Renault Duster long term review fifth report

I don’t enjoy driving in Mumbai. Our gridlocked roads and lack of parking spaces make driving a chore. I prefer the freedom of a motorcycle, which allows me to squeeze past traffic as well as park just about anywhere. But come Mumbai monsoon, it was time to give up the simple pleasures of a motorcycle for the practicality of a car. And the one car in our long-term fleet I had my eyes on was the Duster. It’s a diesel, and with the roads being rapidly replaced by potholes, I wouldn’t have to gingerly crawl around in first gear to protect my weak lumbar vertebrae.

The Duster had just come back from a service and was running as good as ever, except for a few battle scars picked up over the almost-two years it’s been with us. The very next day, we had a shoot in Pune and I topped up the car before the trip. Though this is no hotrod, the strong 108.5bhp diesel motor under the hood covers distances at a decent clip. But the thing that stands out about the Duster is its ride. The suspension soaks up all but the worst of road surfaces. So at places where you have to lift off the throttle in other cars, in the Duster you keep your foot planted down and let the suspension work it out. And after a long day of shooting at Pune, as I was parking the car for the night, I glanced at the fuel gauge and got a shock. It was still full. Not even one bar down!