[AMDB9]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[veyron_head]

Thanks for the comprehensive review!! There is finally a worthy competitor to break Innova's monopoly. The lodgy seems to match up to Innova and even excel in a few parameters, at a significantly lower price.

I read somewhere in the forum that the top end Innova touches 19 Lacs in Bangalore. All for a car that Toyota hasn't bothered to do any major upgrade in the last 10 years. The used car market for innova is even worse. Used Innovas are exorbitantly priced, merely because there is no other alternate option.

I hope Lodgy brings in some sanity in the MPV market.

[Bigzero]

I did manage to get to the nearest Renault showroom and have a look - they had kept the Lodgy covered in a red satin cloth with balloons all around.. and Dusters were on display as usual. Told the sales guy who came forward that I came to have a look at the Lodgy.

"Oh yes, thats the one under that cover," he said - "We are launching it today!"

"Oh should I wait for the launch then? and when is that happening?"

"Not sure about that! Anyway don't bother about that, I will show you!" he said cheerfully, and promptly went on to lift the cover from the passenger door side and let us in - soon we were walking around the car , lifting the red cloth at the appropriate places, and getting in and out quickly ... couldn't help feeling a bit voyeuristic :-D

It suddenly dawned on him that another one was parked in the yard outside, and he soon led us there. Things were better from then on!

A few quick thoughts... Of course thanks to the wonderful tbhp review, there is nothing much to be said further, but still a few personal views from my side.could be very subjective though!

- The ones on display were the eight seater ones, with the fabric seats - I am not sure if I liked the quality of fabric used - a bit plasticky, and I have a feeling that it may be a bit uncomfortable in the long run.

- the second row seat itself was a bit disappointing, especially compared to the Innova. Quite underwhelming I must say.

- Everything was good about the driver seat, as rightly mentioned in the review. Having a lower back problem that cropped up recently, I could instantly feel that this car would be fine from a lumbar support perspective.

- The more I went around touching and feeling the car, the more I sense that this is going to be a terrific taxi car, especially with the option to remove the third row at will.

- Plastics etc are reasonably ok

- The driver's seat doesn't go back a long way - I was surprised when I tried to push it all the way back, when it stopped at a position I usually consider a comfortable position to drive. Which means that I am quite likely to be driving the car with the second row leg room in the minimum position.

- I checked about delivery lead times and he says maybe around 10-15 days . Test drive car is not ready so I couldn't do the test drive. Price info is not ready too.

- The third row is what you can expect from a third row - shoulder space looks decent, but otherwise strictly for kids.

- Overall I think its a decent car with good presence ( except for the rear ), but I am not sure whether I will take the call to go for it... primarily because of the second row issues.

- I am sure I might come back with vastly changed views after the test drive, but just wanted to share a few initial thoughts.

[fiestarry]

Finally a vehicle to challenge and hopefully overthrow the 'long in the tooth' Innova. The Lodgy looks nice and appears very competent. It is lakhs cheaper than the overrated Innova and has a refined diesel. The Innova's engine used to set my teeth on edge at speeds above 90 kmph.
It is certainly Renault's game to lose. They have played the first set well by using better than Duster quality in the Lodgy. The pricing is also excellent compared to the noisy and wallowy Toyota.
Well, I guess I have made my thoughts on the Toyota clear.
Best wishes to Messrs Renault.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Finally a vehicle to challenge and hopefully overthrow the 'long in the tooth' Innova. .

Yes indeed. If any vehicle has a ghost of a chance, its lodgy. Renualt's engine has bullet proof reliability, evidenced by over a hundred Logans with Merucabs et al which have logged 400,000 + Kms. Mechanical bits are easy to maintain as well

Best of luck to Renault

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Bigzero

with the fabric seats - I am not sure if I liked the quality of fabric used - a bit plasticky, and I have a feeling that it may be a bit uncomfortable in the long run.

Those are probably vinyl seats or vinyl seats with fabric inserts.

How I wish Renault changed those horrible looking AC knobs.

