The ownership of the Renault Lodgy is not what I intended with all the breakdowns that have happened in the past few months.

BHPian RhythmDivine recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi All,

Have been a fan of pre-worshipped cars for the last 14 years, from Cielo to Fabia to Linea. My lineup has had 12 pre-worshipped cars in the past 14 years. No cars in the past have given me any trouble and I was able to drive those for around a year before selling them off to a new buyer. My last pre worshipped car was Fiat Linea and it was in my garage for a good 2 years before I have to sell it off because of NGT rules in Delhi NCR. Now the search again started for a new pre worshipped car.

My requirement was for a 6 or 7-seater vehicle so ultimately there are few listed vehicles in the lineup.

1. Mahindra XUV500
2. Mahindra Rexton
3. Toyota Innova
4. Renault Lodgy
5. Nissan X Trail

Started the search and found some examples as well however for one reason or other the listed vehicle were not up to mark and hence rejected. Search continues for a good 3 months when I got a call from a dealer for a good Renault Lodgy with 3 years still left as per NGT rule. Went ahead and took a test ride and the vehicle felt quite comfortable at lower as well as higher speeds.

Purchased the vehicle in January 2022, got it serviced from Renault and went with family for a long journey to Kashmir to our 2nd home. Journeys continued from Kashmir to Himachal to Punjab and back to Kashmir. However, in between, there were a few MAJOR niggles which cropped up. I will list them below.

• Oil cooler leak
• AC direction knob malfunctioned
• Engine mounting all replaced
• Turbo waste gate pump fail
• AC water leak

Well, this is the first vehicle in my pre-owned vehicle category that has come up with so many malfunctions. As of now, have spent more than 50k on all the parts replaced. Sourcing them from Renault would have cost a bomb so relied on sourcing them from either Boodmo or parts dealer from Delhi.

Break up of things:

1. Oil cooler leak > involved in replacing oil cooler along with replacement of whole coolant system and flushing the coolant tank and pipes with battery water thoroughly and then pouring coolant again. As per Renault, they quoted an amount in excess of 30k for the whole process and got it fixed from a local multi-car service showroom with parts sourced from outside for less than 20k.
2. AC direction knob on the front malfunctioned so had to remove the whole dashboard to fix the Manulak motor, Renault quoted a price of more than 15k, again got it fixed from outside for less than 5k
3. Engine was making noise so got it checked from Renault and they diagnosed it with faulty engine mountings, quoted a price of more than 30k, and got it fixed from outside for less than 15k with original parts sourced from Boodmo
4. Vacuum pump failed and the vehicle started making a wheezing sound on acceleration, got it checked at Renault and they quoted a price of more than 70k for the whole turbo to be replaced. Got it checked from the outside and the problem was diagnosed with the actuator pump of the turbocharger. Sourced it from outside for less than 5k. Got all the hoses and pipes connected to the turbocharger cleaned including the turbo and intercooler and total thing cost less than 15k
5. AC waste water started seeping in from the front of the dashboard, got it checked and the pipe was blocked hence removed the blockage and it is working now
6. Along with that normal wear and tear including brake pad, brake disc, and gear oil is replaced.

In short, the ownership of the Renault Lodgy is not what I intended with all the breakdowns that have happened in the past few months however it has been a long tourer with Kashmir, Himachal, Punjab, Leh and Jammu as its destination. With a family of 3 adults, 2 kids and luggage this has been a perfect vehicle to commute long however the consistent niggles that have happened are making me think again. Should I keep this vehicle or sell it off for a new one.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

According to a media report, Renault does not plan to upgrade its K9K diesel engine to comply with BS6 emission regulations. The car maker has also discontinued the Lodgy MPV.

With the phasing out of the diesel engine, the Lodgy has been taken off the shelves. The remaining stocks of the Lodgy have also been sold out. All future Renault models, including the Captur and Duster will be offered with petrol engines only. 

The report suggests that Renault will focus on petrol powered vehicles post BS6. The company will introduce the Triber BS6 in 2020. It will also get an automatic transmission variant.

In addition to the Triber BS6, Renault also plans to launch a new sub-4 meter SUV in the Indian market. It is expected to be launched in the second half of next year.

Source

According to a media report, the Renault Kwid will get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity options on the top-end variant. Deliveries of the new cars are expected to commence from February 12, 2019.

The updated Kwid was launched in August 2018. Apart from minor exterior updates, the new model currently comes with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that has Bluetooth, USB and Aux-In but does not offer smartphone connectivity. Other notable additions include a rear view camera and a 12V socket for the rear seat occupants. With new safety regulations on the horizon, features like ABS and rear parking sensors are expected to be offered as standard across all variants.

