Desperate times call for desperate measures. When the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 the ensuing decade became known as the Great Depression.
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world lost their jobs, were kicked into the streets and forced to sacrifice luxuries such as food, clothes and a roof above their heads.
Sound familiar? Contrary to popular belief, the economic crisis we're facing today has nothing on the 1930's market crash but similarities on a smaller scale are surfacing. Lay-offs by the truckload, households having to cut shopping lists and re-think budgets and some poor souls are even forced to buy cars like, well, Renault's new Logan.
Sorry for all the dramatics but I'm trying to paint a picture here. In an ideal world there would be no place for a cheap, budget-beating car such as this but there certainly is in the harsh reality we now face.
And please take the term "new Logan" with a pinch of salt. By now you probably know that this car is basically a re-badged Dacia, born in Romania and launched in 2004. It epitomises the expression "basic transport" and, if you could strip the modernish body panels off, it would look a lot like front-wheel drive cars of decades gone by.
So what we have here are the bare-bones essentials that, compared to other entry-levels out there, come with a very bare-bones price. As much as my petrolhead ego and I hate to admit, there is a time and place for cars like the Logan. It's now.
Whether Renault likes it or not, the first car that comes to mind for comparison is VW's CitiGolf. For years (plenty of them) the Citi has represented the popular choice for cash-strapped people but there was an obvious and unfortunate trade-off.
Low cost meant ancient technology and styling and almost no safety features. The Logan one-ups the little Golf with anti-lock brakes, electronic brake pressure distribution and a crash bag for the driver.
It also has a much more modern skin (though not a pretty one) and a fairly contemporary interior (but only available with beige upholstery I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy).
My motoring colleagues have mentioned that the Logan "seems to be screwed together well" for such an inexpensive car. However, I couldn't help but notice badly finished parts such as in the boot where exposed wiring runs along the bottom of the rear seat and that the windscreen wiper stalk is marked with only two speeds when there are actually three.
CONSIDER THE PRICE...
The plastic, painted bumpers look like they were sprayed with an aerosol can in the factory car park, the springs in the front seats creak and croak like a pair of bullfrogs and the noise from the cluster when an indicator is switched on is enough to drive anyone batty.
Yer, it's not fair to turn a blind eye to some of this criticism when considering the price; for just over r100 000 you do get a fair amount of spec. Niceties such as aircon, remote-controlled central locking and a neat Blaupunkt radio/CD come at no extra cost and it scores well for its cabin size. Indian and Chinese competitors look like microcars.
It would be fantastic if the back seats folded but the hinge and latch mechanism must have put the Logan over budget. Pity...
POWER A LITTLE WEAK
Ride quality is a strong point, too. The car bounces (notice I didn't say soaks up) over speed humps quite comfortably. It has generous ride height that suits African conditions and suspension travel handles potholes and stray bricks pretty well.
Power is a little weak as far as 1.6 litres go but there's enough pull to keep up with high-paced traffic reasonably well. It's a tad noisy, though, and at 120km/h in fifth you can distinctly hear each of the eight valves screaming for mercy - not that I'm implying they'd give up the ghost with an over-rev or two.
Verdict
I'm sure the 500 or so South Africans who've already bitten the Romanian bullet would rather drive more upmarket cars but, as I said, desperate times
For me it wouldn't be a tough decision to choose a used car at a similar price but there's a certain allure associated with a new car. Did I just use the word "allure" in a budget car's road test? Doesn't seem right in this context. - Star Motoring
Test vehicle from: Renault SA.
ENGINE
Cylinders:
Four.
Capacity:
1598cc.
Fuel system:
Petrol, fuel-injection.
Power:
64kW at 5500rpm.
Torque:
128Nm at 3300rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Type:
Manual, five-speed.
SUSPENSION
Front:
Macpherson strut.
Rear:
Torsion beam with coil spring.
STEERING
Type:
Rack-and-pinion.
Steering column adjustment:
None.
BRAKES
Front:
Disc.
Rear:
Drums.
Driver aids:
.
WHEELS/TYRES
Rims:
Steel 14".
Tyres:
185/70 radials.
DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT
Length:
4247mm.
Width:
1740mm.
Height:
1534mm.
Mass:
1080kg.
FUEL TANK/CONSUMPTION
50 litres, 7.2 litres/100km.
175km/h (claimed).
ACCELERATION
0-100km/h:
11.5sec.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Radio/CD/MP3 player; remote-controlled central locking; power windows, air conditioning
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
ABS; EBD; driver's crash bag.
MANUFACTURER SUPPORT
three-year or 100 000km warranty.
SERVICE INTERVALS
15 000km.
PRICE
R106 900.
RIVALS
Chevrolet Aveo LS sedan (77kW/145Nm) - R132 200
Ford Ikon 1.4 (61kW/125Nm) - R129 900
Hyundai Accent 1.6 GLS (82kW/145Nm) - R142 900
Proton Persona (82kW/148Nm) - R154 995
Tata Indigo 1.4 GLS (63kW/115Nm) - R111 995