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      Renault Scala X-Tronic Report

      Aditya Chatterjee

      Aditya Chatterjee

      Opening

      Renault Scala X-Tronic Report

      In India, automatic variants have always been tabooed as high maintenance options. Being more expensive than their manual counterparts, costly spares and less flexible in getting it serviced anywhere scores heavily against these cars.

      Renault after launching the Scala and establishing itself in the mid-sized sedan market was quick enough to get the X-Tronic CVT in the market. Renault back then claimed that the CVT is a more efficient option compared to the conventional torque convertor as it offers infinite gear ratios.

      Also with the Scala CVT, Renault states that the common issues of high fuel consumption, jerky gear shifts, uneven power delivery and high ownership costs have been rectified. We take the Renault Scala X-Tronic for a long drive and see if it really scores above the competition or just an expensive option to consider.

      Appearance Exterior

      Renault styling has never been about very aggressive sharp looks, they instead choose to make their cars very dynamic. The Scala too with its sculpted jaw line and curving flairs make it a dynamic yet stylish looking car. It makes the Nissan Sunny look very bland.

      The straight hood cut line paired with the pearl headlamps and slender radiator grille together make the front face look good. Even the lower pockets on the front bumper holding fog lamps are very well carved. The radiator grille along with the Renault logo is generously garnished with chrome.

      The long overhangs in the silhouette reminds of the Nissan Teanna since this is Sunny based. The side view of the Scala is identical to that of Sunny. The window line is done in chrome. The door handles have an aluminum finish and appear contrast to the overall body. The 15inch alloy wheels give a very dynamic profile to the Scala.

      With a wheelbase of 2600mm, the Scala indeed looks very long. Even though it sits in the mid sized sedan bracket, it looks very upmarket. The wheelbase of Scala nears some of the premium sedans on sale in India.

      On the rear profile, it has got a 2 tone bumper to add style. The boot gets a dash of chrome with “SCALA” encrypted on it. On the rear too its gets a two tone finish on the bumpers same as on the front fascia.

      Appearance Interior

      The Renault Scala is a good looking car from outside but then in the inside it fails to attract. In fact, the Duster and Pulse too offer similar interiors and prove to be the weakest design element.

      The seats are decently cushioned but are not the best in the business. They lack under thigh support which is extremely important. The lumbar support quality is decent. The top end variant offers leather clad seats which are of good quality. The beige interiors of the car tend to attract dust very quickly and thus maintaining it is an issue.

      The best feature in the Scala has to be its never ending space inside the cabin. This is the only sedan in which a passenger of any size can fit in. If crawling inside a car and feeling cramped is your daily trouble, the Scala with its amazing legroom tends to replace it. The Scala has amazing rear legroom. It feels like a parallel world in the second half of the car. If only some aftermarket accessories and fitments are thrown in, the Scala can equal some of the premium sedans in the market.

      Three spoked steering wheel has audio controls affixed on it. The quality of plastics is decent and won’t let you complain about it as it does its job well.The Scala too has the Circular AC control panel which is seen in its Nissan cousins. The Scala with its 2600mm wheelbase proves to be a longish sedan. Legroom is in abundance for all the passengers. Underneath the front dashboard is a small recess to fit in small documents. The glovebox which also swallows decent load is directly underneath the small recess and impresses with its fit and finishing.

      Front door trim has pockets while same is not available for the rear doors. The boot space is same 490 litres and could take in all our luggage and equipment with great ease.

       

      Performance Drive

      The Renault Scala comes in two powertrains namely the XH2 Petrol and K9K Diesel units. The petrol unit is a 1498cc engine producing a power of 99 PS at 6000 rpm and a torque of 134 Nm at 4000 rpm, while the diesel is a 1461cc engine producing a power of 86PS at 3750 rpm and a torque of 200 Nm at 2000 rpm. Presently the engines are equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission but Renault has already informed us that the Scala would offer a first in class segment auto transmission in the not so far away future.

