Renault Lodgy Stepway First Drive Review

The Renault Lodgy is one of those few cars that divided opinion in the ZigWheels team like no other. While a few of us thought the Lodgy was a pleasant departure from overly designed MPVs in the category, the rest thought the Lodgy was slightly bland with just not enough going for it to take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the Honda Mobilio. Now though, Renault has launched the Stepway, a crossover version of the Lodgy. So what’s new? Well, read on to know more...

The Lodgy in our opinion is already a nice looking MPV. It could be the fact that Renault’s products are always cleaner designs as compared to the competition or the fact that at the end of the day, the French can pretty much master design as well as the Italians. The Stepway though takes the Lodgy to another level. The Stepway features an all-new front bumper, which gets a chunkier and more masculine look due to silver accent pieces.

The surrounds for the fog lamps too have been edited to give a slightly different look and feel to the front of the Lodgy. A more obvious change though is the new front grille. Ditching the triple chrome slat grille, the Lodgy now has a bejeweled grille with rhombus-like chrome accent pieces that makes the car look quite articulate.

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The same silver treatment continues around the side skirts too and on the rear bumper. The side skirts are now more pronounced with the help of a set of claddings on the door. This adds a bit of zest to the otherwise plain-jane side profile of the Lodgy. Just like the front bumper, the rear too gets a silver scuff plate like treatment. The Lodgy Stepway also gets a set of grey alloy wheels instead of the silver ones that one gets on the normal Lodgy. The whole looks are tied up with the black plastic cladding that runs around the wheel arches and below the side cladding. On the whole, the Stepway certainly enhances the way the Lodgy looks.

With the exception of the exterior changes, the Lodgy Stepway is pretty much the same car as the standard Lodgy is. The version we drove was a seven seater and came with the centre captain seats that in our opinion should be the ideal version that every customer of the Lodgy should opt for. Additions to the Stepway include a sunglasses holder above the drivers seat though, a nifty addition if like us you have a nasty habit of leaving your glasses in the glove compartment, and a nice cross stiched seat upholstrey pattern for the large and frankly comfortable seats. Of course, the extremely versatile and highly useful rear seat combinations are present in the Stepway too offering a frankly stunning amount of interior space....perfect to move houses or any other use one might need.

The Lodgy Stepway still houses the same 1.5-litre DCi diesel engine that does duty in the normal car. With 110PS of power on tap, the Lodgy isn’t brisk but doesn’t really feel lethargic either. What does impress is the sheer cruising ability of the Lodgy with its 6-speed gearbox and cruise control giving the Lodgy extra brownie points. We also like the way the Lodgy handles rough terrain and potholes with absolute ease.

In fact, just like the Duster, there is little that actually unsettles the Lodgy at highway cruising speeds. And of course, the Lodgy is great on the bends too. It might not be a Mini Cooper, but it is definitely impressive when you consider how large and inevitably top heavy this MPV is. All in all then, in terms of dynamics, the Lodgy is certainly one of the better ones in its class.

So is the Stepway version of the Lodgy worth the extra mullah you end up paying? Well, for starters, the changes are mainly cosmetic and although we like the way the Stepway appears to be sporty and outdoorsy, we cant help but appreciate the original design just as much. That said, considering the fact that the Lodgy is already slightly more expensive than its competition, paying a little extra for the exclusivity and appeal that the Stepway offers isn’t such a bad thing after all.