Renault first tasted success in India with the Duster. This popular
SUV is the sole pillar in the company’s product portfolio on which
Renault’s fortunes in India rest. Now, after three years, the French
company has come up with its next important model — the Lodgy — which
promises to strengthen Renault’s Indian portfolio significantly. The
Lodgy might be Renault’s first MPV for India, but the French automaker
is no stranger to people movers. In fact, 30 years ago, it invented
the segment with the Espace. But here in India, this sector is already
flocked by popular brands like Maruti and Honda. So do the MPV
innovators have a trick up their sleeve?
DESIGN AND STYLING
Renault has been quite safe when it comes to the styling of their
cars, at least in India. Notice the entire lineup offered here and you
would realise that there’s nothing exciting in their design language,
it’s neutral. Same is the case with the Lodgy. No, it doesn’t mean
that it looks bad, the styling is conventional yet contemporary and
there are certain bits that make it look cool. The front looks
pleasant with a detailed grille having a good dose of chrome and a big
Renault badge sitting proudly. The headlamps are sizeable that makes
the car look big at the front and it gets day time running lights that
are not LEDs. The lower half of the bumper is done in black,
integrating foglamps and some chrome accents as well.
The Lodgy is 4498 mm long and has the longest wheelbase in its class
measuring 2810 mm, longer than the Innova’s 2750 mm. This is quite
evident in the side profile with short overhangs. It also looks quite
tall with a huge glass area. There are no violent creases running
across the body and the design is kept simple and neat. The door
mouldings on the lower half of the body get highlighted in chrome
while the 15-inch 5-spoke alloys don’t look much exciting. Despite
having uniquely shaped tail lights and chrome embellishments, the
Lodgy tends to look plain at the rear. The tailgate needs some muscle
for better presence. The thick chrome strip having LODGY etched on it
is a good touch but the keyhole above it looks out of place and ugly.
The overall design looks appealing to all and offending none with
balanced proportions ideal for an MPV. Renault will also offer 47
categories of accessories with 4 accessory packs including chrome
pack, essential pack, sport pack and techno pack to enhance the
exterior appeal.
CABIN
Once you step inside, it comes across as familiar territory. The dash
has many borrowings from Duster including the AC vents, centre
console, switches, gear knob and the steering wheel, which is leather
wrapped. The two tone – light brown and beige colour scheme provides a
classy and airy feel. The piano black centre console looks quite
premium and it houses the Media-Nav, which is a multimedia touchscreen
device with navigation and a reverse camera, though viewing it in
bright sunlight is an issue.
The car we drove was a seven-seater, which had captain seats in the
second row. The top end variant of this one gets leather seats. There
are armrests for the driver and second row passengers. The second row
passengers also have access to a foldable tray with a cup/glass
holder, which is a good utility feature. The Lodgy would also be
offered with a eight-seater option, however with fabric seats. The car
has good storage space for water bottles and knick-knacks, two 12v
sockets and roof mounted rear AC vents for the second as well as third
row.
The highlight of the Lodgy is space. I was particularly surprised with
the third row seats that can seat two adults or three kids with ease
and comfort. The best part is that the second and third row seats can
double fold, providing multiple luggage carrying options. While
stepping in, the first thing noticed was that the ingress and egress
is a breeze! Getting in and out of the car is easy and very helpful,
especially for the elderly. That applies for the front as well as
rear. Also the boot sill is low enough to allow easy luggage loading /
unloading.
The Lodgy feels easy to drive, more like a sedan than an MPV. It was
easy to find a suitable driving position with the steering and seat
height adjustments. Another highlight of the Lodgy is the ride
quality, which is easily the best among MPVs and trumps many sedans in
this department. Broken roads and deep potholes pose no irritation to
the passengers as the Lodgy literally glides over them.
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION
Just like in the Duster, the Lodgy is also offered with the same
powertrain and in the same state of tunes. So, like the Duster, the
Lodgy too will be offered with the same, reliable K9K diesel engine in
two power and torque ratings. The 1.5-litre dCi engine will be
available with a peak power of 85PS or 110PS. There are expected to be
three trim variants with both the engine rating options.
We only had the 110PS being offered to us for the test drive. The
engine is familiar and its torquey performance straight away feels
like the right match for the Lodgy. Both in city traffic and highway
speeds, there is more than enough juice from the engine to make use
- There is a bit of lag, but once the needle passes the
1,400-1500rpm level, dollops of torque kick in. We are not sure, how
responsive the engine would feel in its 85PS avatar, especially if the
Lodgy would be fully loaded with people and luggage.
The best part about the powertrain in the Lodgy is the excellent NVH
packaging that the engineers at Renault have done. The cabin is
absolutely quiet all the way to a high 3,500rpm. The engine redline
seems to have been set at about 5,000 rpm. Renault claims that
together with the 6-speed manual gearbox, the engine is capable of
delivering 21.04kmpl and 19.98kmpl of mileage in the two – 85PS and
110PS – variants.
RIDE AND HANDLING
When seated inside, the first thing that strikes you is the Renault
Lodgy’s seating position. It is exactly the same as the Duster which
gives you a commanding view of the road ahead. But, because the dash
design as well as the windshield angle is different, the visibility
offered by the Lodgy is better. It’s also not too heavy to drive. The
clutch still needs some effort and the steering isn’t as light as on
the Maruti or the Honda. But, it won’t leave you with aching arms or
limbs even after long hours of commute. Ride, as with the Duster, is
sorted on most surfaces. It’s slightly firm. This helps over poor
roads and undulations, giving the Lodgy a composed, big car like
pliancy.
It’s the same story when driven fast in a straight line. There’s
hardly any lift, weave or nervousness no matter how hard you push it.
Handling wise, sure, it’s no hatchback. However, around long, fast
corners it tracks with confidence. The steering has reasonably good
feedback and unless one chucks the Lodgy hard into corners, the extra
length doesn’t make its presence felt either. We also found the cabin
to be well insulated. So there isn’t a lot of noise seeping in,
especially from the engine. Overall, this should make for a fine long
distance companion
SAFETY
The Renault Lodgy has got only three star safety rating from Euro
NCAP and that too for the international model having 6 airbags as
standard. Renault will be offering the Lodgy in India with only dual
front airbags, which is a big letdown. It will also get ABS, EBD with
brake assist. Apart from cruise control, the MPV will come with a
speed limiter as well. Renault currently has a network presence of
more than 157 facilities across India. In order to get volumes and
provide better after sales service, the French automaker needs to ramp
up their presence, which they say they are doing through the year and
claim it to be the fastest ramp-up by an automaker in India
BOTTOMLINE
The Renault Lodgy is a great attempt in making an attractive looking
compact MPV. The interior quality is impressive and acceptable. In
terms of comfort, it scores more than others in the competition. The
amazing storage and boot space makes it a practical solution for a
family. It has the underpinnings of Duster, which has already made its
mark in the compact SUV segment. Both the diesel engines are highly
promising and efficient. It gets dual airbags, ABS, EBD with brake
assist and rear parking camera with sensors.