Parth Gohil

Blinkit at Mumbai airport is a game changer. Delivers after security (domestic departures T2) to all the gates and lounges. Wanted something quickly before my flight today. Got in delivered in 9 mins. Good stuff.

Drove the MG Majestor which is a heavily reworked version of the Gloster. It looks much better now and has proper macho look. Loved the cosmetic enhancements. The interior is also much better now and has a premium feel to it. The seats across the cabin are very comfortable. You get 6-seater and 7-seater configurations and I liked the former. Good option for chauffeur driven people. The third row on the Majestor is actually usable and is decently spacious, but getting in and out is tricky. The feature list is quite long now. Loved the massage seats. JBL 12 speaker system is ok. Safari and 7XO offer better sound quality. New UI is better too but feels laggy at times and I hate the fact that the headlamp knob is done away with and headlamp controls are in the touchscreen now. Why do brands do this? In terms of driving feel it is similar to the Gloster. The 2.0 twin turbo diesel makes 215 PS and 478 Nm. Decent punch on offer but Fortuner’s engine is on another level. Ride quality is better on the Majestor though. Feels very good even though ladder frame characteristics are felt. Did a fair bit of off-roading too and the car performed well. New hardware with off road modes, three locking diffs, CCO mode (which controls the speed), all work well but fundamentally Majestor is a very big car so need to be careful in trails. Long term reliability is where MG falls short. It is very hard to beat Toyota’s reliability and that’s one of the biggest reasons why Innova and Fortuner are unchallenged. In fact, I was also left stranded in North India with the Gloster last year when it gave multiple issues like transmission errors, malfunctioning radiator, water leakage, etc. before eventually breaking down, and guess what, a Crysta was our saviour. Will Majestor affect sales of Fortuner? I doubt. It will coexist and will cater to more people than the Gloster. People who want something different and don’t mind experiment. As a product, it is a facelift done right. Let’s see how they price it.

Screen grab from my Taigun walkaround. The car that you see on the touchscreen is the Skoda Kylaq. Surprising how an auto giant like VW missed this.

Took the Toyota Hilux for a 1000 km road trip recently and what a blast it was. The Hilux has its fair share of shortcomings like the bumpy ride and the size making it quite impractical in the city but I had to do a quick Mumbai Gujarat dash and thought why not take the Hilux. The first 30 mins were full of doubts because the uncomfortable ride on Mumbai roads made me question my decision of taking this pick up truck for my solo trip, but I really started enjoying the drive once I was on the highway. It was 5:30 in the morning and I had weave in and out of constant truck traffic while getting out of Mumbai. The Hilux really came into its own. Despite its size and weight, it is surprisingly quick! In fact, I was able to manage some really good average speeds on the NH8 and the ride wasn’t bothering me much. The sheer size of the Hilux meant people were easily giving way and it was a breeze overtaking other vehicles. I joined the new Mumbai-Vadodara-Delhi expressway just a little after Navsari. While it really helped me cut down my travel time, I couldn’t help but notice but the poor road surface with quite a few unexpected potholes. Reached my destination in Gujarat with just a single 10 min break and thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Drive the Hilux there was a little impractical mainly for parking reasons though. Spent a day and left for Mumbai. The drive back home was enjoyable too with very less traffic. Mumbai Vadodara used to take 5 hours a few years ago but last year when the roads were dug up, it’s taken me 10 hours one way. With the new expressway and the better roads outside of it, I managed to do this in just a little over 5.5 hours. The Hilux is a fun vehicle. You’ll love it and you’ll hate it, but you’ll definitely want it. Wish it got a better audio system and ventilated seats though!

@PTickall If 4x4 is absolutely needed then better to buy mid variants of Scorpio/Roxx

@Parth_Go No Diesel and no 4x4 is a dampener. First you can still work around, but second is a deal breaker.

