Team-BHP - Renault Lodgy : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 3735119)

Another Innova killer underwhelmed by our market?

Its been on sale for what, 2 months now - I saw exactly 1 in this whole time. Private registration. Seems like cabbies are staying away for now. Makes me wonder, what will it take to dethrone the Innova in the commercial space.

agree: with you completely. I have seen very few of them till now on the road. A better third row seat (a la Innova or Xylo) and a rear wheel drive could have been sure shot attractions for the cabbies.

I think it will take only the all new Innova to dethrone the current generation Innova.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 3735119)

Innova has a few things/ perceptions going in it's favour at the moment

1) Space
2) Comfortable
3) Cheap to maintain
4) Reliable workhorse
5) Good aesthetics (doesn't displease anyone)
6) Excellent resale value

A relative has a Duster (110 PS). He said his service bills were on an average above 10K. In comparison the Innova owned by his brother costs max 2.5K per service. Though the K9K engine is a gem and abuse friendly (ask the cabbies in Bangalore) Renault service bills are high.

Over a period of time, I believe we will see more Lodgy cabs on the road. I feel the pinch however, will be felt more by Ertiga than Innova. Dethroning Innova is not that easy, until Toyota takes the price to a higher stratosphere.

Thanks for a great and detailed review. What i like about the reviews here that they are very much detail oriented and unbiased. A very well crafted reviews with nice pictures.

Lodgy looks nice and promising, finally something after Innova to look for. Hoping to see this frequently on road, would try and get a TD soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinjosep (Post 3735288)

...A relative has a Duster (110 PS). He said his service bills were on an average above 10K. In comparison the Innova owned by his brother costs max 2.5K per service. Though the K9K engine is a gem and abuse friendly (ask the cabbies in Bangalore) Renault service bills are high.

10K average !! Then that must be one seriously abused Duster, or it's a foul play by the service centre :) We've both 85 and 110 at home, and never have our bills shot above 5.5 k.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 3735119)

I agree, Cabbies are staying away and here is why I think they are doing so-

My offices hires a bunch of Innova;s toferry us to and from office ,The amount per trip paid depends on the car, like a Indica and other Hatch Backs have a different pricing and so does Tavera. For now the highest or most expensive ride is the Innova. Consider a scenario wherein a Cabbie with a lodgy trying to convince the transport company to pay him on par with Innova.

Also goes the same for people hiring an Innova for a intercity trip agreeing to pay the same for a Lodgy.

It will take sometime for the Lodgy to be accepted for commercial use, which again will depend on Public acceptance that Lodgy is on Par with Innova and Spare and Service cost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motorpsycho (Post 3736594)

The thing is, fare doesn't need to be at par with Innova. It is much cheaper than the Innova, upfront cost/EMI will be lesser. Cabbies can earn good profits even if the fare is less than that of Innova.

My guess the reliability aspect might be keeping them away - which is yet to be proven for Lodgy.

Got to see / drive the Lodgy 110 and i was mighty impressed. If everything goes good you guys might just get an ownership review soon.

Loved
Drivability
Ride Comfort
Engine Response
Ingress/Exit
Cabin Insulation

Assumptions
Majority mechanicals shared with Duster and hence should be trouble free
Engine shared across lots of models and hence should be trouble free

Hated
Design
Design
Design
Everything from the exterior, layout of switches, steering wheel, lights, ..... every damn thing has been designed against my personal liking.

The reason why cabbies are staying away is that Lodgy has a 7 seat option only on the top end. Majority of cabbie drivers take the 7 seat option and later convert it to 8 for the purpose of saving tax. I personally know atleast 3 innova cabs who have done this. The fact that Lodgy does not give them this option is affecting they cabbie sales. Probably Renault did this to not let the taxi branding get onto the Lodgy brand right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemithomas (Post 3742450)

Hi,

I took a TD of the Lodgy and it was as you say, however the rear seat space is only comparable to the Figo I drive and it has no sliding option also!

The position of the seat doesn't look like it can be modified because it rests on a ledge.

The quality of the Duster in the Renault Showroom has better quality of interior trims as compared to the stiff plastics in the Lodgy. A 14 Lakh car surely deserves better interiors!

Suggest you hold your purchase for the end of the July as the releases from Hyundai and Maruti will bring about price cuts in the Lodgy.

I test drove this car today. The review perfectly sums up my experience. Below are few things I would like to add:

- I really really wanted a 2nd row captain seats. Apparently this is not available in the top end version of 85 BHP. I do mainly city driving and buying 110 BHP for just the 7 seater version doesn't make sense.

- I liked the fact that you can completely remove the 3rd row. Very useful feature during the airport runs.

(The above two reasons were why I considered this car better than the Ertiga and Mobilio. I am really sad that captain seats are out of the equation).

- I haven't seen the Ertiga and Mobilio yet, but getting in and out of the 3rd row seems to be the easiest in this car.

- I didn't like the power delivery of the car. I drive a Figo everyday, and felt that driving the Logdy won't be as 'fun' as Figo.

- The height adjuster lever is an eye sore, yes. However, the review says you need to get down to adjust the height. I didn't face this problem. While seated, I was able to take the support of the arm rest and rise myself while pressing the lever.

This car is not out of contention yet. I'll request a second TD with my family and then make a final call. I am planning to buy a car during the Dussera/Diwali time. Hopefully there should be a discount during that time. And, few ownership threads here...

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemithomas (Post 3751027)

Wanted to seat more than 5

Could not wait for Creta

Never loved in a Maruti

Attachment 1390949

That is one ownership experience I will eagerly waiting for. I seem to be following you from Figo to Lodgy. Leaning towards Lodgy as I too need 5 + seats.

I did TD Lodgy and really love every bit of it. I was looking for a comfortable 5 seater and occasional 7 seater. I will be buying the car under company lease which doesnt allow 8 seaters to be brought under this scheme.
The most irritating part with Lodgy is , its 7 seaters are offered only with Captain seats which makes me rule out the 5 seater with large cargo option.
The real fact is, Lodgy 8 seater is truly a 7 seater and 7 seater is a true six seater.
With my family not liking Mobilio(really noisy!!)/Ertiga(impractical cargo), I am just settling for a comfortable Sedan/Compact SUV. Sigh!!!!