[karan561]

What i Like:

1) ABS + EBD in RxL Model ( technically BASE Model of Diesel)
2) Fantastic Rear headrests (cushioned to perfection , just like a pillow)
3) One Touch down & UP window ( Drivers side )
4) Steering mounted steering controls (specially having “Source” button, no need to reach out to switch ON)
5) Steering “Not” adjustable for REACH – I say this in my interest as i am going to be 95 % of time sitting behind so which directly means the driver will not push seat back because the steering will not get pulled for reach )
6) The chrome door handles feel upmarket & are of supreme finish.
7) Big Boot has quite an appetite & can swallow quite a bit of luggage.
8) 2+2 year / 80,000 km warranty

What i Dislike:

1) Even after setting the seat to the lowest position still it is too high for my liking
2) No cushioning on the front center arm rest
3) The Roof Antenna is too long for today’s standard ( makes it look like an RC car)
4) Mediocre engine performance above 120 kph, literally feels out of breath
5) Only 2 keys given by Renault out of which only one is with the integrated buttons & other one with no keyless entry buttons looks pre-historic ( 2+1 would have been ideal)
6) Rear seat storage pocket only on the passenger side & missing on the drivers side, WHY ?
7) Headroom ( Rear Seat) is tight at the rear for any one who is >= 6 Ft

[karan561]

It is said that dressing well is a necessity if you want to travel Business Class;



& the perks of travelling in style



Makes you arrive in style









Introducing a new dimension of Business class travel;

The very STYLISH;





The Very SEXY;







RENAULT SCALA
;


They say LUXURY must be COMFORTABLE & being comfortable is a STATE OF MIND



But whatever they say, there is no substitute for S P A C E;





The Scala provides LUXURY IN SIMPLICITY



The INVITING REAR SEAT;



The Decision;

My Current daily commute is/was the Fiat Punto 1.3 MJD

It was aprox > 80k kms on the Fiat Punto MJD & it had served us exceptionally well especially with its confident inspiring highway manners, ride comfort & decent space at the back considering it was a hatchback, but it was time for a change & so was on the lookout for replacement.

Sold for Rs 3.3 L

Other Considerations;

Renault Duster 85 PS (Diesel);

Loved it since day 1, the current hot favourite on team-bhp & the strongest contender & now the winner of team-bhp car of the year award as well.

The delivery period for the 85 Diesel was going overboard i.e > 3 months & so had to drop the idea of the Duster.

Also the issue with the rear space/legroom put me off

Pre-Requisites for the new buy;

- Efficient Diesel Engine (Because my running would be atleast 20-25k kms/Annum)
- Going to be chauffeur driven > 95% of time
- Back seat space/comfort
- Rear Arm rest ( mentioning this as was sorely missed in the Punto )
- Good Highway manners ( as dad will be chauffeured to factory @ Gujarat, Pune )

The booking & delivery Experience;

The car was booked at Gen Next motors , Thane.

The car was available in stock so the delivery was very quick indeed i.e. 7-8 working days. (this includes the loan procedure)
GenNext Motors offered accessories worth upto Rs 25,000 Free on the Scala which include;

1) Map My India GPS
2) Illuminated Scuff Plates
3) Rear Parking Sensors
4) OE Matting
5) OE Mud Flaps

The Delivery (23/11/12);

Picked the car up from the stockyard @ Panvel

1st pictures;





My T-Fort playing the role of a Support Car during the delivery;



Registration;

On the day i took the car for registration to Silvassa i got allotted the number 1164.

I happily accepted the number & made a temporary sticker of the same & returned to Mumbai.

The next day was a weekend, & on Monday i got a call from the RTO & DNH that the number i allotted which was 1162 is not changed to 1172.

Was strange but anyway had to accept it, so did.

However was running around on the old number till the new RC book, & IND Plates arrived


Tyre Upgrade;

The very next day of delivery & 300 kms later the tyres were upgraded from;

Stock Bridgestone : 185/65 R15 to ;





Make : Michelin Primacy LC

Up-Size : 195/60 R15

& immediately the outcome

Positives;

- Better Ride quality / comfort
- Improved Handling
- Improved high speed stability (which was lacking in the Bridgestones especially > 120 km/hr
- Marginally improved braking (> 2-3 %)
- Wider track hence Better looks
- Boosts the confidence of my driver & also mine while being chauffeured (mind games)

Negative;

- None, except while explaining my driver to take it easy on bumps, potholes as don’t want a popping side wall air bubble / cut may have dip his morale, lol

Total cost after Buy Back – Rs 8000/- (i.e. 2k / tyre)

More on this in the ride & handling section.

