Team-BHP - The Renault Lodgy vs other 7-seater MPVs

When I voted for the Aria, I thought I would be a dismal minority. But surprise surprise! Aria is fourth on the list with a decent 20 votes. Not bad at all.

I kind of liked the Lodgy from the official review, but for me Aria comes with everything that one asks for in this class of vehicles. Power, space, comfort and most importantly safety.

I am quite looking forward to visiting the Renault showroom to see the Lodgy once though.

Friends,
We have a 3 years old XUV. We intend to replace it with a new 7 seater. The ride in the XUV is jerky and the ladies & kids are feeling uncomfortable in it.
We generally keep this for 3 years. Before the XUV, we had a Innova, and the womenfolk would prefer it. And not to forget,upon resale, we get close to 75% of the initial value.
I test drove the new Scorpio, and the ride is comfortable. The seating too is acceptable. My dad is bit hesitant about the Scorpio.
We have not test driven the Lodgy, but seen it physically and seems to be ok. I am a bit sceptical in terms of turning radius(it has a long wheel base), clutch ( will it be hard) and the third row.
Both the vehicles have just about ok resale value only, when we would be selling it after 3 years.
We just want a change and different vehicle.
Our budget is 13 to 15 Lakh.
Our priorities are comfortable drive,safety and easy handling. Mostly city traffic. We are not into second hand cars either.
Any new MUV or SUV launch?
What do you guys suggest and any other thoughts?
Thanks in advance
Regards
Ramesh
( by the way, I have a Ford ecoboost and vento tsi, both bought without test driving! I bought it purely after reading the TeamBHP review only. Thanks a lot guys)

Read the official review of the Lodgy here on the forum and listen to your dad, it is a refined product from a well entrenched global manufacturer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rameshdude (Post 3689186)

The seating too is acceptable. My dad is bit hesitant about the Scorpio.

I personally feel the Scorpio will be a downgrade from the XUV. No doubt the Scorpio has been updated and comes with a lot of kit, but coming from an XUV, I doubt you'd like the Scorpio.

As far as the Lodgy is concerned: Check the review, test drive it and go for it. You should get decent resale value for it too. This is just a guesstimate, but I reckon it still is a lodgycal choice. lol:

Cheers!
Cartman :)

Yes, after reading the lovely review, infact I have booked the 109 BHP Lodgy last week itself.wanted to get your views too. Would probably test drive the following week, as soon as it is available. Would be checking on the turbo lag, and if it is bad, maybe I would go for the 84 BHP. Will also wait for the views of others after their drives.

Another option is the new Tata Safari Storme due to launch in a couple of months or maybe waiting for the new Innova expected to launch by the end of the 2016 auto expo. Regarding Safari I believe it's ride quality is better than the Scorpio and it looks and feels like a proper SUV too. The new model should take care of the equipment and it's only the 3rd row space that might be a problem.

As for the Innova I personally would wait for the car. It's a new generation model coming after 10 years of the original one. It should be a much better product and will offer you terrific resale value. I would advise you to not buy a car at the moment wait for 6 months increase your budget by a few lakhs in the meantime and buy the new Innova. The current cars on the market are no upgrade to the XUV. Hope It helps.

The Scorpio was good in its time, which was a decade ago. Now you will hate it. And it is nowhere near as comfortable as the XUV.

The Lodgy has a great ride, is nicely priced, has lots of space and makes a lot of sense as a comfy People Carrier - Family Van.

Else, it is only the Innova that makes the cut. But that is truly overpriced for what it offers.

The Toyota Previa, if ever they bring it here, would be a lovely upgrade from the Innova for sure, but knowing the Toyota fellows, they will price it in the stratosphere and knowing us Indians, we will still flock to buy it at those prices!

Anyone looking at ride quality has no business going near the Scorpio. Even though the suspension on the updated Scorpio has improved, it is far, far from plush. In fact, the XUV500's ride is superior to the Scorpio's. If you didn't like the XUV500, you'll hate the Scorpio.

@Rameshdude : I would stay away from Scorpio. I would rather walk then travel in that vehicle. Ride quality is sub par and back breaking.

You have already used Innova, so why go with it again. Time for a change.

If resale is a concern then maybe look at Mobilio. Its not really value for money but generally Honda vehicles have a good resale value and compared to Renault better service.

Hi,

Voted for Innova.

Innova seems to come from ages and I wished, I had some other option in last 10 years, ever since Innova was launched in 2005. I am yet to get one.

Size, comfort, bullet-proof reliability coupled with very low maintenance cost are the main reasons not in common with other competitors listed here.

For me Lodgy, Aria, Innova, Xylo, Evalia & Enjoy are larger MPVs compared to Ertiga and Mobilio.
(Im not sure of how big the interiors of Enjoy is, but it looked larger to me)

So direct comparison of all of them put together is not right, if you put the larger ones as MPVs and the rest as Mini MPVs.
And we keep dragging Scorpios and Safaris to this comparison, fact that they are 7 or 8 seaters, it doesnt make them MPVs.

For instance, MPV should be evaluated more on the passenger side and less on the drivers side.

I know people who are struggling with Ertiga's while they had Innova in the list and went for the cheaper.
Ertiga and Mobilio are just mini MPV;s and direct comparison to larger ones can put things on a different note. Innova is for me the best in the list for its Ride, Practicality and Built - keeping my eyes blind on its exorbitant pricing and ugly looks.

Lodgy by far is promising, and I think it has a quite a good mix of things expected of an MPV, though I always felt the turbo lag on the Duster (110bhp)is too much for a pleasant drive (what i understand its the same engine being used in Lodgy and would come with 2 variants like its sibling)

This month's Autocar India mag has a comparison test between 8 MPVs, with this result -

1. Lodgy
2. Innova
3. Mobilio
4. Ertiga
5. Aria
6. Evalia
7. Xylo
8. Enjoy

I kinda agree because the lodgy does 90% of what the Innova can, and at a much lesser price. Also the Innova is now 10 years old. Nice as it maybe, there's no justifying the price tag.
If I were in the market for an MPV, I would buy either the Lodgy or the Mobilio, depending on the budget and requirements.