The much-touted king of cost cutting is now on the Indian shores. The Logan, rolled out by Mahindra & Mahindra, through its joint venture with France’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 car’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 clear—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 sedan’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 doesn’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 LX’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 Logan’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 driver’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 robot’s chest. The car also has one of the biggest boots in the market.

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