2017 Renault Lodgy Stepway Review
Car Tested: 2017 Renault Lodgy Stepway; Test Location: Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 12.88 – 15.13 lakhs
The Renault Lodgy Stepway is a very spacious MPV that is also capable
Mumbai is a beautiful city and there are so many iconic and heritage sights in this city to watch out for. The city feels young and fast-growing, just like Renault, which has been growing steadily in the market. While the Duster and Kwid have been success stories, there is one car in the line-up which is an underdog despite being a very good package. We spent a Saturday evening watching the sunset from a yacht on the Arabian Sea and then went on to explore some popular locations in Mumbai with the 2017 Renault Lodgy Stepway.
Talking about the car first, the French automaker introduced the Lodgy in India in 2015 and even though it got a lot of praises for what it offers, the MPV couldn’t really set the sales charts on fire. Renault then went on to launch the Lodgy Stepway which is a more premium version of the vehicle and gets better aesthetics.
Most of the changes to the Lodgy Stepway are to the cosmetics only. On the outside, you get some additional chrome bits on the body, along with an RxZ emblem on the A-pillar. You also get a chrome accented grille and 8-spoke alloy wheels. You also get Stepway body stickering on the front doors. Even though the tweaks aren’t really major, the Stepway trim still manages to look better than the regular Lodgy.
The interiors are similar to the regular variants of the Renault Lodgy and you get features like AC vents for all rows, a touch-screen infotainment system with inbuilt navigation (which works really well), reverse parking camera, 12V charging socket in all rows, and remote lock/unlock. The AC does a good job of cooling the rather large cabin while the audio system sounds decent. I felt the cubby holes and storage spaces at the front to be inadequate and struggled to find a place to keep my phone, wallet, etc. within easy reach. The seats are really comfortable even though I found them to be slightly on the stiffer side. The seats get good quality checkered covers. The Lodgy Stepway is offered in 7-seater as well as 8-seater versions. Since the driver’s seat is 8-way adjustable, I found my perfect driving position very quickly.
Captain seats in the 7-seater variants are a very comfortable place to be in
The Renault Lodgy Stepway is offered in RxL and RxZ trims. Both the trims are offered with the 85 PS and 110 PS engine tunes with the 8-seater configuration while the RxZ 110 PS tune also gets the 7-seater configuration. The 85 PS tune gets a 5-speed manual gearbox while the higher tune gets a 6-speed manual transmission. Our test car was a 7-seater RxZ 110. The Lodgy is based on the same platform as the Duster and it is known to be pretty robust and durable.
Even the engine is very punchy and a reliable unit, taking 14.33 seconds to do the 0-100 km/hr sprint. We started driving the Renault Lodgy from Gateway of India and headed towards Marine Drive. Experienced some traffic on the way since it was a Saturday and got to experience the clutch which is neither light nor heavy. The steering, though, feels pretty light at city speeds and it continuously gives good feedback. Even though the Lodgy is a long car, manoeuvring it isn’t that cumbersome once you get used to its length.
After a quick stopover for some photos, we headed towards the Bandra-Worli Sea Link where we got to experience the Lodgy Stepway at speeds up to 80 km/hr (speed limit!!). Must say, the engine is really well tuned and Renault has done a good job of reducing the effect of the turbo lag. The oil-burner feels punchy 2000 RPM onwards and there is grunt till 4000 RPM. I can easily say that the Lodgy can effortlessly munch miles for hours without any fuss. I’m sure you want to know the fuel efficiency, which is a claimed figure of 19.98 km/l, and ideally, should give you 13-14 km/l under mixed driving conditions.
The tyres have decent grip for regular usage and you won’t have a reason to complain unless you would want to push your car across every corner you see. The suspension is extremely well tuned and hence the ride is fantastic. Even the handling characteristics are good by MPV standards. In fact, the Lodgy is one of those few MPVs which doesn’t drive like one. The brakes are again pretty decent and there shouldn’t be a reason to complain on that front as well.
The Lodgy has the ability to perform better in terms of sales in our market
On the safety front, the Lodgy Stepway comes equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, and cruise control with speed limiter. An area where Renault lacks behind is the dealership network. The automaker has few showrooms and service centres in even major cities and that is a major negative. However, looking at the insane success which the Kwid has earned, Renault is definitely expanding its reach across the country.
The Renault Lodgy is one of the most under-rated cars in the mass-market segment. It is priced reasonable and offers excellent practicality, comfort and driveability. While the base variants of the car are popular in the fleet market, Renault is now targeting private buyers and with the launch of the Stepway variant, the Lodgy gets a premium touch as well, which makes it one of the stronger offerings in the MPV segment.
Further Reading –
Renault Lodgy Long Term Review
Renault Lodgy World Edition Travelogue
Renault Lodgy Review