Mahindra-Renault Logan 1.6 Petrol - Lo(gan) & Behold!

The 90 horses that charge out from the exhaust are not very spirited, to say the least. Its not wild like the Fiesta neither is it refined and relaxed like the Aveo’s 1.6L motor. This 1600 cee cee engine likes to take life easy and does not like being flogged. But work is work and I did have to open the taps violently to come up with a naught to hundred time. Aimless and confused when given the beans, the 1.6L motor helps the Logan reach a hundred clicks in 13.8 seconds while when trying to max it out, we saw 170 on the speedo, the accurate reading of which translated to 155.9kmph on our vehicle testing equipment. But the nature of this engine is not to deliver scorching performance but to deliver modest performance in conjunction with decent fuel efficiency, and keeping the current crop of 1600cc engines doing the rounds, the Logan’s engine is not all that bad.

The 121Nm of torque is spread evenly in between the lower and mid range which makes driving around town a breeze. Offered from as low as 2000 rpm, the availability of the torque makes sure that the gear shift is kept to the minimum. Thank god for that because the shift quality is not really all that pleasing. The gears do slot in with a crisp action, but the quality is no where in the league of the Fiesta or even the Swift for that matter! The steering though could have been a little smaller in size, sends the correct amount of feedback to your palm grips. The turn-in is just right and the car holds on to its line well. The handling is reticent when it comes to instant steering feed and agility is not really her forte, still the car manages to satisfy with the overall balance.

The ride quality is like no other in the segment, and despite the car being endowed with a luxurious ride, the suspension does not even once feel like it is floundering to a great measure. The straight line stability is impressive and even on the curves, that odd pothole does not make her lose sleep. I did however wished that the road-noise was better insulated. But that’s it! The ride is indeed exemplary. Braking hard from a hundred kilometers an hour, the Logan did not break sweat and was composed all through and covered 67.2 meters in 4.8 seconds without any drama. The anchors exhibited good bite and did not show any sign of fade even after repeated braking tests.

Fuel Efficiency

As is to be expected, the 1.6 litre engine is not what you call fuel efficient, but keeping in mind that it is an engine that fights with the likes of Fiesta 1.6 and SX4, the numbers are not all that bad. The packed city lanes notwithstanding, the Logan returned a respectable figure of 10.8kmpl while on the highway, cruising at a steady 80kmph with constant throttle feed, this car managed just under 14kmpl.

Summing it up

It’s sober, simple and manages to just fit in perfectly between the space of Esteem and SX4. The interiors are nothing to brag about and can be described as utilitarian at best. The quality is acceptable, but we would be happy had it been a notch better. The styling too is nothing revolutionary and the Logan would not really attract any second glance. There are a lot of cost-cutting factors that we did not like. For a cost conscious buyer though, the Logan presents itself as a perfect partner with lots of space and sublime ride quality enhancing the comfort factor by a fair measure. The Logan is, in essence, a competent package that could take the fight right at the doorstep of Indigo and beat it, if the Tatas are not careful… Wish this “global” car all the luck!