2000 km : 1st Service

In almost under 15 days for the 1st service as had crossed the 2000 km mark;

Also the fitment of accessories was to take place.



The free goodies

- Map My India GPS
- Illuminated Scuff Plates
- Rear Parking Sensors
- OE Matting
- OE Mud Flaps



Work Starts;



Parking Sensors fitment : Keeping it equidistant a high precision job

IMO post fitment look adds character to the rear bumper





7500 km Report on;

Engine/Performance;




The engine feels like a N/A & this i say not in a negative way but with its low end ability & negligible turbo Lag this motor is a boon for stress free driving.

This motor churns out a minimal of aprox 85 hp but the pulling power is astonishing aiding the cruising ability.

Yes, the motor does get a bit gruffy when you revv it but overall pretty silent.

As the meat of the power is in the strong low to mid end, so no point in doing 0-100 runs or red-lining as the juice wont be worth the squeeze.

Refinement/Damping;

Pop the hood & u see no damping, seems Renault is pretty confident of the refinement levels of the K9K.

Gearbox/Gear shifts;

The Gear Ratios are laid out very well to aid driving/cruising. Ample torque available from the low-mid end.
Gearshifts are precise and good to operate. To be frank it is FUN to play around the gears as the shift quality is good. Also i believe the Renault engineers could have made the shift quality even better & paralleled the Skodas shift quality (Benchmark in my eyes – have been a Laura user i.e. before Cruze) but it seemed they left working on the shift quality halfway.

Also note the Renault gearshifts cant adopt to the quick/fast gear changes. Gives a sound when you want to operate them in a rush.

Fuel Economy;

The Scala has been fairly economical till now.

Highest FE clocked an practical runs (100-120 km/h) NH driving is 18-19 km/l

On an daily commute in the city have consistently clocked 15-16 km/l

The Worst economy got till now was in an spirited run on an highway clocking high 13s km/l

Also recently did a short economy run on EE Hwy (Aprox 40 kms) with very careful throttle inputs (non practical) & managed to get an staggering 26 km/l

All in all an extremely FE car & i am satisfied with it.


Braking;

A lot has been criticized about the braking on the Scala / Sunny & all those claims are true but to a certain extent allow me to speak in favour of the Scala a bit.

More than the braking i feel the problem lies in the setting of the brake pedal / sensitivity.
To elaborate more on this is that the pedal has almost no feel when pressed up to say 20% of travel & post that it starts reacting but taking its own time still & when the mind is convinced it is a do or die u depress the brake pedal further & there finally it has the bite. So overall i blame the brake pedal for being lazy / in sensitive but if you master this art i feel the braking is very soothing for the rear passengers.

Post the Fitment of wider PLC Rubber i think it is definitely confident inspiring under hard braking but the difference is hardly 2-3% which is critical nonetheless.

Ride & Handling;

The ride quality is truly impressive. It drives flat on the rough patches very well.

Much of the credit has to be given to the suspension of this Renault which has been truly designed in favor favor of the poor Indian road conditions.

Negative - As soon as you hit a bad bump/badly laid out pavered blocks/ pot hole the suspension sounds creep into the cabin making you feel you have committed a sin.

^ The above could have been reduced with better sound dampening

Handling is very predictable now thanks to the confidence inspiring Michelins for being Wider, Softer & Stickier than the Bridgestones.

The suspension now gives in before the tires thanks to the soft setup.

Also there is noticeable body roll.

Have done many number of trips to Gujarat, Pune (more like a passenger though i.e. back seat) and it feels safe;



^ @ NH8 - From one of my trips to Gujarat (DNH)

But all in all the handling is very good and more of a cruiser on the Highways than a Scorcher.

Interior;

I think the interior is well laid out everything is pretty neatly designed and the color chemistry used is a fresh change over the common beige.
Space – This is the one and main reason for the purchase.

Haptics;

Haptics refers to the science / sense of TOUCH & FEEL.

Normally cars plastic (Dashboard & trims) is based on 3 principles;

1) Conventional Polypropylene Compound
2) Polypropylene Compound With additives ( Scratch Resistant )
3) TPO Skin overmolding ( Where a soft rubber skin – leather like is crafted on the hard poly propylene compound to give the entire interior / dashboard soft touch feel) – Common to premium cars BMW, Porsche etc ...

