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Old 9th May 2007, 00:04   #1
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Logan 1.4 test driven..

I was looking for an upgrade..three years of driving an alto..i wanted something better, bigger/ more spacious and definitely upmarket.
My budget was around five lakhs. so i checked all the cars who are near that figure. I drove UVA, Getz prime, Ikon...etc. But somehow didn't like any.

Then there was a ray of hope in Logan....it has that conservative, traditional look which is missing in these days...cab forward designs are the in thing. it does not look as if the boot has been pasted behind the hatch. It is big....bigger than the hatches we have in the market.

My budget allowed me to zero in on the Logan 1.4 GLE (The base variant GL does not have power steering.......no PS in 4.5 lakh car..that's plain stupid mahindra!!). The on road price for the GLE is Rs.5.12 Lakhs. More or less the exact amount I can manage. So off I went to the showroom to have a look if this IS the right one.

First Impression:
The first thing you notice is its size...It is big..definitely big..and has that BIG CAR look to it. The wheels had the fattest rubber..atleast in this category. In flesh it is a good looking car. But its not flashy from any angle...it looks like a no nonsense car.


Exterior:
A close look at the bumper will reveal the cheap paint finish of the bumpers. The finish on the body and bumpers is completely different. The grill suffers from the same poor finish problem.

It only has one reverse light. Maybe it does the job...but to me its some thing missing.

The door mirrors, door handles made of cheap black plastic. most probably imported from China.

Interiors:
The HUGE thing continues inside as well. The car can seat five adults with ease. The space is enough for a six footer like me. The seat were comfortable. elbow room was fine.

I don't have a liking for beige interiors...but since they look upmarket..everyone is following suit...so does Mahindra...but miserably fails in making it look upmarket.

When you touch the plastics used on the door, dashboard, switches...you feel dissappointed. I can only compare the quality with my Alto...because on this front..cars like Santro, Getz win this hands down. Such cheap interiors for a five lakh car...not done.


The drive:
Pickup: Fine for a car of its size & weight. It was more or less okay. Didn't see a problem there.
A/C: Mediocre cooling....but plus point is..it doesn't affect the car's performance.
Speed/ Highway: Keep pressing that pedal...but it won't go beyond 120kph. And will take hours to reach there. I had a straight empty expressway in front of me....and a wagon R passes by.....then an Ikon. nothing more left to say.


Bottomline:
This car was designed to be cheap. And cheap it is. In every way you can think of. I can see only one plus point in this car..i.e. space...nothing else. It is only good for those buyers who have space as their only requirement. The Big hatches like Swift/UVA beat this car at price, quality and performance.

As far as my decision is concerned I have booked a Palio Stile 1.6...which is more powerful (definitely an upgrade on this front), 30 thousands cheaper, fully loaded (comes with all four power windows, alloy wheels..etc) and feels more pricey than the el-cheapo Logan. I dumped Logan just because it feels cheap all around. And when I am paying double the amount of what I paid for the Alto...I deserve something better...and this is not it.
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Old 9th May 2007, 00:29   #2
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Dear Ashutoshb,

Great TD feedback with details.The 1st I have come across on Logan..There seem to be general lack of interest on this car..Realise it 'why' after reading your TD review..One adjective that stands out from your feedback is Cheap..Congrats on Palio 1.6!
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Old 9th May 2007, 02:11   #3
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So you dumped one 'made for the developing market' car for another! Great decision in the end.If only FIAT could provide ABS with EBD and airbags,now that everyone is catching up with the safety bandwagon.They did provide those in the past, but sadly the market was'nt ready for any of those safety features at that point of time.

However, I'm surprised you find the Palio's interior quality better than Logan! Is the Logan that bad? Palio 1.6 is a rocking car, but beware, the interiors are of cheap quality.I'm talking from personal experience of owning both the 1.2 and 1.6.For example, I've experienced this rather bizarre phenomenon with both my cars.During summers, the side a/c vents actually pop out of their position and you can actually pull it out with your finger! The thing actually expands due to the heat and pops out of its place! I think I should upload a picture of that. I would have discounted this thing if it happened on one car.But both cars share the same problem.
I have never seen this on any other car.So there you have it,beautifully built exteriors with cheap quality interiors.And the dash attracts a lot of dirt.Apart from that,its great VFM.

