Henny's First Drive: 2013 Dacia (Renault) Lodgy

Dacia Lodgy Bargain MPV

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel

MARRAKECH, Morocco, June 15, 2012. Seven years ago, Renault revived the Rumanian Dacia brand by entering the first model (Logan) in the affordable segment on European markets. Dacia is part of Renault’s Gamme Entry, which also covers the Dacia models that are sold as Renault in countries such as Russia and Egypt. There, Renault uses its own brand name for the budget models, because in emerging market its image is not hurt by doing so.

Customers were not really enthusiastic, though, resulting in a false start of Dacia. Two years later, the arrival of the Logan MCV changed the tide. Up till now 8,800 units have been sold. In 2008, in the middle of the financial crisis, customers started looking more and more at bargain-priced models. It happened to be that Dacia’s next model, the Sandero, arrived right in time. Two years ago Dacia also introduced the Duster, followed just this month by the Lodgy. In the fall they will be joined by a fifth model.

Bargain
The new Lodge is going to play an important role in the ongoing growth of Dacia. Entering the Lodgy ‘Glace’ into ice races in France, is helping the visibility of the brand. Jean-Paul Renaux, managing director of Renault Netherlands says that Dacia customers are different from Renault customers: “However, you cannot say that they have no passion for the brand, since our yearly Dacia picnic is a huge success. During the first Sunday in June, we organized the picnic for the 6th time. Some 1,750 people were present with around 600 Dacia’s. Of course, they saw the new Lodgy, that arrived a day later in the Renault-Dacia showrooms.

With its low price, the Lodgy is a bargain in the segment of the MPVs. To American customers this may not sound cheap, but you should realize that in Europe, cars are heavily taxed. In The Netherlands, cars are heavily taxed: the price of the Lodgy starts there at 15,000 euros. A good indication form the prices in the UK, where the Lodgy is available from 9,000 British pounds, up to 15,000 GBP for the top model, which is equipped with Renault’s 1.5-liter 109 hp strong dCi diesel engine and standard power windows, airco, touch screen sat-nav and rear parking sensors. Competitors offer such models starting at some 24,000 GBP.

Clean production
The first driving event with the Lodgy took place near Marrakech in Morocco. That is not really next door, but there was some logic behind this introduction, as the model is built in the new plant in Tanger. Renault intended to give us a tour, but that proved to be impossible since the plant is starting up production of a new model that has not yet been officially announced.

Upon my questions about it, Arnaud Jeager, program director for Dacia, said that it will be a commercial van, to be unveiled later this summer and hitting the market in the fall. Renault invested one billion euros in this plant, which employs three thousand people. Only a couple of hundred employees do not have the Moroccan nationality. All are trained in a special technical center on the plant’s premises.

Tanger is the first plant in the word that produces cars without generating waste water or CO2-emissions. It has an annual capacity of 170,000 cars, which can be extended to 400,000 units, depending on the demand of the Lodgy and the upcoming new model.

Defined goals
With a length of just over 177 inches, the Lodgy really suits people who need a large and economical family car. It offers huge luggage space of 29 cu-ft., which that can be extended to 92 cu-ft.

The Lodgy is available as a 5- and 7-seater, with a choice of three engines and three trims. Renault expects to sell 70 percent of the Lodgy as a five seater, and 85 percent with the new 1.2 TCe, a 115 hp strong petrol engine.

When I asked how many stars the Lodgy will get when tested for the EuroNCap crash test, Arnaud Jaeger said bluntly: “Three. That is the goal for all our models. We offer the Lodgy with four airbags in the front and three-point safety belts for all seats, up front with retracting seat belts. The second row has Isofix points for installing three child seats. With these measures the safety is absolutely sufficient.”

Mr. Jeager continued: “Our business model is aimed at offering the best quality/price relationship. We work with net prices and a low margin. This means there is no room for deals. But chasing more stars in the EuroNCap, such as for improved pedestrian safety, is a costly affair. This does not only increase the prices of the cars, but also increases the weight. The Lodge weighs only 2.767 pounds, which reflects in excellent fuel economy.”

Surprisingly good
Driving the Lodgy proved to be a surprise. Do not expect luxury equipment such as power seats and the latest technology. But finding the right position behind the steering wheel is easy, the seat is excellent. In the cabin you may not expect more than hard plastic, but the build quality is really o.k. ABS with emergency stop and ESP with traction control are standard on all variants, while suspension and engines come from well-known Renault models. For instance, the 1.2-liter TCe petrol engine recently made its debut in the renewed Mégane.
On the bad Moroccan roads, the suspension performs well and evens out the potholes and bumps. But the comfortable ride has some body roll in corners as a down side. Comfort is enhanced by a low noise level, thanks to good sound insulation.. Steering is good and obedient, while the engines – I drove all variants – perform well. We had to make several emergency stops, that proved the braking is also good. All together the Lodgy scores well in the C segment, where you will have to pay twice as much for competitive models such as the Volkswagen Touran, or even the Renault Grand Scénic.