[ajmat]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Do not get me wrong, but for the first time I see a disconnect between the official review (where in the reviewers were left very impressed) vis-a-vis the readers (those who have seen/test-driven the vehicle) who have come unimpressed.

Perhaps this is a vehicle that grows on you, rather than setup that fantastic initial reaction. More functional than form perhaps.

Thats a fair statement. We normally have the car for around 200km (although we are sharing with another journalist), so we get to review both as passenger and driver. Most test drives of a new vehicle, you have a couple of other people on the drie and you switch after a couple of kilometres

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Do not get me wrong, but for the first time I see a disconnect between the official review (where in the reviewers were left very impressed) vis-a-vis the readers (those who have seen/test-driven the vehicle) who have come unimpressed.

Perhaps this is a vehicle that grows on you, rather than setup that fantastic initial reaction. More functional than form perhaps.

Indeed. I guess it's more of a mental thing, like the expectation you go with for the test drive. I am not saying people who have test-driven went with unreasonable expectation, but often it is easy not to look at the big picture and omit some of the aspects like price, who the vehicle targets etc.

[CruzeLiner]

Went and had a look of the Lodgy yesterday at the Khivraj Pearl dealership here in Koyembedu. Couldnt get to test drive and might do it sometime later. however i tried sitting in all three rows. From the looks and the space in all 3 rows, i dont think it can even come close to the Innova, leave alone posing a threat to it. Innova looks much better and also Innova's 3rd row is much more practical. The review said its a usable 3rd row and it made me happy, that atlast there is a MUV amidst the compact ones, that can offer a practical 3rd row, but i was seriously dissapointed when i sat there. The seats were right on the floor and i had to sit with my knees completely pointed up with almost zero under thigh support. i'm 5'9'' and if i felt so uncomfortable, just wonder how 6 footers could fit in there. there is however slightly better knee room than the Ertiga, but i honestly feel Ertiga's 3rd row is so much more practical, let alone competing with the Innova. Otherwise, the interiors are acceptable and feel better than the mobilio. I think if at all this car might pose a threat to, it could be the mobilio but even there, mobilio has the "H" badge and looks much better, infact the best looking MUV. I havent test driven but i'm sure the ride quality would be the best among MUV's and i think thats the only differentiator for this one and its looks are the biggest minus point i guess. and btw, it was a sunday morning and i was expecting too many people in the showroom but to my surprise, it was just me and one other family, so all in all i dont think this one would repeat duster's success story and even if they get around 2000 per month on average, they should be happy.

[rrsteer]

Checked out the Lodgy. I think the talk of it hitting Innova's sales are simply overblown.

In the MUV category what works is space, comfort, reliability and ease of ownership.

Not even talking about the other attributes but Lodgy is inferior to Innova in terms of space or space management.
in my opinion, Innova remains the most comfortable back seat this side of E Class.

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Checked out the Lodgy. I think the talk of it hitting Innova's sales are simply overblown.

In the MUV category what works is space, comfort, reliability and ease of ownership.

Not even talking about the other attributes but Lodgy is inferior to Innova in terms of space or space management.
in my opinion, Innova remains the most comfortable back seat this side of E Class.

E class itself doesn't have great comfort. I would say Skoda Superb is better than the E class comfort wise. As for lodgy affecting the innova I feel there will hardly be a 10% affect in Innova sales as it's 10 year bullet proof track record and excellent resale value will be hard to beat. The Mobillo, Aria, Evalia will be most severely affected while some of the Top end Ertiga buyers might shift for want of more space. I believe Ertiga and Innova will still rule the MPV segment and lodgy can carve a niche for itself (only if it had a sliding middle row for increased comfort).

[CruzeLiner]

and why on earth are they offering the captain seats only on the 110 ps top end?

is it such a big piece of equipment/technology that they can afford to provide that in other lower variants? even the top end 85ps doesnt get that option. even the Chevy Enjoy provides it in more variants.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by CruzeLiner

and why on earth are they offering the captain seats only on the 110 ps top end?

is it such a big piece of equipment/technology that they can afford to provide that in other lower variants? even the top end 85ps doesnt get that option. even the Chevy Enjoy provides it in more variants.

Because captains require extra horsepower. j/k

For the folks wishing this will sell like the Duster, please be aware that the Duster came into a segment where there was no alternative than two long-in-the-tooth somewhat unreliable / unrefined workhorses (Safari and Scorpio).

The Lodgy is coming into a segment where there's an established market leader both at the top (Innova) and the bottom (Ertiga) end. Sales will be from the new buyer who's looking for a mid-price, higher capacity vehicle but cannot afford the Innova.

[hemanth.anand]

Comprehensive review as usual.