Loved every bit of the new Renault Duster. Totally worth the long wait. What’s good and what’s not - - Old Duster was known for its driving dynamics. This one takes it a notch ahead. Really sorted driving feel - Suspension little firm at low speeds but eats potholes for breakfast otherwise. No need to slow down anywhere. Pax feel very comfy - Steering offers good feel. Very confidence inspiring. Even the composure at high speeds and while cornering is impressive - Missed a bump and flew over it at 60 km/hr on the ghats. Was pleasantly shocked by the stability. If it was some other car, who knows… - 1.3 Turbo packs enough punch to keep you entertained. DCT masks the turbo lag very well. Engine is noisy but never feels low on power - Driving position is good. Seats are comfy as well - Noticed a lot of blind spots though - Interior is done up very nicely. Very consistent quality throughout and most features covered well - Found the touchscreen to be very good but speakers okayish - Rear seat experience is good. Spacious. No sunblinds though - Fuel efficiency? Around 9-10 when driven hard and around 14-15 when easy on throttle - If you are an enthusiast you will love driving the Duster. One of the best cars in the segment by a mile Verdict - Renault has priced it well and the 1.3 Turbo is the one to buy. Couldn’t drive the 1.0 Turbo. The Duster exceeds most expectations and is a product that will keep you very happy!

@Buyadrink69 Your Kushaq is still new. Enjoy it

@Parth_Go Is it worth exchanging my Skoda kushaq 1.0 ltr MT prestige(1 year old-22k kms driven) ? With duster 1.3 ?

@witty_realist Mentioned the same in my video as well. It’s not cramped, it is spacious but that tunnel hampers legroom for middle pax

@Parth_Go I just saw a video by AutoYogi where he said the rear seat doesn't have generous legroom and isn't wide enough for 3 ppl. He also said the transmission tunnel is quite high.

@click012 Good enough width and leg room. But for 3 people it is tight due to the hump

@Parth_Go Rear seat is spacious. Are you sure. Looks small to the eye

@07KiranKumar Maybe paint the black panel to body colour

@Parth_Go Rear taillight area is an eyesore. What can be done about it ?

@Vince_2311 Impressive lagi

@Parth_Go Hey Parth, kaisi lagi ye gaadi?

Drove the new Renault Duster to my heart’s content. Will be patient and wait for the embargo to lift before sharing my detailed views on this very important product for India. Until then, feel free to ask whatever questions you have and will do my best to answer everything on 21st March.

@7justabhishek It eats potholes

@Parth_Go Does it have lesser leg room than even Baleno? And how well does it handle pot holes? And why so much plastic cladding on the back? Is it poor styling or cost saver in your opinion?

@AwsumAvinash 1.0 TSI is much lower in power and displacement so can’t compare directly. It’s an excellent engine in its own right. 1.3 Turbo is comparable to 1.5 TGDI, 1.5 TSI and 1.5 Hyperion

@Parth_Go Sir eagerly waiting to know is 1.3 turbo dct on Duster better than rivals especially against Kushaq 1.0 8 speed AT

@indus_____jk It should do well

@Parth_Go It looks like a CAR which is not common these days. Great product. Hope it is accepted by the market.

@Lost_citizenn It’s way better than older duster

@Parth_Go How is NVH? Engine, air & road noise inside cabin? It’s normal for European carmaker’s to skip in damping materials to save cost.

@dal14172 1- Boot is spacious 2- Engine is quite noisy but no major vibrations. Power is very good 3- Functional. No unnecessary gizmos

@Parth_Go 1. Boot Space ? 2. Power and Vibrations during acceleration? 3. Are Electronics functional and useful or just fancy toys?

@HeetBafna03 Touchscreen 8/10 and speakers 7/10

@Parth_Go Kindly rate infotainment system out of 10

@findmurali New Creta coming next year!

@Parth_Go Creta vs. Duster vs. Seltos vs. Sierra Now customers are too confused in this segment

@Kalappak I am 6 feet and was comfortable

@Parth_Go Is the driver seat comfortable for a 6'2". The spare wheel is inside. The big wheel will be difficult to remove. Boot space is excellent.

@anishbakshi White

@Parth_Go Which color does it look the best in?

@ShreyasMody Rides better than Kushaq. Handling I would say Kushaq little better

@Parth_Go Only 1 question, does it drive and handle better than Kushaq ?