted AWD version. Let’s hope my reasoning is convincing enough.