Buy Maruti Victoris Now, Or Wait For Renault Duster: Closer Look At Both SUVs
The mid-size SUV game in India is getting interesting with the introduction of more models. The latest entrant into this segment is from India’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki. They launched their SUV Victoris, which offers several premium features that no other Maruti has offered till date. As mentioned above, the segment is heating up, and new launches are lined up in the coming months too. Another launch in this segment is going to be the much-awaited Renault Duster. So, if you are in the market for a mid-size SUV, should you buy the Maruti Victoris or wait for the Renault Duster? Let’s discuss.
Exterior
We’ll start with Maruti, as it is already available in the market. The Victoris is probably the most European-looking Maruti currently on sale. The design looks sleek and gives the car a premium SUV-like appearance. While we feel that the car looks good from the front and the side, the rear design of the Victoris with sleek LED tail lamps is slightly polarising.
Coming to the Duster, Renault has already launched the SUV internationally, and we assume the Indian version is also going to look the same. The SUV gets a butch SUV-like stance with muscular character lines on the bonnet and bumper. There is a muscular-looking front grille with sleek LED headlamps, alloy wheels, and even the rear of the SUV maintains the muscular character, giving it a proper SUV-like look.
Dimensions
The Maruti Suzuki Victoris is 4,360 mm long, 1,795 mm wide, and 1,655 mm tall. The SUV has a 2,600 mm wheelbase and offers a ground clearance of 210 mm. On the other hand, the Renault Duster is 4,365 mm long, 2,069 mm wide, and 1,650 mm tall. The wheelbase is 2,658 mm, while the ground clearance is 212 mm.
The Renault Duster is slightly bigger in size, and we assume that the same would reflect in the cabin space as well.
Interior
Maruti has opted for a new design language for the interiors of the Victoris. It looks premium on the inside with a large 10-inch touchscreen, leatherette seats, automatic climate control, panoramic sunroof, and more. The layered dashboard design also has soft-touch elements in the higher variants.
The Duster, on the other hand, is likely to get a very sharp-looking interior with tri-arrow design elements for the AC vents, a driver-oriented center console, and physical buttons for AC and other functions. When compared to the Victoris, it looks like Renault might offer hard plastic or textured elements on the dashboard rather than leatherette. It is also possible that the seats in the Duster might be fabric.
Features
In terms of features, the Victoris is the most advanced Maruti to date. It is the first SUV in the Maruti lineup to get Level 2 ADAS. It also comes with features like a HUD, 360-degree camera, 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless phone charger, seat ventilation, electrically adjustable seats, panoramic sunroof, and six airbags as standard, along with several other safety features including ABS, parking sensors, and more.
In the Duster, we expect features like a touchscreen infotainment system, fully digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof, Level 2 ADAS, 360-degree camera, ambient lighting, automatic climate control, and many more features available in other cars from this segment.
Engine
The Maruti Victoris is offered with two petrol engine options. There is a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine, which is available with both manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions. This engine also gets the AWD feature with the automatic variant. Next is the 1.5-litre strong-hybrid engine option, which comes paired with an eCVT gearbox as standard.
In the Renault Duster, we currently have no confirmation about the engine options. However, it is rumored that the SUV will be offered with a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine. There are also reports that Renault might introduce strong-hybrid versions in the market.