MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
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RenaultLodgy<br />
highlymisunderstood<br />
extremelycapable<br />
Vikram GourownsaToyotaInnova–it’sdonewelover100,000km alreadyandyet,everytimewedriveit,thedamncarfeels<br />
likeit’sfreshoftheassemblyline.OK,somaybeIexaggeratedalitlethere–itfeelslikeit’sjustamonthold.There,that’sbeter.<br />
Whatmakesitsuchagreatvehicle?Wel,it’sspacious,hasgreatergonomics,comfortlevelsareroof-tophighandit’sgota<br />
mechanicalpackagethat’snotonlypowerfulandeficient,butsuperreliableaswel.ForgettheGTs,theInnovaisprobablythe<br />
bestlong-distancetourerinIndia.Butthisisn’tabouttheToyotaInnova.<br />
Quitefranklyit’salitledisappointingthattheToyotaInnovahasremainedunchalengedintheful-blownMPVspaceeversince<br />
itfirstlaunchedin2005.Withsuchahugemarkettocateryou’dthinkthatmanufacturerslikeHonda,Ford,Chevroletand<br />
Volkswagen which have competing productsin foreign marketswould jump atthe opportunity and bring in a proper<br />
Innova-competitorinsteadofmostofthem choosingtosteerclearandsettlewithsmalerpseudo-MPVs.Infact,forthelongest<br />
time,theonlyrealcompetitiontotheInnovacameinfrom twoIndianmanufacturers–TatawiththeAriaandMahindrawiththe<br />
Xylo.BoththesecarsthoughbroughtintheirownUSPtotheoferings–theXylowascheaperalongwiththecompromisesa<br />
lowercostcomewithandtheAriahad4×4andpeggedasamorelifestylechoice.Andthen,RenaultcameupwiththeLodgy.<br />
TheRenaultLodgyhasbeendismissedmany-a-timeintheMPV debateagainsttheInnova,butletmejustputitoutthere–it’s<br />
theclosestMPV availableinIndiathathasthepotentialtotakeontheToyotaInnova,andsometimeswintoo.Thebiggest<br />
predicamentwiththeLodgyisonpaper–the1.5-litredieselunitseemstootinycomparedtotheInnova’s2.4-litremil–andthat<br />
setsthetonefortherestofthedebate.Butifyou’reamorematurekindofperson,you’dlookrightpastthisissuebecause<br />
downsizingintermsofcubiccapacitydoesn’tnecessarilymeanlosingoutonperformance,especialywhenyou’relookingat<br />
twtwoenginesseparatedbyyearsofdevelopment.TheLodgy’s1.5dCipowerplanthasprovenitselftimeandagaininmanycars<br />
althewayfrom littlehatchbackstosedansandsmalSUVs.It’spotentialisofnolessmeritintheLodgy.<br />
AsintheDuster,the1.5dCiisoferedintwostatesoftune–85PSand 10PS.We’reconsideringthemorepowerful10PSversion<br />
here,simplybecauseintheRxZ7-seatertrim,itisthetop-of-the-linevariantaswelatRs12.3lakh(ex-showroom,Delhi).The<br />
engineisrefined and makeswel,10PS@ 4,000rpm butmoreimportantly,245Nm @ 1750rpm.Inon-paperterms,these<br />
numbersefectivelykilthe‘smalerengine’argumentthattheLodgyhaswiththeInnova.It’smorepowerfulandhasmore<br />
torqueaswel–two numbersthatnotonlytranslatehow fastyou can go,butalso go along wayin determining the<br />
power-to-weightratioofacarandinturn,it’sfueleficiency.TheLodgyisclaimedtoreturnabout15kmplinthecityandalmost<br />
20kmplonthehighwaywhichareactualyextremelyrespectablefigures.<br />
GetintotheLodgyanddriveitforthefirsttimeandyougetamazedwithhow car-liketheLodgyfeelsifyoudiscountthehigher<br />
seatingpositionandthemassivecavernofspacebehindyou.Evenwithafulload(weweredrivingitaroundwitheither5adults<br />
and2kidsorwith3adults,2kidsandloadsofluggageintheback),theLodgypowersupwelandremainsextremelydriveable<br />
throughthegears.Three-digitcruisingspeedsarenotaproblem atalandthefuelgaugeneverhadmeworiedeither.The<br />
secondbitthathitsyouistheawesomeroadmannersthattheLodgyhas–Renaulthasalwaysdoneagreatjobwithsuspension<br />
setupsandthiscarisnodiferent.TurningcircleistightforavehicleoftheLodgy’ssize,whichmeansmanoeuvringthroughcity<br />
traficisn’tabigdealeither.<br />
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