Oooh the way it’s tagged ‘Scandalously Affordable’..u must have guessed! Yes it’s the new Renault Duster! Renault Duster moves in a pride after winning the Best SUV of year 2012 award. Duster has contributed much to the success of the brand in India and has incorporated some modifications to suit to Indian flavour in 2012 and… you know, it won applauds! Launched in July 2012, it is still less than a yr old but by May 2013 it already had crossed above the sales of Mahindra Scorpio and is continuing to lead the race.
It also poses threat to its upcoming peers like Ford EcoSport, hmm that’s natural, survival of the fittest rule is applicable everywhere. With the petrol RxE 1.6 K4M engine it gives 1598cc of displacement, the engine is 4-cylinder inline providing 104 PS@5850 rpm max power and 145 Nm @3750 rpm max torque. The dimensions of the car are 4315mm x 1822mm x 1695mm with wheelbase of 2673mm. With ground clearance of 205 mm the car is super comfortable at speed brakers! The fuel tank capacity is huge 50l and min turning radius of 5.2 m. The brakes are very powerful because of the hydraudlically operated diagonal split dual circuit braking; the front brakes are ventilated disc type and rear are drum type.
The steering is hydraulic powered with tilt steering option giving a smooth steering experience. And the interiors have black upholstery and with the keyless entry things have become highly technological. The car is hugely spacious and with the foldable rear seats there is bulk space for luggage. The diesel version gives mileage of 20.45 kpl. A number of accessories starting from the carpet mats, seat cover, jump seat, etc. always keep you excited about travelling in this wonderful creation! And when you get all this at Rs. 8.02 lacs it is indeed scandalously affordable!! Renault which was not-so-popular in India has suddenly achieved super-duper response thanks to Duster and Scala. Coming to Renault Scala, available in both petrol and diesel engine 1.5l dCi, the XH2 version gives 1498 cc and the engine outputs 99 PS@6000 rpm and provides Torque of 134Nm@4000rpm.
The steering is powered electrically and min turning radius of the car is 5.3m. The boot space is much lesser than Duster, just 161mm being a sedan class car whereas Duster belongs to the SUV category. It offers 490l of boot space ad min turning radius 5.3m. The diesel version gives mileage of 21.64 kpl. Price of Scala starts from Rs. 7.23 lacs, the latest version launched in india during april-may Rs.9,78,500. With Skoda Rapid, Hyundai Verna, vento being tough competitors, with features comparable to Nissan sunny, Scala manages to give stiff competition to these already market established cars.
Renault gives it’s customers a wonderful customer assistance and provides warranty of 2yrs/50,000 kms covering all mechanical and electrical failures or any detect related to material, workmanship or manufacturing fault. This is the reason that a Renault customer always remains a Renault customer lifelong!
