Dacia Logan 2013 - The new king of the cheap road cars !

First impressions on the road with the new Logan 2013 by Dacia with the support of Renault Group.

We've seen the new Dacia Logan on its launch in Spain on a day with heavy rain. Even though the weather was not suited for a drive test, the new Logan is the suited car for the low cost auto segment. We'd say is the best choice for those who want cheap and reliable cars. Here are the first impressions with the new Logan TCe.

Until its first road test in Spain, we've seen the new Dacia Logan in pictures and live at the Paris Motor Show 2012. But seeing it perform on the road it is much more impressive, because now the new Logan has a truly beautiful and successful design.

First of all the front of the car looks a lot more robust with a strong German spirit, unlike any Renault models. The new Dacia Logan is a balanced sedan when it comes to its dimensions. On the rear side of the car a rather strange curved edge appeared, but which contributes to a strong identity as a brand.

The rear end of the car looks ordinary, but it simply inspires more practical sense. But not 100% as we will see later on. As a whole, the new Logan looks serious and even elegant with the Laureate top version, with the bumpers painted in the body color and alloy wheels.

On the inside we did not expect anything else than a lot of plastic, but things look much better than we imagined. Without having expected high quality standards, the plastic on the dashboard seemed of a good quality, leaving a good impression, being durable and honest built, almost every surface is pleasant to touch.

We have to add the complete make up of the dashboard, more ergonomic and well designed. Immediately as you sit behind the steering wheel you will feel at ease. Actually when the car is equipped with Media Nav system, with its big touch screen, you can't even believe you are talking about a low cost car.

The seats have a quite soft tapestry and are large, built to accommodate even big people. There are plenty of storage compartments: you have to note the notch on the top of the console, or the "niche" in the console near the two spaces for the two doses of drinks.

Even on the back seat things are excellent, due to the large interior width, the seat can truly accommodate three persons with ease.  The space for the knees is very good, as well as the space for the head, and the armrests of the doors are very practical, under them you can find two quite big storage compartments.

In addition, split folding backseat is now a great addition to the previous Logan. Not only that: the backseat folding is split, but if you want a nearly flat load area, the seat can be raised to vertical and back can be lowered down. The communication space with the trunk is a little limited, but anyway, now we can talk about modularity.

The trunk has a capacity of 510 liters, with a reasonable geometrical shape, between the wheels compartments the space get a little more narrow but not by much. On the other hand the low-cost term returns to our attention regarding  the trunk lid alone, which has no exterior handle for opening, nor a closing one on the interior.

I hope that this will be fixed as soon as possible as we think these details are more important than adopting a damper for opening the bonnet. Otherwise, frankly, we have nothing to criticize about the new Logan in terms of practicality. Seems like a very well thought sedan for every family needs.

Lets now see how the turbo TCe petrol engine performs:

During the drive test in Spain , we had Logan models equipped with the new TCe petrol engine.

It is an engine made ​​by downsizing fashion, with only 0.9 liter, three-cylinder turbo. It's the first time we see a turbocharged gasoline engine mounted on the cheapest models Dacia, but I hope you not mean by this that now we are talking about a real "race turbo" engine.

Not at all, it's a decent engine, replacing the 1.6-liter aspirated engine. The new TCe has a power of 90 bhp achieved at 5250 rpm , while maximum torque is only acceptable: 135 Nm/2.500 rpm.

Compared to the previous Logan 1.6 16V, which had CP/5.750 105 rpm and a maximum torque of 148 Nm/3.750 rpm, the new TCe  seems less sinewy on paper . But in reality, things are not bad, primarily because torque is obtained at a lower rpm.

The main argument of this TCe mounted on the Logan is the steady climb in gears, making it a pleasant engine. The 5 speed manual gearbox has longer gears, so we understood from the beginning that Logan TCe relies more on a  calm driving style that favors low consumption.

The engine is quiet enough, the only disturbing fact is the  weird noise different than a regular engine, because the 0.9-liter TCe's only 3 cylinders. The smaller engine capacity makes its presence when running at below 2,000 rpm, when Logan moves slower as expected.

The accelerations for the 90 hp engine are normal and take overs at  faster speeds than 100 km / h are achieved successfully if down shifted. We do not know how the car behaves when it is full, it remains to be latter found a bigger test.

For now, this new petrol turbo engine receives a satisfactory grade, but clearly better than the previous 1.6. Instead, Logan gets a very good grade for their suspension comfort and quietness. Can not wait to see how comfortable the  Logan will be on tougher roads but at a first glance, chassis seems more refined.

Obviously, a flexible suspension means and a more pronounced over steer, but here comes ESP, which is standard. Therefore, even if a little over speeding in  curves, the electronics kicks in smoothly and Logan proves safe to drive. In fact, overall, Logan seems safer on longer trips, whether on national roads or motorways.

One criticism more consistent we have for the steering: although it's servo in parking maneuvers it seemed a little heavier to use. And on the road is not as communicative as we want from a modern car which cuts the enthusiasm of those who want to press the accelerator harder on windy roads.

In conclusion, the new Logan seems like a very comfortable car (even extremely comfortable for what we expected from a low-cost car), while the performance was left aside to make room for a greater safety driving impression.

Instead, I was a little surprised when we saw the prices of new Logan. This version of the engine has a base price of 8700 euros with Ambiance equipment, respectively EUR 9,800 with Laureate. An interesting amount, especially considering that we are promised exemplary reliability with this TCe (which comes with distribution chain).

Basically, if you add options like Nav media system (300 euros) package Securite (with cruise control, speed limiter and rear parking sensors - 400 euros) Appearance package (alloy wheels and rear electric windows - 350 euro) and metallic paint (300 euros), Logan TCe reaches a very good price of 11,150 euros.

An amount that is practically unbeatable for a practical car as  Logan turns to be. The comfort level is more than satisfactory and  not least, to how well looks now the new Logan (from what you would expect when you said "low-cost").

Our  first impression of the new Dacia Logan is better than we expected. we appreciate the changes mostly in terms of practical developments, improved road behavior, more decent than before and looks clearly better and has developed a strong brand identity.