Renault is betting big on the Lodgy MPV which is likely to be a big success for the French automaker. The Renault Lodgy will be positioned to take on the Maruti Ertiga and Honda Mobilio.
Renault has only one successful product in its lineup in India and that is set to change as the Lodgy MPV will be launched next month and is bound to do good numbers. Renault has taken its sweet time bringing the car to India but has tweaked it to better suit our market, giving both the exterior and interior an uplift to attract Indian buyers who value aesthetics highly. Powering the car will be the same set of diesel engines that do duty on the Duster, thus the 1.5-litre k9k mill will output either 85 PS/200 Nm or 110 PS/245 Nm.
In the lower 85 PS tune, the ARAI certified mileage is 21.04 km/l while in the higher tune (with VGT), the Lodgy returns 19.98 km/l. There is no petrol engine on offer and nor is there an automatic gearbox on the diesels, the 85 PS model being matched to a 5-speed gearbox while the more powerful diesel engine is paired to a 6-speed unit. The vehicle weighs 1368 kgs for the top-end model (not the Stepaway which will also be offered) and features a 50-litre fuel tank. It has a boot space of 207-litres (with all rows up) and gets AC vents in all three rows.
Noteworthy features on the Renault Lodgy include dual airbags, ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, MEDIANAV infotainment system, cruise control, rear parking sensors and reverse parking camera. Renault is offering the Lodgy in 7 and 8 seater options and the vehicle runs on 185/65/15 tyres. The Lodgy measures 4498 mm in length, 1751 mm in width and boasts of a 1697 mm height, the wheelbase is 2810 mm long. The company will price the Renault Lodgy between Rs. 8 to 12 lakhs and the omission of a petrol option comes as a surprise since this MPV’s main rivals are offered with gasoline engines.