Reports suggest that smartphone connectivity options will soon be available across Renault's full product range, including the Duster, Captur and Lodgy. 

Source: NDTV

The Renault Lodgy has scored a 0-star rating for adult occupant safety in Global NCAP crash tests. The MPV scored a 2-star rating for child occupant safety.

According to the test report, the Lodgy offered poor protection to the head and weak protection to the chest area of the driver. It offered marginal protection to the chest and knee regions of the passenger, but offered good protection for the passenger's head.

The child safety seat for a 3-year old occupant could not prevent excessive forward movement during an impact. It offered poor protection to the head and limited protection to the chest region of the child. The car offered good protection for the head and chest region of an 18-month old child. 

Further, the test report has noted that the bodyshell of the Lodgy was unstable and was not capable to withstand further loadings. The test vehicle was not equipped with seat belt pretensioners, airbags, ABS or ISOFIX child seat anchor points. The vehicle did not have 3-point seat belts for all seats and lacked a seat belt reminder.

Renault has launched the updated Lodgy Stepway in 5 variants at prices starting from Rs. 9.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The company had first launched the Lodgy Stepway in June 2015. While it was previously available only with the top-end RxZ variant, the Stepway can now be opted for in 5 variants and two engine options. Renault claims to have given the Stepway 16 new feature additions both - on the inside and outside.

The Lodgy Stepway is available with both 85 PS and 110 PS states of tune of the 1.5-litre engine. The 5 variants offered include RxL 85 PS, RxL 110 PS, RxZ 85 PS, RxZ 110 PS (7-seater) and RxZ 110 PS (8-seater). It now comes in 6 colour options - Pearl White, Moonlight Silver, Planet Grey, Royal Orchid, Slate Grey and Fiery Red - the last two being the new additions.

The Lodgy Stepway comes with a chrome-detailed front grille, front and rear skid plates, black plastic cladding, dark metal finished roof rails, Stepway decals and 16-inch Panache alloy wheels. The interiors get Gris Fume and beige coloured leather blended upholstery and door sill plates.

Prices of the updated Renault Lodgy Stepway range are:
• Lodgy Stepway RxL 85 PS 8S - Rs. 9,43,831
• Lodgy Stepway RxL 110 PS 8S - Rs. 10,09,831
• Lodgy Stepway RxZ 85 PS 8S - Rs. 10,17,831
• Lodgy Stepway RxZ 110 PS 8S - Rs. 10,96,831
• Lodgy Stepway RxZ 110 PS 7S - Rs. 11,26,831

Thank you to BHPian Satshan for sharing this information with other enthusiasts!

Renault India has silently discontinued the RxZ trim level from the Lodgy's variant line-up. This trim level change was probably made with the launch of the World Edition model in July. After this change, the Lodgy 110 PS can now only be opted in the World Edition variant, which misses out on various features that were a part of the Lodgy RxZ's feature list.

The most glaring omission is that of the passenger side airbag. The top-end Lodgy 110 PS World Edition only gets a Driver Side airbag, though ABS is standard across the range. Rear wash/wipe and defogger have also been bid farewell. Other major features missing from the World Edition trim include cruise control, reverse sensors/camera, driver armrest, steering mounted audio and phone controls, and a touchscreen infotainment system with GPS navigation.

The current Lodgy variant line-up is as follows:
• LODGY 85 PS Std (8-seater) - Rs. 7,58,831
• LODGY 85 PS RxE (8-seater) - Rs. 8,56,831
• LODGY 85 PS RxE (7-Seater) - Rs. 8,56,831
• LODGY 85 PS RxL (8-seater) - Rs. 9,43,831
• LODGY World Edition 85 PS (8-seater) -Rs. 9,73,831
• LODGY World Edition 110 PS (8-seater) - Rs. 10,39,831
(All prices ex-showroom Delhi)

Renault India has introduced a new special edition variant of the Lodgy MPV. Named the Lodgy World Edition, this new variant will be offered in both 85 PS and 110 PS engine tunes, which will be priced at Rs. 9.74 lakh and Rs. 10.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), respectively. Renault says that the Lodgy World Edition gets 25 visual and functional enhancements, as compared to the standard variant.

On the outside, the new Lodgy variant gets a revised front grille, while the fog lamp housings get chrome satin garnish. Black cladding has been added to the front bumper's lower portion, while a silver faux skid plate is placed below the air dam. The wheel arches too get the black plastic cladding, and house new 15-inch Nepta finish alloys. The roof rails get dual-tone treatment with a chrome satin finish. The Lodgy World Edition will be offered in four colours: the new Fiery Red, Royal Orchid, Pearl White and Moonlight Silver.

The interiors of Lodgy World Edition get a glossy black foam steering wheel with two-toned World Edition badge. The new seat upholstery is detailed with anodized orange lining. Similar anodized orange finish is given to the centre ring of the instrument cluster and air vents.

