The Indian auto market is witnessing a gruesome turf war between Renault Duster, Mahindra Quanto and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. All the three utility vehicles were introduced to the domestic audience only last year and have registered impressive sales in the country. Although Duster and Quanto are compact Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), they both compete against the likes of Ertiga Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV), in terms of price.
Renault India Private Limited (RIPL), a completely owned subsidiary of French multinational automotive major Renault SA, introduced its Duster compact SUV in the domestic car market somewhere in July 2012. The Duster instantly made a huge impact and wrapped up some extremely impressive sales, upon its launch in the country. Laced with enticing looks, the stylish little beast stormed right through the hearts of Indian car enthusiasts. The best thing about Duster is that even though its a compact SUV, in terms of stylish exteriors and road presence, it can take on other SUVs with an utmost ease.
The under-the-hood specifications of Renault Duster are equally impressive as its exterior build. The Duster petrol model incorporates a 1,598 cc, 1.6 litre, DOHC powertrain that belts out a maximum power output of 100.5 bhp at 5850 rpm along with a peak torque of 145 Nm at 3750 rpm. The two diesel variants of Duster come assimilated with the much popular 1.5 litre, SOHC Renault K9K dCi motor, which rolls out peak output power of 84 bhp and 108.5 bhp.
The immense success of Renault Duster led Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Limited, the country's leading utility vehicle maker, to accelerate its plants of launching Quanto in the domestic market. Popular as Mahindra's smallest SUV in its portfolio, the seven-seater compact SUV Quanto broke records in both number of advanced bookings and sales in the country.
In terms of exterior appearance, Mahindra Quanto derives design and style cues from Xylo MPV and looks like its smaller version. The interior setting is decent and the compact SUV has a third row seating as well. Coming to the engine specifications, Mahindra Quanto comes fitted with a 1.5 litre, 1,493 cc, Common Rail, BS IV compliant, mCR100 motor, which churns out a peak power output of 100 bhp at 3,750 rpm, along with a maximum torque of 240 Nm at 1600 to 2800 rpm.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the country's largest passenger car maker, earned some rave reviews in the automobile industry when it introduced its Ertiga MPV in April 2012. The Ertiga hit perfect chords with Indian audience and became the company's first volume puller in the utility vehicle segment after a long time.
In the similar lines of Renault Duster, Maruti Suzuki offers its Ertiga MPV in both petrol and diesel guises as well. The petrol Ertiga incorporates a 1.4 litre engine under its hood that rolls out a peak power output of 93.7 bhp, whereas its diesel model comes fitted with a 1.3 litre motor that belts out 88.8 bhp power.
At present, Renault Duster is offered to domestic consumers between a price range of Rs. 7.7 lakhs and Rs. 12 lakhs, whereas Mahindra Quanto comes in a price bracket of Rs. 6.10 to Rs. 7.6 lakhs. Further, Maruti Suzuki retails Ertiga MPV at a base price tag of Rs. 6 lakhs that goes on till Rs. 8.7 lakhs in the Indian passenger car market. Evidently, the Renault Duster is pricier of the lot and easily outscores competition in terms of engine performance and stylish quotient. Ertiga's plus point is its quality interiors as compared to Duster and Quanto. Accordingly, domestic car enthusiasts who aspire to own an off-road ready vehicle will definitely opt for Duster and Quanto, whereas those looking for a family vehicle will go for Maruti Suzuki Ertiga.
