COMMON MAIN8217;S SEDAN

The Logan may not be a great head turner or look its price, but its fuel efficiency and low maintenance cost are a turn on

The much-touted king of cost cutting is now on the Indian shores. The Logan, rolled out by Mahindra 038; Mahindra, through its joint venture with France8217;s Renault, is in no way a head turner. It is more a reliable vehicle offering the best value in its segment in terms of price, size and equipment. The Logan 1.5 dCi diesel variant churns out the maximum power of only 65 bhp, which has been specifically tuned to return high fuel economy.

Exterior
The Logan is a typical workhorse that will not win any prizes for its looks and is at most a well-groomed plain Jane. It has been designed keeping price uppermost in mind, which explains the boxy rear and flat panels. What revitalises the car8217;s looks is the huge front grill. It gives the Logan a brutish, macho look. People will not stop and drool over the car, as they did with Maruti Suzuki Swift, but will definitely steal a glance. Logan, especially in black colour, has the look of an expensive car. The head lamps are big and clear8212;no frills, just functional. And it has just one reverse light; blame it on cost cutting. You could consider Logan a blend of Tata Indigo and Maruti Suzuki Esteem, but with a superior build. The sedan8217;s styling shows it is a generation old, but it will still give its Indian competition a run for their money.

Interiors
The interiors are a big disappointment: beige colour clashes horribly with the silver-lined black panels. Mahindra should have kept it simple and classy like the Ford Ikon 1.3, which is Rs 1.5 lakh cheaper than the 1.5 dCi. Here is where the cost excuse doesn8217;t work. The dashboard console looks like a chest of a crude robot and the AC vents are a sad rip-off of the ones in the Ford Fusion. Mahindra could have taken notes from Indigo LX8217;s interiors, which look upmarket and have more flair despite the car being almost Rs 1 lakh cheaper than the Logan diesel. Having said that, the quality of the Logan8217;s interiors is much higher. Where Logan is unbeatable is in space: its 1,740 mm width provides more inner space than the Toyota Corolla 1,705 mm. It has decent legroom for the driver and front passenger, and the rear too has good shoulder and head space. The driver8217;s seat can be adjusted for height and angle, but not the steering wheel. The digital central display in the instrument panel has two trip settings for fuel consumption, mileage, and distance-to-empty displays. All window controls and lock switches are on the robot8217;s chest. The car also has one of the biggest boots in the market.

Performance
The heart of the Logan is a four-cylinder, eight-valve engine second-generation common rail direct injection, which produces 65 bhp. It responds well at low speeds, making it good for city use. The 1.5 dCi engine, a lightweight compact unit which weighs 127 kg, keeps noise levels low and returns high fuel economy. The five-speed gear box is smooth but has the feel of a not too expensive car. The car can go up to 150 km in fifth gear8212;not in a jiffy though8212;has good ride quality and easily weathers bumps.

Fuel economy
The Logan8217;s trump card is its high mileage. In city8217;s traffic jams and start-stop driving conditions, it happily returns 14 kmpl. Behind the wheels, if you don8217;t think you are playing Road Rash, the car will return 16 kmpl with the air conditioner switched on. On highways, the 1.5 dCi has a fuel economy of, believe it or not, 26 kmpl. So the average fuel efficiency is 17 kmpl, which beats any sedan in any segment.

Last word
The Logan 1.5 dCi is all about fuel efficiency and low maintenance cost. The car doesn8217;t quite excite with its looks and price tag; there are many others and a couple of sedans available at the same price or less. The diesel Logan has only two variants that cost Rs 5.6-6.7 lakh ex-showroom price. The entry-level model without power windows will be on the road for around Rs 6.5 lakh. The fully loaded one8212;power windows, airbags8212;costs a lakh more. The price is still less than that of most diesel variants of other manufacturers but the Logan doesn8217;t look or feel like a Rs 7 lakh car. Cars to look out for in their diesel variants are the Indigo DICOR, which is a cheaper option but a pure workhorse, and the Hyundai Accent CRDi at around Rs 60,000 more. The Accent produces 82 bhp, which makes it faster than the Logan, but will not return a mileage as high as the Renault. In petrol cars, Maruti Suzuki SX4 is available at the same price as the Logan and it certainly gives you the feel of an upmarket Rs 7 lakh car. For cheaper options, there are the Maruti Esteem and Ford Ikon at Rs 5.5 lakh, both of which return decent fuel economies.