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

Voted for the Ertiga. It is the overall package and for the average buyer in the country it scores high in all parameters. It is perfect in accommodating seven average size Indians in comfort. For me the Ertiga has the best last row sitting position when compared to Innova, Mobilio and Lodgy. We have the Ertiga for almost a year now and I have tried seating 7 people, shift house, drive in dense traffic, open highway, bad roads and not to mention its excellent fuel efficiency and service back up. I am completely satisfied with the Ertiga.

I am in the market for a 7/8 seater to replace my safari. Heart says 4wd scorpio s4 plus but the first test drive showed that the ride quality is not so good. We will be taking a test drive again today.

Ertiga is good but not sure about the ground clearance. With the test drive vehicle done about 50k, engine pull was good, no rattling but the rear seemed to go down little bit when passengers sat in it, otherwise not bad, of course not to compare with safari comfort on bad roads.

My consideration is 1. resale value after 3 years 2. No unscheduled maintenance 3. Low maintenance 4. Good ride comfort 5. Ability to go through bad roads without a major problem (plan to take the vehicle to ladakh and north east).

Which vehicle will be good? ertiga/scorpio/lodgy/xuv/xylo?

102000 kms in past five years, only parts replaced two light bulbs, battery and one set of brake pads. Yes it is a bit noisy after 100kmph but the sound kind of evens out on long drives, you don't feel it. Class leading service quality and pretty cheap too. (Eg - ertiga needs the expensive synthetic oil while the good old innova is happy with plain mineral Oil - an INR 3-4 k difference per service!)
Car still retains the tightness attributed to a new vehicle and still acclerates the same.
Reason enough my vote goes to Innova - was there a better workhorse made in india? My view - NO!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumannandy (Post 3714081)

Lodgy or XUV would be perfect.

The Lodgy has better ride quality but the XUV would be more suitable for trips to ladakhMO

My Vote: Renault Lodgy

Why:

Powerful engine when compared to competition. Though the initial pick-up is not great, keep the engine above 1800 RPM and you should be good.
Excellent NVH levels inside the cabin. No diesel clatter while cranking up, I assumed it was a Petrol engine, initially - That good. You would be able to hear the engine only above 3500 RPM
Cruise Control!! (Only other MPV that offers this currently is ARIA.
Driving position : very optimal - you don't sit very high, neither too low.
The size is not that evident from the driver's seat. Very car-like driveability.
Ability to completely remove the last row of seats on the go, whenever required.

Few words on the competition -

I am not really fond of the 'compact MPV' segment, so not considering Mobilio or Ertiga. Also, excluding the Evalia and Enjoy due to Taxi image.

Innova -

Under-powered : Runs out of breath at highway speeds and constantly reminds the driver that a 6th Gear is missing.
Over-priced!!
NVH Levels are not so good - You can hear the engine pretty good inside the cabin.
Driving position - (Personal preference) : Too van-like. I would like to be able to see the edge of the bonnet which is not really possible in the Innova
You feel the bulk while driving
A bit of a taxi image/Exclusivity factor is non-existent.

ARIA -

Really liked this car, almost booked it a couple of months back - Great engine, Spacious, Cruise-Control, Road presence and Exclusive. The horror stories on the forum, overall customer feedback and poor resale value kept us away.:Frustrati

Preference (Most likely to Least likely buy)

1. Renault Lodgy
2. Tata ARIA
3. Mahindra Xylo
4. Honda Mobilio
5. Toyota Innova
6. Maruti Ertiga

Would not buy Evalia/Enjoy, ever!

Quote:

Originally Posted by paragsachania (Post 3684150)

The Aira is a fantastic vehicle with all the power under the hood and better features and have driven it once for over 500 kms and I liked it too. But then, I would not pick that for the price....

Although the top-end versions of both Aria (Pride 4X4) and Innova (ZX BSIV 7-Seater) are priced at 15-16 Lacs range, it is not correct to compare the two.

The fact is Innova's ZX (BSIV, 7 STR) is closer to Aria's Pleasure 4X2 in terms of features on offer. Now, Aria Pleasure is priced at 12.56L, while Innova;s ZX is priced at 15.81L.

This makes the Aria real VFM IMHO!! But consider reliability, the picture is altered. agree:

Below attachments source : www.carwale.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffetfan (Post 3715446)

Everything is true about the Innova but not the money you spend on it in the long term. The Ertiga has an option to use synthetic or mineral so your point isn't factually right. Also, you haven't factored in the appalling mileage of the Innova - 8 to 10 kmpl tops? Ertiga can easily double that and even more with sedate driving. The 3-4k cost saving you mention can easily be offset by Ertiga's frugal fuel economy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel (Post 3720730)

What people keep forgetting is "Can Ertiga/Mobilio/Lodgy/ accommodate seven people in similar comfort to Innova/Xylo/Evalia/Aria?". If the answer is no, which all sane human beings would say, what is the point in comparing mileage?

Why compare two entirely different set of vehicles, one proper 7 seaters the other occasional seven seaters. If everybody (including cabbies) was convinced of seven seating ability of the occasional seven seaters Innova would have been killed long time ago.

Note from Support - Please avoid getting personal with others. If you have a point to make, please do so politely. This is a forum that thrives on collaboration so we need your support for it to work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLS (Post 3717008)

In addition, Innova needs service at 5K interval, Ertiga needs to be serviced at 10K. Ertiga servicing and maintenance would be as cheap (if not cheaper) as Innova.

Regards,
JLS

Is the service interval 5k for Innova? Recently, I went on a road trip of the NE states and we took 2 hired Innovas. Upon chatting with the drivers, they claimed Innova needs service every 10k kms. Not even a minor service is required at 5k. While one Innova was fairly new (4 months 20k kms) the other one was old (4.5 yrs, 250k kms) and they were always serviced every 10k kms. The vehicles ply on the dusty mountain roads regularly and hence the air filters are cleaned by the drivers from time to time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumannandy (Post 3714081)

s 1. resale value after 3 years 2. No unscheduled maintenance 3. Low maintenance 4. Good ride comfort 5. Ability to go through bad roads without a major problem (plan to take the vehicle to ladakh and north east).

ertiga/scorpio/lodgy/xuv/xylo?

Ertiga- Good car, doesn't have GC issues, but needs to driven carefully over bad roads, especially when fully loaded.

My suggestion is the XUV 500 W6. It's a great vehicle and has all you can ask for.

I'm apprehensive about Lodgy's GC in Ladakh and NE Indian roads. But overall, it's the best car for a seven seater.

Stay away from Innova, Xylo, Safari if you can afford the XUV 500. These cars a generation too old. The scorpio can do everything the XUV can do, but it's still seems like the XUV is years ahead of the Scorpio.

I would choose the Lodgy only because Innova is insanely expensive. Based on a short test drive, Lodgy drives almost like the Duster. Lesser taxing to drive (read clutch and gear throw on Innova), good choice of engines, decent fuel efficiency and best of all great price.

If I looted a bank, Innova it is. Legendary reliability, good and plenty of service centers and parts availability across the country. Mobilio only if I become a Honda fanatic and want a sedan with larger boot. Wont touch Evalia (although felt good on the ride) and Enjoy with a barge pole.