As detailed and as comprehensive as a Team-BHP review should be

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Chief Competitors of the Renault Lodgy

[center]
Toyota Innova

A great review, comprehensive and detailed - and so it should be, as is expected from Team-BHP! However varying the public opinion may be regarding its exterior, there is no denying the accomplished interior layout and details. OK, so the middle-row could have been provided with fore/aft adjustability (is there such a word?), and I hope that Renault is listening.

My only serious grouse is the same one as against the Duster, till they introduced the AWD version. FWD in a vehicle with a WB > 2.8m?! and overall length of 4.5m?! I wont mention the Evalia/Stile here since, like the Tata Winger, they have had minimal impact.

I believe this is the principal reason for the Innova's and the Xylo's reputation for robustness and durability. Sure, their separate ladder-frame chassis adds to their strength, but RWD/AWD(in the case of the Duster) is their unbeatable trump card in the durability stakes.

[acidkill]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

[b][u][center]Chief Competitors of the Renault Lodgy

Dear TSK please consider adding your views on the Scorpio and XUV 500 in the list of competitors. After all they are not priced way too far off and they are also in the 7 seater category.

They are in my list of contenders for a 7 seater purchase atleast !

[sachinayak]

Fantastic Review as always.



While there is one obvious flaw in the rather well-packaged vehicle, I think this will be a deal breaker for many.

Think of this from an existing Innova owner or a prospective Innova owner's perspective. Many (at least in Bombay/Bangalore) use it to be chauffeured around in the middle row. Innova with it captain seats in absolutely incredible here.

Switch to the Lodgy now. How could Renault botch up the middle row? With the food-trays at the back of the front seat, you cannot scoop out more space. Would someone use the third row of seats without occupying the second row? Why then would Renault want to provide more leg space to the third row of seats at the cost of the middle row?

Would sound like a deal breaker to me at least.

Agree the Innova is way too old and offers too less for what it costs, but it is immensely practical (and reliable too). Needless to say, Innova has an incredibly well assembled interior which just refuses to age.

Think an Innova beater can come in from a Maruti or Hyundai perhaps. Still the Lodgy has its chance, and at least Renault has priced it sensibly. Lets hope it does well.

[IronH4WK]

very nice write up Tanveer and Viddy; looks like you got Viddy to do the modeling for the review

although the Lodgy might seem to be a competition for Innova, i'd really won't be worried if i were Toyota. its not just the VFM aspect and the size that i would take into consideration, but comfort too. from the looks of it, Lodgy isn't anywhere close to Innova in the interior space department. seeing Viddy jammed in like that in the middle row raises serious concerns about comfort of taller passengers. after all this is not a school van that will seat only children, it's for the whole family and family comes in all shapes and sizes. hopefully this will be addressed in later iterations.

btw, what was Viddy smiling about sitting in the middle row seat? wait, don't tell me - he would have thought.. middle row seats - score for Toyota!

[D4D]

Terrific review. After seeing a couple of videos, this line summed it up:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

• In terms of product capability & all-roundedness, this is the first real competitor to the mighty Innova in 10 years!

I'm sure this is the car many Cabbies want. Space(not excessive)+ Proven engine+ Cheap price= Their formula for success. Hope Renault doesn't get the Taxi image for selling the Lodgy to commercial operators.

Disappointed that the Duster AWDs gearbox and engine tune is not used. Could be a deal breaker. Wait. What? Which other engine is better? Innova's? Nah. Ertiga's? No. Mobilio's? Maybe.

Why not sliding seats? Renault provides so many seating combinations and removable seats, just can't understand why they fail to provide a mundane thing like sliding middle row. Wasn't going to affect the Duster much, but surely the expectations in an MPV are more.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by D4D

Why not sliding seats? Renault provides so many seating combinations and removable seats, just can't understand why they fail to provide a mundane thing like sliding middle row. Wasn't going to affect the Duster much, but surely the expectations in an MPV are more.

Its basically a Dacia Lodgy. Renault adapted it and gave it some nice finishing touches. Adding rails to the middle row etc., would have been proper engineering work. So I guess they skipped that. Who knows, with enough feedback, maybe they incorporate this.

Originally Posted by acidkill

Dear TSK please consider adding your views on the Scorpio and XUV 500 in the list of competitors. After all they are not priced way too far off and they are also in the 7 seater category.

