Renault Logan: A car for the cost conscious buyer

1.619304-1751955525 — For those on a budget Renault Logan could be the perfect partner. Image Credit: Supplied

In the olden days, the sole purpose of your car was to take you from home to work with minimal fuss. You were no doubt driving a boxy looking thing which you would park somewhere and then forget it was yours. If you bought a top-of-the-range model, it meant you got a radio.

Fast forward to the present day and your car probably has sat-nav, 68 air bags and Alcantara on every conceivable bit and carbon fibre on every other bob. Plus a fridge/freezer. But Renault is taking us back in time with its new-for-2011 Logan.

This may be the first car in history that has nothing really interesting about it, nor is it particularly offensive. Yet over a million have sold worldwide since its 2004 debut, making it a vital product for the Renault Nissan Alliance. So what gives?

Well, it is designed and marketedfor the cost-conscious buyer. With the global credit crunch making its impacton spending power, motoring consumers are looking for genuine value. Hencethe Logan.

There is no excuse for it looking as cheap as it actually is to buy. Very little attempt has been made to tart it up on the inside or out, to at least make it appear expensive. You don't even get an armrest or a vanity mirror for the driver. Some of the controls are positioned poorly, such as the one for the AC, which is too low on the centre console making it hard to reach and adjust.

The horn has been placed on the end of the indicator stalk so when you try to press it during times of anger you inadvertently switch the wipers on.Which makes you angrier.

Floor it and you age faster than it accelerates. Let's just say, the 1.6-litre engine isn't the most potent unit around.

Regardless of its lack of features and dreary design, you actually can't help but like it. It has an endearing quality. Every time I peered down at it through the window I was hoping it had somehow disappeared, but no. There it was. In fact, it seemed to look up and smile at me with its cute little front grille and cockeyed headlights. The more I saw it, the more I pitied it. Then I started to appreciate its reason for existing. And after a thorough test drive, ranging from heavy traffic to endless open road, my mind was made up: the Logan is a cute little car which runs around town like a kitten chasinga ball of wool.

It is refreshing to have a car on the market that does not cost more than your house, that will drive what feels like a lifetime before it needs filling up and that can transport five passengers in relative comfort. The front seats are well padded and offer a fatigue-free ride while the boot swallows your luggage like a fat kid tucking into a cheese burger.

Obviously, the nature of the 1.6-litre powerplant is not to go from 0-100kph in the blink of an eye or scorch the tarmac and lay two black lines on the road. No, it has 105bhp and 148Nm of torque and excellent fuel efficiency: 34mpg ensures affordable daily running costs.

The four-speed automatic is smooth but the steering feels heavy and the wheel itself is bigger than necessary, which makes U-turns as gruelling as a gym session. With a top speed of 185kph and a 0-100kph time of 11.9 seconds, the front-wheel drive Logan is not the quickest off the blocks, but once it gets going it is slick and precise. The ride quality is good and if you fling it into corners it tackles them with gusto while body roll is negligible. The interior noise is a little on the high side, but you can drown that out with the no-frills Blaupunkt stereo.

All in all, it is a sober and simple car, but would have benefited had it been crafted with more imagination. For those on a budget it could be the perfect partner thanks to its fuel economy and spacious cabin. The Logan is a competent package which we will no doubt see more of. Perhaps someone in the higher echelons of power at Renault can be persuaded to give it a V8 and 20in rims. No? OK, let it be.

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