Renault Duster vs Renault Lodgy

The new Dacia Duster that was globally unveiled recently is the third generation of the SUV. This will form the base for the Renault Duster that we expect to be launched by the carmaker in India. It looks modern and feature-packed — from the pictures at least. But will it be able to rekindle the excitement when it was first launched in India? From the looks of it, it seems quite like it. But again, to remind you, the Duster was a mid-sized five-seater SUV with oodles of space, outstanding ride quality, frugal diesel powertrain, and handsome looks. It only started to feel old due to the other modern SUVs in the segment that were equipped with more features, better interior, several drivetrain options, and a more appealing proposition. Has the new one managed to tick these boxes then? Let's delve deeper.

We have always rated the Renault Lodgy, highly as a product. When it came to desirability though, it lacked finesse and clearly is a MPV that prefers function over form. To make it more attractive Renault launched the Stepway Lodgy late last year with some cosmetic enhancements and additional features. Yes the Stepway edition was already available on the previous car but it was optional and came only in the top RxZ variant. So apart from some minor changes, the Lodgy remains the same. So this review is more of a refresh of what this MPV is all about and if the Stepway edition is what makes the Lodgy more alluring than before. We took this MPV for a spin, late in the night on streets of Mumbai to find out.

The Renault Lodgy arrived in our long term fleet three and a half months ago. And we've already driven it for more than 7,500km. Little did I know that it would be used so extensively and yet do so well. Especially, when all this mileage is under different road and weather conditions. Right from the sweltering summer in Mumbai, to the current rains that can soak one to the bone, the Lodgy has seen it all in such a short span.