They are in my list of contenders for a 7 seater purchase atleast !

Scorpio and XUV500 are different segment. They can handle much worse terrain and have a more robust construction from an abuse standpoint. So if you are sticking mostly to highways, Lodgy makes more sense. However, if you want to do mostly rural trips on tracks, then go for the Mahindra offerings.

Originally Posted by shashanka

A great review, comprehensive and detailed - and so it should be, as is expected from Team-BHP! However varying the public opinion may be regarding its exterior, there is no denying the accomplished interior layout and details. OK, so the middle-row could have been provided with fore/aft adjustability (is there such a word?), and I hope that Renault is listening.

My only serious grouse is the same one as against the Duster, till they introduced the AWD version. FWD in a vehicle with a WB > 2.8m?! and overall length of 4.5m?! I wont mention the Evalia/Stile here since, like the Tata Winger, they have had minimal impact.

I believe this is the principal reason for the Innova's and the Xylo's reputation for robustness and durability. Sure, their separate ladder-frame chassis adds to their strength, but RWD/AWD(in the case of the Duster) is their unbeatable trump card in the durability stakes.

FWD will not affect reliability or robustness. However, traditional ladder on frame chassis vehicles are more robust. That said, modern monocoque designs are equally tough. That said, only after 100,000kms on our roads we will be able to tell how the lodgy fares. In the west, both Dacia lodgy and duster are considered workhorses, but then their roads are very nice.

Personally, I was quite amazed by how the lodgy handled bumps and potholes.

[Fornax]

No kudos or well dones for this review from me.

Not because it is not brilliantly done or lacks attention to detail and certainly not because its missing any of the valuable insights that Team-BHP reviews provide...but because, and only because this is exactly what we expect and demand from Team-BHP. Anything less, is simply unacceptable!

In the same breath, a five-star rating for this review, not because it deserves it, but because it is.

That captures the essense of what I feel having read this brilliant piece of auto-literature, that no other medium (4K AV included) shall provide folks of my generation. I am just supremely happy to see my future car or rather MUV meeting the stringent satisfaction demands of our mods and mine. This MUV is everything that Innova, Ertiga and Mobilio isnt. Here are my turnoffs for each of them v/s the solutions offered by Lodgy:

Ertiga Puny engine, zilch boot space, no captain seats and simply a step back from my current car - SX4.

Mobilio All of the negatives of Ertiga, plus pathetic seat cushioning, cheap interiors and exhorbitant pricing.

Innova Too big, expensive and impractical mileage for ones who use it 80% in city and are chauffeured.

Here is how the Lodgy beats them (IMHO):
Lodgycal ...boot, captain seats, pricing, safety, space and comfort.(Beats Innova)
Lodgycal ...looks, chrome, styling and attention to detail. (Beats Ertiga)
Lodgycal ...concept of seat options, that create the flexibility I thoroughly appreciate. (Beats Mobilio)

Here are some questions I do have for the enthusiasts here:
1. Can the tune of the engine be interchanged at a later point?
2. Is the 84 more suited to city driving or 109?
3. Now that the MUV is launched, can I book a one-notch lower version, or is Renault hell bent on seling only the top end until further notice?
4. Whats that protrusion below both fog lamps? Is it to avoid damage to them or pedestrians?
5. Any word of waiting periods?
6. How does its sheet metal compare with that of the Mobilio?

And yes, a big thank you to tsk1979 for the sheer value provided to prospective buyers like me.

PS: Happy Birthday tsk1979

[SmartCat]

A relative of mine is looking for a 7 seater but was disappointed when he found out that this doesn't come with a petrol option.

Meanwhile, does anybody else think that "captain's chair" is highly over-rated? After all, its just a bucket seat - like the one you see in the front seat of any car - with sliding arm rests on both sides. I can't imagine why anybody would buy a 7 seater and make it a 6 seater!

[Fornax]

Imagine a family of four that includes two kids that get excited whenever they travel together, and a husband who wants to spend time with his family than traffic. Now, having the Captain seats also helps here primarily in movement back and forth, plus the comforts it provides to adults in the captains seat than a flat bench locking away the kids.

I dont think thats an odd scenario.