The trusty K9K 1.5-litre four-pot turbo-diesel engine finds its place in the Lodgy in two guises: 85 PS/200 Nm with a fixed geometry turbine and 110 PS/245 Nm with variable turbine geometry. We had the latter at our disposal. The motor has obvious diesel clatter on the outside, but inside, it’s well taken care of. The six-speed gearbox (five in the dCi85) drives the front wheels and slots rather well.
The motor pulls cleanly, but the lack of immediate bottom-end is evident, before the whoosh of the turbo brings a wave of torque post 1,750 RPM. The steering in our car was a bit vague and had quite a bit of play, which was all the more disorienting on the highway where speeds climbed over 80 km/h. The dCi110 goes on to a claimed 170 km/h. The suspension takes into account the length and height of the car, so body-roll, although perceptible, is not as disconcerting as one may imagine. The brake pedal of the car we had too seemed to be misbehaving, with an on-off feel. Thankfully, ABS is offered on this variant, because locking up can be very easy in a panic braking situation. We shall have to wait for the road test to determine how the brakes actually behave.
Renault also claim exceptional fuel efficiency figures; as high as 21 km/l. The Lodgy is being offered only in the diesel guise is available in seven variants, going by their options. The official accessories list is also very extensive. Renault have priced the Lodgy in the Rs 8-12 lakh range for the base dCi85 to the RxZ dCi110 with leather interior, captain’s seats, safety pack and sat-nav.
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Competition Check (Diesel only)
Chevrolet Enjoy: Rs 7.71-9.20 lakh
Chevrolet Tavera: Rs 10.78-13.25 lakh
Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga: Rs 8.78-10.26 lakh
Honda Mobilio: Rs 9.42-13.85 lakh
Toyota Innova: Rs 13.01-17.47 lakh
