This car is the first MPV from Renault India. For our readers MPV is an acronym of Multi Purpose Vehicle. Guess, what? We got an opportunity to experience this MPV in the #LiveLodgycal journey in Goa. When you talk about MPV there are very few players in Indian market. Renault has taken a bold move to enter in this market. After their success for the SUV Renault Duster, they are all set with high hopes for this MPV.
We believe that there will be a growth in the numbers of MPV market. There will be a considerable demand in this market. Do you like to travel with your family, friends, acquaintances ? If you like to travel in a group and looking for a car in which 7 people can sit in comfortably, then MPV is right choice for you.
We have seen many people shifting from Hatchback to Sedan and later from Sedan to MPV. The reason is quite obvious. They need their SPACE. Especially in India there are joint families and three generations living in one house.
To go for long drives, for picnic, for adventure with a large group of individuals a hatchback or a sedan won`t serve the purpose. You need a comfortable spacious car. Is Renault Lodgy the answer for your requirements? Well, you can decide it after reading our complete analysis.
Design
Exterior Design
This car was launched internationally in 2012. Surely it is a bit based on the extended version of the Duster. This car is sold as “Dacia” in Europe and not by the brand name Renault. Talking about the design, it is having a monocoque design. For our readers, this type of MPV design is lighter and feel like driving a normal car. The car is 4.498m in length.
All MPVs look somewhat similar because of the huge space. But this car looks good from the front. From side and back it does look a normal MPV. We did felt that the build quality of the Renault Lodgy was better than the Duster. It has a 1.5 L K9K diesel engine and are two variants of the diesel. The 84 BHP and the 109 BHP motor. There is a 6 speed transmission for the 109 BHP variant.
One of the major highlight in the design of this car is its long wheelbase. On the back, it has a unique design of long tail lamps. In the front it has normal headlamps.
There is a regular bulb which is ON in daytime too. So it is always active when the car in ON. We liked the unique design of the chrome grill in the front. Chrome surrounding around the fog lamp too gives a nice look.
We liked the dark purple color which is close to Black color. The car looks premium in this color. The tires look a bit small, a larger size would had suited this car. The alloy wheel design look normal.
There was a scope for innovation for the designers. If we look from side, then you can see the chrome strips on the doors below, which gives a decent look. The MPV has a 174 mm of ground clearance.
There are 4 variants of the car. We drove two of them. The best one is the RxZ variant. In this review we are talking about the RxZ variant. Let us have a look at the interior design.
Interior Design
This is a big car. You can get inside with easiness. Thanks to the high headroom. Lodgy has a tall roof. The interiors are all light colors. It does seem to be spacious when you get in this car. Colors used are brown, piano black and a bit silver on the steering which enhances the front part of the design inside the car. If you have driven Duster, then you can get a feel of the interior design. But yes an uplifted one. More features, better design and does look more spacious.
Front seats are very much comfortable. The seat of the driver is tall and the driver can have a good view of the road. There is height adjustment for the driver`s seat. On the steering the horn pad is huge, it is accessible and more easier for pressing the horn. There is an arm rest for the driver too.
Air conditioner of Lodgy is useful and effective. There is air-conditioning(air vents) for the second and third row too.
There is a 7 inch touchscreen display from LG. Though you will not see any LG logo but a Renault logo. There are Bluetooth, AUX and USB inputs available. There is no SD Card or CD player slot. Most of the people will surely try to connect their smartphones via bluetooth with the system.
You can enjoy music and sound quality is good. We enjoyed a lot of music and the audio performance was satisfiable. The front speakers do seem to have more sound and the rear ones are small in size and product less sound.
Automation is at its best, when you hit the reverse gear. Automatically the reverse camera is activated and you can see the position of the car on the display. There is storage inside too. Just on the dashboard there is a covered storage department. Just near to the gear lever there are cup holders.