I liked the looks of this better than the Mobilio.

As far as the GC is concerned, with that wheelbase and 175mm GC, a loaded Lodgy will definitely get some underbelly hits IMO.
I put the dimensions in an excel sheet of my own (I generally use this to understand which vehicle is better equipped for bad roads).
It confirms that it is not easy to drive without getting any hits on it underbelly.
Edit: Nature of the suspension set-up has its own effects. but I'm not going into such a detail

W/G ratio (Wheelbase/Ground clearance) is what matters for bad roads. Smaller the ratio, better it is.

I can't believe that they have put that pressing style boot lock from the Omni.

And that Windshield washer tank's location, I think its an intelligent design.
During the rainy season you need not fill the wash liquid. Just keep the cap opened. You can put a cap with filter if you want.

By the way, Vid6639, is that Turahalli Forest?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

By the way, Vid6639, is that Turahalli Forest?

All photos are from the side roads of Kolar CCD. If you drive a few hundred feet behind the CCD you see these rock landscapes.

The photos between the trees are before Mulbagal, some side road.

Interior shots at Marriott Whitefield lobby.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by chncar

So my overall impression (keeping 15L OTR price in mind) of the Lodgy :
Dodgy and Stodgy

Top End 109 PS RxZ is 14.2 lacs OTR

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The clutch is soft for a big diesel MPV. What makes it awkward to use is the pedal's small size.

This month's 'Autocar India' Magazine quotes the following 'First Verdict' on the Renault Lodgy.

So Good:
Ride and Handling
Space and Practicality
No Good:
Boxy Styling
Heavy Clutch

This contradicts the team-bhp review. Could you please clarify? For a lot of first time MPV buyers, this is a deal breaker as we are used to the soft clutch of hatches/sedans.

[CruzeLiner]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Comprehensive review as usual.

I liked the looks of this better than the Mobilio.

As far as the GC is concerned, with that wheelbase and 175mm GC, a loaded Lodgy will definitely get some underbelly hits IMO.
I put the dimensions in an excel sheet of my own (I generally use this to understand which vehicle is better equipped for bad roads).
It confirms that it is not easy to drive without getting any hits on it underbelly.
Edit: Nature of the suspension set-up has its own effects. but I'm not going into such a detail
Attachment 1359981
W/G ratio (Wheelbase/Ground clearance) is what matters for bad roads. Smaller the ratio, better it is.

though GC and wheelbase are important, i dont think these 2 alone contribute to a car's ability to tackle bad roads. First of all, in India i think GC is calculated based on the lowest part from the ground and this could be quite tricky, since in certain cars this could be near the differential etc. which is really not such a big issue as they would go up/down along with the wheels. Also we all know that for XUV500, Mahindra deliberately lowered their GC by adding a sump guard that really doesnt alter the real GC of the vehicle but for getting some additional tax benefits.

Also other things like tyre profile, suspension set-up etc. also make a difference. Just to quote, my Ford Figo used to scrape its under belly quite often and when i upgraded by tyres to a slightly better profile, it did make quite a bit of difference.. so its not all that straight forward IMHO.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Heavy Clutch

This contradicts the team-bhp review. Could you please clarify? For a lot of first time MPV buyers, this is a deal breaker as we are used to the soft clutch of hatches/sedans.

In my test drive of the 110 version, I didnt find the clutch to be any different from my Baleno's clutch. And I was driving in narrow crowded roads with lot of gear changes.

I felt instantly at home in terms of clutch, size of the car and overall visibility.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

This month's 'Autocar India' Magazine quotes the following 'First Verdict' on the Renault Lodgy.

So Good:
Ride and Handling
Space and Practicality
No Good:
Boxy Styling
Heavy Clutch

This contradicts the team-bhp review. Could you please clarify? For a lot of first time MPV buyers, this is a deal breaker as we are used to the soft clutch of hatches/sedans.

Vehicle to vehicle has different clutch settings. So it is possible that the car they got could have had a heavier clutch. For an MPV, the clutch was fine. I think, its best to take a TD and then decide.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

This month's 'Autocar India' Magazine quotes the following 'First Verdict' on the Renault Lodgy.

So Good:
Ride and Handling
Space and Practicality
No Good:
Boxy Styling
Heavy Clutch

This contradicts the team-bhp review. Could you please clarify? For a lot of first time MPV buyers, this is a deal breaker as we are used to the soft clutch of hatches/sedans.

How a clutch is can be relative. If you were to compare the Lodgy's clutch to a Hyundai or Honda clutch, then yes it's heavy. But if I compare to the Ecosport or Figo or Innova then the clutch is not heavy.

Basically it's not the lightest of clutches but it's not one we could call as a heavy clutch.