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-   -   The Renault Lodgy (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/127101-renault-lodgy-14.html)

Trust me !! It is still no battle for Innova. Innova will still sell at the same numbers. Lodgy is a segment below innova, size wise. On paper, Lodgy might out-edge the Innova, but three months down the line, you would clearly see that Innova sales are not dented. Mobilio, Enjoy and Evalia are the ones to be affected.

Since this is bigger than Mobilio and smaller than Innova, I am pretty sure, Renault would too join the bandwagon and say, Lodgy is a new segment viz semi compact or some other catchy word and should not be compared to Innova / Ertiga / Mobilio.

A look at a lesser variant - less chrome, body-coloured door handles & wheel caps. Thanks to Nischal Kodali for sharing!

Friends i went and saw the lodgy in the renault showroom at anna salai chennai.

Here are my initial impressions:

1. Finishing is above mobilio but below ertiga. I would say on par with ford fiesta classic or scala
2. Size wise similar to innova, but as the middle row does not slide, some level of spaciousness in the middle row is reduced. And It surely gets bad if there is a tall driver in the front.
3. GC is a little more than my sunny. The 170 in the spec sheet is conservative and is indicative of the lowest point. Its not the average. I dont think its a deal breaker
4. Rear seats are good for 2 adults only (city driving) or kids for highway. Acesss is easy
5. Captain seats are not of the innova class, but are about 90% there
6. Power to weight is very good. Same class as verna/vento
7. Dealer did not disclose the price,although he did say that the positioning is a size alternative to the innova at the price of mobilio
8. Very much car like and any criticisms like"mini lorry" etc dont fit the bill. In fact my 67 year old dad who didnt want me to get an muv because he feared he couldnt drive it, was in fact quite ready to accept this car
9 the car display is made by lg. although its not anything very staggering, an anology to a phone puts it more like a lower middle Samsung class , it gets the job done
10. only top spec variant to be launched initially in 85 and 110 ps variant
11. Booking at 50 k
12. Only car in my life to get O.K. From wife and dad in visit no.1

Other minor points:

1. Worries about the boxiness can lower. This is not a bus, ambulance or mail van. Its as presentable so called tall boy cars. After all it is a proper muv

2. Spec sheet is attached so u can take a look at the goodies on offer

If the rear glass area had been a little more as in above pic, I felt it would have reduced the boxiness of the back a bit. Even better if the bumper lip could go up a bit and a horizontal crease could be added in the area below the glass.
When is the TBHP review coming?

Checked out the Renault Lodgy yesterday at the showroom and also a test drive. Here are few observations:

1. Space and seating comfort: Loads of space. Front and middle row are
comfortable. Third row has the best shoulder room if compared to Ertiga and Mobilio. Can't say about Innova because never sat in it. The third low can easily accommodate 1 adult and 2 kids. Under thigh support is non existent in third row and tad less in second.

2. Looks: Looks okay from front. Rear looks bland and side profile is just about

3. Doors: Gave a solid feel. Decent amount of storage in door pockets.

4. Mobile charger in third row. I like that.

5. Second and third row have separate AC. No its not a blower. The only small thing was the third row passengers don't get their own fan speed control. Need to request the second seat passengers to adjust the speed.

6. AC is a chiller. During the test drive it was burning hot outside but inside it was really cool. AC cools such a big cabin fast that too without sunfilms. A big thumbs up.

8. We got to do a fairly long test drive on good roads and some part on non-existent roads. The test drive vehicle was a 110PS. The pickup and smoothness of engine is all well known. The vehicle just takes off. We are 4 adults and two kids in the vehicle. The ride quality is supreme as is for most Renault vehicles. I found the ride quality better tuned than Duster. Also, there was hardly any engine noise inside.

9. Audio system sound quality is just about average, nothing great. Speakers would need an upgrade if you are an music enthusiast.

10. Steering mounted controls for audio, and cruise control work well. Althouth not too great ergonomically.

11. Happy to see that the side view mirror control move to a more usable location.

12. Rear view mirror is tiny. I mean really tiny.

13. Plastic quality is average. But since none in our family keep touching the plastic when we drive or are sitting, doesn't matter much. Its acceptable :D

14. Braking is something which is absolutely confidence inspiring. With ABS, EBD and brake assist you wouldn't fret in an emergency situation.

The on-road pricing in Bangalore for 85PS top end would be around 13.5 as told by SE. Did we book one? Yes we did. It is miles ahead in comfort and ride quality than Ertiga. The other option that we were looking at.

13.5 for the 85 top end!

So we will be looking at a 14.75, almost 15 on-road for the full options 110 ps.

(Judging by the price difference between duster variants)

To be fair, prices are not yet out. But my bets are that it will be priced on par with mobilio

Cause if they were smart,

1. They would not price much lower than the duster, so that the sales are not cannibalised. Now don't get angry, i know they are different cars, but there are those buyers that can change their mind in a showroom on the basis of price.
2. Lodgy will be more expensive than ERTIGA, but at the same time, the opportunity to show mobilio as a car of poor value must be irresistible to renault.
3. Lodgy cant be priced on par with XUV 500 or Innova either because then its a self goal for Renault and gives Mahindra and Toyota a breather for their pricing

If this happens, it will be a riot at the booking counters. All the Ertiga/Mobilio leaning crowd will move over to this machine.

Renault is expected to launch the Lodgy in India on April 9, 2014.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

This article has a good comparison between Lodgy & Innova.

http://overdrive.in/reviews/comparis...toyota-innova/

Appears finally Innova has got a competition.

As far as my impressions go.. The Lodgy does everything the Innova can do. However there are a few areas the innova has a clear advantage

1. Toyotas rock solid Reputation
2. Demand from the the Taxi market will keep your Innova in good stead as far as resale goes. I know the logan and K9K also have a reputation. But D4D is the goliath here.
2. Being a ladder frame, i think Innova can take a greater beating than the lodgy can.
3. Innova has a superior Middle Row. Its a 5 star glaring in your face comparison point against the lodgy.

Now this is really something looks like Renault has worked on. The Duster AC at best is average. So whats the difference here?

Duster's rear AC is a mere blower (no cooling element inside) with a fan inside. That's why it is not roof mounted; rather, it's tower between the front seats.

Lodgy has a separate cooling coil inside the roof mounted AC that takes in air from the front and cools it again for the rear passengers.



Note the two vents (at the top) in the front that sucks in air for the cooling coil to cool.

It's the same set up as the ones found in the Ertiga, Mobilio and Enjoy. So what's the difference? In the Duster, you will get just air from the tower that was sucked in from the front region. But the problem is, by the time cold air is out of the front vents on the dashboard (like on a hot sunny day), the air is warm again and by the time it reaches the back through the tower, you get a fresh blast (depending on fan speed on the tower) of warmer air than what the front vents output. In other words, if you're a rear passenger, you don't get to enjoy the same cooling as the people at the front.

In the Lodgy and other MPVs I've mentioned, this warm air is sucked in and again cooled by a cooling coil in the overhead unit and now, second and third row passengers enjoy the same cool blast like the driver and co-passenger.

I thought the Sunny had a mere blower while Duster had cooling as well for the rear. Are you sure on this?

Edit: Our official review says so as well -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2847116