      With the X-Tronic CVT version which uses comparatively smaller intermediate planetary gear to attain a higher transmission ratio which in conventional CVTs are constrained by the lack of space as they make use of larger pulleys to attain higher transmission ratio. The Renault Scala X-Tronic beats its manual counterpart in fuel efficiency and delivers an ARAI approved figure of 17.97 kmpl

      Even though, the Scala has a long wheelbase still it is not a hurdle and its tail does not sway out of proportion. In addition to the conventional Drive mode, there is a L mode too which comes handy when the vehicle needs high torque at lower rpms. This helps Scala climb on difficult terrains. Also, on the auto shift stick is a “Sport” mode button. In the Sport mode which transforms the gear ratio into a shorter version while travelling at any speed. Not like what the tag “Sport” would ideally suggest, this mode helps the vehicle while overtaking on highways or on occasions which needs quick and swift response.

      Renault’s handling is unparallel and with the minor tweaks on the Scala over the Sunny, the Scala handled brilliantly over the challenging turns on the ghats. The suspensions of the Scala were also doing their bit to make sure the Scala earns our appreciation and we surely were impressed by it too. 

       

      Tech Specs

      Technical Specifications
       Make Renault
       Model Scala AT
      Variant Petrol
      Engine Capacity 1498
      Power in PS/RPM 99/6000
      Torque in Nm/RPM 134/4000
      Gears 4/AT
      Fuel Petrol
      Length mm 4425
      Width mm 1695
      Height mm 1505
      Wheel base mm 2600
      Kerb Weight in Kg 1010
      Ground clearance mm 161
      Fuel tank capacity 41
      Turning circle radius in M 5.3
      Boot Space(Litre) 490
      Tyre Spec 185/65R15
      Fuel Effeciency(KMPL) 17

      Features

      Features RXL RXZ
      Power Steering Yes Yes
      Power windows No Yes
      Central locking No Yes
      Manual AC with Filter Yes No
      Auto AC with filter No Yes
      Steering mounted audio control No Yes
      Remote Keyless Entry No Yes
      Intelligent Key With push button Ignition No No
      Driver seat height adjustment No Yes
      Remote Boot opener No Yes
      Integrated Audio system with 4 Speaker No Yes
      Rear seat center arm rest No Yes
      Interior Colour Scheme-Black Yes No
      Interior Colour Scheme-Greige No Yes
      Body Coloured ORVM No Yes
      Rear Defroster No Yes
      Electrically adjustable ORVM No Yes
      Electric Folding ORVM No Yes
      Front Fog Lamps No Yes
      Full Wheel covers Yes No
      Alloy wheels No Yes
      ABS+EBD+BA Yes Yes
      Engine Immobilizer Yes Yes
      Driver airbag Yes Yes
      Front passanger airbag No Yes

      Competition All Specs

      Specifications
      Renault
      Scala
      Honda
      City
      Hyundai
      Fluidic Verna
      Variant RXL AT S  AT 1.6 SX VTVT
      Ex showroom Price Mumbai (in lakhs) 899000 966967 1044356
      Engine Capacity 1498/4 1497/4 1591/4
      Power in PS/RPM 90/6000 118/6600 123/6300
      Torque in Nm/RPM 134/4000 146/4800 155/4200
      Gears 4/ AT 5/AT with Paddle shift 4/AT
      Fuel Petrol Petrol Petrol
      Length 4425 4420 4370
      Width 1695 1695 1700
      Height 1505 1480 1475
      Wheel base 2600 2550 2570
      Kerb Weight in Kg 1010 1155 1200
      Ground clearance 161 160 165
      Fuel tank capacity 41 42 43
      Turning circle radius in M 5.3 5.3 5.2
      Tyre Spec 185/65R15 175/65 R15 195/55 R16
      Features
      Power Steering Yes Yes Yes
      Power windows Yes Yes Yes
      Central locking Yes Yes Yes
      A/C Yes Yes Yes
      Music system Yes Yes Yes
      Fog Lamps Yes Yes Yes
      Rear wind shield washer Yes Yes Yes
      Defogger Yes Yes Yes
      Alloy wheels Yes Yes Yes
      Beige interiors Yes Yes Yes
      Steering mounted audio control Yes Yes Yes
      Rear seat arm rest Yes Yes Yes
      Fuel consumption display Yes Yes Yes
      ABS Yes Yes Yes
      Dual Airbag Yes Yes Yes
      Average fuel efficiency (Kmpl) 14 14 14
      Renault | renault scala | Scala