Even you can easily keep water bottles in the door pockets. This luxury is provided for the rear passengers. Also there are seatback pockets. There is a 12V charging socket in each of the 3 rows. You can charge your smartphone easily.
On the steering you can see the cruise control buttons. (Note: Only the higher end model has cruise control feature). The driver can manage the audio controls just below the steering. Headlight control is on the left. There is a rev counter which has maximum 7000 rpm mark. There is a cruise control on the right.
There is a speed limiter function in this car. Details like the fuel used for a particular trip, distance left to empty the counter, average speed all are mentioned. We also spotted a headlight level adjuster near the driver. There are seat belt reminder and central lock/unlock button between the two air vents on the dashboard. There is also a satellite navigation system with three years of free map updates in the Lodgy.
The glovebox is small and capable of keeping the owner manual, some important documents, etc. There is a fuse box on the left side of the dashboard. There are sun visors which can be helpful to block the sunlight glare. As mentioned earlier that there are individual air-vents for each passenger. They can shut the air vent if needed that too as per the individual choice. There are two variants, the 7-seater and 8 seater one. So the middle row is as per the arrangement.
The third row is made for 3 kids or 2 adults to fit in. Though kids would enjoy their time in this little space. 2 Adults can just sit in there. There is 207 liters of boot space when the third row is upright. When the third row is folded then the user can enjoy a massive 589 liters of cargo space. The user can remove the third row completely and enjoy the boot space. As you remove the third row you get a massive 759 liters of space to fit in your luggage.
Performance
As mentioned we had got the opportunity to drive the Renault Lodgy. We drove the car in roads in Goa. Overall it was amazing experience with the car. From one location to another 37 km and then back to base. In this journey not only we analyzed the car but tested the complete performance of it.
Note: We are talking about the top end model RxZ
When we start the car, first thing we experienced was the quiet engine. Inside the car you won`t get to know about the sound of the engine. Well if you are standing outside then you can hear the sound. We enjoyed the Lodgy on open roads. The performance on highway was awesome.
0 to 100 kmph speed was achieved in 12 seconds. The 109 BHP variant has 6 speed manual gearbox. Gear shifting was smooth. The car is very silent. You can actually enjoy talking with the other passengers even at high speeds without even noticing about the speed. Average of the Lodgy is 19.98 kmpl as per the ARAI. Brakes when applied work very well. Thanks to the ABS. Braking is safe and smooth.
It has a 50 liters of fuel capacity. So by rough calculations you can go upto 1000 km in one full fuel tank.
User Experience
While driving the Renault Lodgy, the first experience was that it is smooth drive. You cannot listen to the sound of Engine when you close the windows. If you start talking with your friends or family in the car you will be able to listen to them. It was a smooth driving experience altogether.
In our journey there were few pot holes on the road. Well Lodgy responded well and even going through these pot holes, the drive was smooth. Overall smooth handling of the Lodgy. While taking the reverse the parking sensors are activated and with the help of the reverse camera you can see the position of the car in the display.
The legroom in the middle row of seats is fine. Not too spacious, but just does provide the leg to fit in. Surprisingly the middle row seats cannot be moved. So the passengers in the middle row cannot enjoy more leg space when the third row is empty. We liked the headroom in the middle row, it was spacious. The middle seats can be reclined and the passengers can get a very relaxed position. There is also an arm rest with cup holders.
Getting in the third row is easy. You can just fold the left seat of the middle row and you can get in there. It is not ideal for senior citizens. Youngsters and adults can hop in and out comfortably.
Warranty
The manufacturer provides warranty of 2 years or 50,000km. User can extend this warranty if needed.
Final Verdict
This is one of the best MPVs available in the Indian market. The space it provides is immense. The performance of this car is great, no sound as such. We can say that it is a perfect family car as well as a medium to enjoy with your friends for an outing. Price varies from Rs. 8 lakh to 11 lakh. Total 4 variants. We reviewed the top variant. If you are buying an MPV then test drive this car, you would enjoy it!