Good report on the Logan 1.4. You did mention space as one of the only positives, but isn't this car supposed to be having a great ride as well?Whats your take on that?But yeah, no one seems to be interested in this car or maybe its still early days.I have seen just a single golden Logan in Mumbai and already looked dated

Last edited by roms : 9th May 2007 at 02:17.
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Old 9th May 2007, 06:48   #4
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Except for the boot space, Palio is better than Logan in all the aspects. Don't know much about Renault's quality of service with Mahindra.
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Old 9th May 2007, 10:58   #5
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Cheap .. cheap .. cheap... thats all everyone who has a look at the Logan has to say, and its not about the pricing. To date, i have seen just one Loagn in Bangalore, marron shade and that too being driven by Mahindra officials. All hype, and no go, thats what it is.
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Old 9th May 2007, 11:12   #6
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Thats a good decision with the Palio 1.6. You'll like it a lot; the only caveat being the subjectively lower FE compared to your Alto.
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Old 9th May 2007, 11:38   #7
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Good decision....and congrats on the purchase of palio 1.6 stile.. Defenitely a better car than Logan.And Fiat has improved on the interiors in the stile...Logan is good enough for a Taxi and thats it... Dint know that when the said cheap car they mean cheap looking car at a high price!
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Old 9th May 2007, 11:43   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roms View Post
For example, I've experienced this rather bizarre phenomenon with both my cars.During summers, the side a/c vents actually pop out of their position and you can actually pull it out with your finger!
Yes. The left AC vent of my Palio also had popped out long ago. During my service, I asked him to fix it. Dunno what Sundaram did, it has not popped out till now. However, the plastic attached to what would have been the rear quarter glass (inside portion) has popped out now. Because of this, I hear a lot of rattling. There is a service due, possibly next week. So, I should fix this issue.

The bottom line is, I am not too happy with the quality of interior fit and finish of Palio. These are minor issues, but a better fit and finish would have made my life easier.

Sorry for going off topic.

Anyways, a good review of the Logan. At this rate, I see Logan doing pretty badly unless they get their quality levels better.
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Old 9th May 2007, 11:50   #9
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Quote:
As far as my decision is concerned I have booked a Palio Stile 1.6
Thank god!! After the first part of your report, I thought you booked the Logan. Nice car the 1.6. RED? Congratulations.
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Old 9th May 2007, 15:05   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashutoshb View Post
As far as my decision is concerned I have booked a Palio Stile 1.6...which is more powerful (definitely an upgrade on this front), 30 thousands cheaper, fully loaded (comes with all four power windows, alloy wheels..etc)
Really a VFM as far as palio stlile 1.6 is concerned. Moreover driving it will make you smile everytime you take it on highways. though FE will be somewhere around 10-11kmpl in city.
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Old 9th May 2007, 16:06   #11
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A very good review....and Congratulations for the new Car...1.6 Palio is a very good Choice.

cheers
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Old 9th May 2007, 17:15   #12
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re:

Quote:
Originally Posted by roms View Post
I'm surprised you find the Palio's interior quality better than Logan! Is the Logan that bad?
yep! its that bad!! As I said earlier i can only compare it with my alto. and i think except for the shade..alto's dash plastics are better...far much better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by roms View Post
isn't this car supposed to be having a great ride as well?
great ride....i admit...very comfortable. i think those high profile tyres may have helped as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by theMAG View Post
the only caveat being the subjectively lower FE compared to your Alto.
FE doesn't matter...i hope it will atleast give 10+

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Thank god!! After the first part of your report, I thought you booked the Logan. Nice car the 1.6. RED? Congratulations.
thanks I ve booked one in black.
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Old 9th May 2007, 17:36   #13
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Hey ashutoshb, a test report of the 1.6 is in order. It produces more power than the Petra/GTX 1.6 - 100 BHP if I am not mistaken. Wanted to test drive the car in Mumbai but could not because of a lack of time. So i will look forward to your test report.

On the Logan, poor Mahindra&Mahindra. Their thunder just got stolen by the SX4.
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Old 9th May 2007, 18:05   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by typeOnegative View Post
Hey ashutoshb, a test report of the 1.6 is in order. It produces more power than the Petra/GTX 1.6 - 100 BHP if I am not mistaken.
Stile 1.6 is 100 PS and not 100 BHP. Or are you talking of Logan 1.6, if any such thing exists there.
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Old 9th May 2007, 18:11   #15
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Great Report on the Logan.Seems like a non mover ..What will Mahindra do ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by deepakhon View Post
Yes. The left AC vent of my Palio also had popped out long ago.
I thought that the 2 vents near the 2 front doors always were made to come out with my fingers. Have removed it , cleaned the interiors and put it back many times.
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