The plastics quality in the Scala belongs in the 1st category i.e. the conventional PP Type.

I say this as the plastic quality on the interiors is not at all inviting to touch, leaving that aside it has already developed a scratch above the glove box.

Overall this review pays more emphasis on the Scala as a practical, economical, stylish & SPACIOUS Business sedan to be chauffeured in.
Most of the other aspects have been covered in the official review/s.

Thank You !!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[tacho9000]

Let me be amongst the first one to congratulate you on your latest acquisition. It is an excellent car to say the least and to many is actually a better looker compared to the sunny. The way you dressed and came out of the rear seat of the car in style is just excellent. The perfect way to come out of a Club Class car for sure.

[vivriti]

Congratulations on the Scala.

That's a new way of presenting your new acquisition. The pictures do a wonderful job of explaining one of the biggest advantages of the Scala viz., space !. Will surely impress a lot of the chauffeur driven folks.

[shankar.balan]

A very creative presentation. I like your style!
And yes indeed, the Scala is extremely roomy which strikes a chord with anyone who is likely to be Chauffeur driven!

[arvind71181]

Wonderful review presented in a wonderful way. It surely has some great leg room in the rear. Congratulations!!!

[arvi86]

I wouldn't be surprised if Renault India decides to use the opening set of 'Business Class' pictures in this thread for its official brochure. They are T.H.A.T good.

In my opinion, the Renault Scala deserves to sell more than the Nissan Sunny just for its looks. Congrats on owning the spacious, practical and frugal Scala!

[karan561]

Originally Posted by tacho9000

Let me be amongst the first one to congratulate you on your latest acquisition. It is an excellent car to say the least and to many is actually a better looker compared to the sunny. The way you dressed and came out of the rear seat of the car in style is just excellent. The perfect way to come out of a Club Class car for sure.

Thanks a lot

Originally Posted by vivriti

Congratulations on the Scala.

That's a new way of presenting your new acquisition. The pictures do a wonderful job of explaining one of the biggest advantages of the Scala viz., space !. Will surely impress a lot of the chauffeur driven folks.

Thanks vivriti,

I would be glad if more people consider the Scala for being chauffeur driven in after this review

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

A very creative presentation. I like your style!
And yes indeed, the Scala is extremely roomy which strikes a chord with anyone who is likely to be Chauffeur driven!

Thank You, i appreciate your comments.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Wonderful review presented in a wonderful way. It surely has some great leg room in the rear. Congratulations!!!

Thanks arvind,

Indeed does have great leg room with equally comfortable seats to compliment the space.

Originally Posted by arvi86

I wouldn't be surprised if Renault India decides to use the opening set of 'Business Class' pictures in this thread for its official brochure. They are T.H.A.T good.

Hey thanks arvi,

I would be more than happy to share them with Renault

[Ford5]

In more ways than one the Scala looks like a Mini teana with that chrome strip at the back!

Nice pictures. Would be interesting to know overall cost of ownership as you cross the miles.

[swiftnfurious]

Looks like you have invested quite a lot of time for the pictorial review. Guess that's first of a kind! Good one.

Hey, do you really think Scala's back is "sexy"?!!

I had TDed a Sunny a week back and was bowled over it as a package. It's nice to drive as well as to be driven in! And a decent price too.

Congrats on the car and wish you miles of happy & safe motoring!

[Sheel]

I believe this shall spark a trend in which ownership reviews are penned on Team BHP. As Shankar says, the presentation is worth a mention.

It always pays to know what you want from your Car & seems the Scala will play the role beautifully.

And you do love Cars. For someone driving a Fortuner, Cruz & 3 series, penning a review of this stature can only be from a BHP-ian

[PatienceWins]

That is an innovative way of reviewing a car. A good one.
Scala seems to be a good chauffeur drive car - the owner enjoys the space while the driver has a boring drive.

[vb-saan]

Congratulations Karan! That’s a very well written review, letting the classy pictures to explain the key strengths of the car – i.e.; space and comfort. Thanks for sharing

On a side note, a pair of brown/tan shoes would have been better – to go with the brown belt and the Tag Heuer

[noopster]

Congratulations on your buy Karan and wish you many happy miles in your new baby!

I like the diesel Scala and think it's a decent enough vehicle to be chauffered around in absolute affordable luxury, with nicer looks than the Sunny to boot.

I really didn't understand how lack of reach adjust on the steering is a good point, though . Maybe you can explain?