Features on offer with the Renault Lodgy World Edition include 2nd and 3rd row AC, electrically adjustable ORVMs, 2-DIN music system with Bluetooth connectivity, central locking with keyless entry, headlight turn on reminder, and 12V charging sockets in both first and second rows.

Renault India has also announced a 3CARE maintenance package for the Lodgy. This includes 3 years of warranty (up to 60,000 km), 3 years of road side assistance (up to 60,000 Km) and 3 years of periodic maintenance service (up to 30,000 Km). The Renault 3CARE package will be offered at prices starting from Rs. 22,142.

Starting price of the Renault Lodgy has been dropped by around Rs. 1 lakh. The price drop has been executed only in the 85 PS line-up of the MPV, while the 110 PS variants still retail at the older price.

The Lodgy was launched in India in April 2015. In May 2016, Renault India sold 730 units of Lodgy, after experiencing an 86.7% growth as compared to April 2016, when just 391 units of the Lodgy were sold. Now, Renault India has decided to spur things a bit and is thus trying to boost sales of the MPV by giving a significant price drop to the 85 PS line-up.

Renault offers the Lodgy 85 PS in four variants: STD, RxE (both 7-seater and 8-seater), RxL, and RxZ. Prices of the Lodgy STD variant have been reduced by 96 thousand rupees, while that of the RxE have been cut by around 80 thousand. The RxL trim is now 55 thousand cheaper, while the lowest price cut of 34 thousand has been given to the top-end RxZ variant.

The Lodgy is powered by a 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine, which is offered in two states of tune: 84 BHP and 108 BHP. There is no petrol engine on offer with the MPV.

New prices of the Renault Lodgy 85 PS variants (ex-showroom Delhi) are as follows:
• Lodgy STD - Rs. 7,58,831
• Lodgy RxE - Rs. 8,56,831
• Lodgy RxL - Rs. 9,43,831
• Lodgy RxZ - Rs. 10,99,000

Source: MyCarHelpline

Renault recently introduced the Duster with an AMT. The new gearbox is offered as an option with the 1.5L diesel engine in its 108 BHP / 245 Nm state of tune and is available only with two-wheel drive. Renault has already confirmed its plans to introduce an AMT variant of the Kwid hatchback and now, the Lodgy MPV may get a variant with an automated manual transmission as well.

According to the report by NDTV, Renault will introduce an 'Easy-R' variant with a 6-speed AMT for the 108 BHP Lodgy. The Lodgy and Duster are based on the same platform and share powertrains as well. The addition of the AMT gearbox will give the Lodgy a much needed differentiating factor as there is a lack of a diesel automatic MPV in the market.

The Ertiga does get the option of an automatic, but it's only offered with the petrol engine, and while the Innova Crysta will get a diesel automatic, it is expected to get a heftier price tag than the outgoing model, which only gets a 5-speed manual gearbox and is already more expensive than the Lodgy. In a way, Renault could give the Lodgy the same advantage over the Innova that the Duster AMT has over the Hyundai Creta AT - a more affordable price point.

Renault may also be looking to take advantage of the Innova's expected price rise to tap into the fleet operator market. The Innova has been the fleet operators' workhorse of choice, but with the prices expected to rise, Renault may launch taxi market-centric versions of the Lodgy that will be cheaper than the current model. These variants will offer the bare minimum in terms of features, have a limited range of colours and may have different plastics and fabrics on the inside to cut production costs.

Renault India is planning to launch a range of utility vehicles in India. The French automaker saw immense success with the Duster and has attempted to replicate the SUV's traits with the Kwid. Now, Renault plans to expand its utility vehicle line-up and offer multiple models in different price brackets.

Speculated to be on the list is a rival to the XUV500, codenamed the HHA, which may be revealed in 2017. The SUV will be a derivative of the Renault Captur, which itself was supposedly on its way to India in 2018. Like the Hyundai Creta and Mahindra XUV500, the HHA will capitalize on the decreasing popularity of D-segment sedans - a phenomenon that has already made the Fluence its victim (apart from Renault's lack of interest in promoting it). The SUV is likely to see a lot of part sharing with the Lodgy and Duster, enabling cost savings, helping Renault price it competitively.

In addition to the HHA, an MPV and SUV based on the CMF-A platform are expected to be on their way. These models could be priced in the 5-10 lakh bracket. It is likely that one (if not both) of these models will be a sub-4 metre offering.

The Renault Duster, which established the brand in India has seen its market share drop of late. In order to tackle the pressure from Hyundai, Ford and Mahindra, Renault will be bringing in the facelifted Duster, with the launch possibly taking place at next year's auto expo.

Source: ET Auto