[ryanMathew]

Originally Posted by ryanMathew

I could go on and on about all the reasons that led to the death of a great car, but to face facts, the biggest reason for its downfall was, plainly put, its lack of features and its unattractive looks.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention: I bought it .

And never have I regretted it in the last 10 years. The Lodgy has its faults, definitely, but it's still one hell of a car.

[GeeTee TSI]

The Lodgy would be my taxi and rental vehicle of choice, if only they were chosen by fleet owners. Being unexciting to drive is hardly a shortcoming for this use case (a safety plus in fact)

Senior citizens hate the Innova's ingress height but have to contend with such MUVs at large.

[ryanMathew]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

The Lodgy would be my taxi and rental vehicle of choice, if only they were chosen by fleet owners. Being unexciting to drive is hardly a shortcoming for this use case (a safety plus in fact)

Unexciting?!! I think you have been misinformed quite badly . The Lodgy in the 110 PS guise, was the most engaging car to drive in its segment back then. And I'll argue that it still holds that win even today, for I have not encountered any MUV that has given me that adrenaline rush that the Lodgy does just from looking at the speedometer jumping ahead and feeling that torque rush push me back into my seat!! Even the new Hycross felt unrefined and jerky to me. Though I will, grant that it was the non-hybrid version.

Also, fleet owners back in the day used to prefer getting a seven seater with the captain seats and putting an extra seat in the middle later. Renault purposefully made the 7 seater available only on the top-end to escape that 'taxi' image that the Innova had gotten.

[GeeTee TSI]

Originally Posted by ryanMathew

The Lodgy in the 110 PS guise, was the most engaging car to drive in its segment back then.

I seem to have touched a raw nerve here but my reference was to fleet owners who usually prefer lower engine variants.

[DustyWanderer]

Originally Posted by carhead

When the Lodgy came with a bang 10 years ago, it was hailed for better ride, mileage & wheelbase compared to Innova.

In hindsight what went wrong?

I believe the Renault Lodgy didn't succeed in India primarily because it had more of a van like appearance rather than an SUV stance, lacking the bold and imposing design that typically appeals to Indian buyers.

The second row didn't slide to offer extra space, and it missed out on key features like Android auto and Apple car play. Its safety ratings were poor, the rear design felt uninspired, and with all three rows in use, the boot space was significantly less than that of Ertiga.

Additionally, the extensive use of rough plastics throughout the cabin added to the overall lackluster appeal.

[PrasannaDhana]

Lodgy looked ugly (to me) and it was too optimistically priced. Anyone who was interested in it, without the absolute need for a 7 seater went ahead and got the duster as they both were very close in pricing.

That said, it had an amazing ride quality and that 1.5 diesel was a workhorse.

[Raghav07]

Originally Posted by carhead

When the Lodgy came with a bang 10 years ago, it was hailed for better ride, mileage & wheelbase compared to Innova.

In hindsight what went wrong?

Honestly a good question.
We owned a 2015 Lodgy RXL for 7 years till 2022, and it had run 93xxx km with great mileage but the reason we sold it was.
-No safety.
-Despite replacing battery, engine not running smoothly
-A minor accident in early 2022 damaged the rear, though repaired.

Had Renault updated it more, maybe offerered a petrol engine, or atleast a diesel automatic with more safety etc, it could have sold really well.