Long Term Report Wrap up
The Renault Lodgy arrived in our long term fleet three and a half months ago. And we've already driven it for more than 7,500km. Little did I know that it would be used so extensively and yet do so well. Especially, when all this mileage is under different road and weather conditions. Right from the sweltering summer in Mumbai, to the current rains that can soak one to the bone, the Lodgy has seen it all in such a short span.
I can already conclude that the Lodgy is far from ordinary by any account and this 110PS variant is all the more so. It scores well on many aspects - performance, driver comfort, passenger comfort and luggage space. I explained it in detail in our second report and in the third report went on to analyse that the space, comfort, infotainment and communication system, accessibility etc. are on par with the competition.
This MPV is a huge vehicle and the K9K diesel mill powering the car has enough potential for city rides or even the highway runs. This 1.5-litre diesel motor producing 108bhp, 245Nm is smooth, free of unwanted vibrations and torquey. Despite driving in the least fuel-efficient manner, the fuel economy has never dropped to less than 11kmpl. I have been averaging 12kmpl, though the car was fully loaded with luggage and six people at times. The steering and the clutch are a bit heavy for continuous driving in city traffic. However, the ride is flat and makes every occupant feel comfortable and safe in any seat. The low ingress levels and large doors provide easy entry and exit of passengers in the spacious and quiet cabin.
Also, loading the luggage becomes stress-free thanks to the low loading lip and huge tail gate. Speaking of which, I would also want to point out that the different seat fold and tumble options make way for stacking good amount of stuff. So much so, that we even managed to put in a two-wheeler and transport it. Needless to say, one of my colleagues found the Lodgy very useful to move house.
In our real world, you can say we managed to transform the Lodgy into a truck. Nonetheless, it was mostly used as a comfortable people carrier as opposed to something more utilitarian like what can be seen in pictures. Not many people might do all of this, but if need be, yes the Lodgy can easily do it. So if you do have a big family and more than four members travel together frequently, head to a Renault showroom and take benefits of the huge discounts currently offered on the new MPV. No other MPV comes close. The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio are smaller than the Lodgy and the Toyota Innova is way too pricey.
Pictures by Kapil Angane
Click here to read the Renault Lodgy's first long term report
Click here to read the Renault Lodgy's second long term report
Click here to read the Renault Lodgy's third long term report
