Renault Scala Launched at Rs. 6.99 Lakh

And here drives in the Renault Scala with a lot of pomp and show… and why not! Renault India finally launched the Renault Scala, the fifth car in the Renault lineup this year marking the end of the first loop in India. A lot has already been said about the sedan but the real test is still around the corner, when the Scala will hit the streets. Scala came in both diesel as well as petrol versions. Petrol variant will be available in the RxE and RxL variants whereas diesel will be the RxL and RxZ variants.

The Petrol variant will be 1.5-litre mills, delivering 97.6bhp of power. The Renault Scala price in India for the RxE is Rs. 6.99 Lakh and the RxL is tagged at Rs. 7.85 Lakh, whereas the diesel K9K 1.5-litre engine that is capable of 84.8bhp will also be in two variant models, the RxL, priced at Rs. 8.69 Lakh and RxZ, priced at Rs. 9.57 Lakh. The most distinctive feature of the powertrain is the CVT that the petrol version has to offer.

Like already established, the sedan has taken a lot from Nissan Sunny, but there is a lot of uniqueness as well. The sleeker front grille makes the sedan car look more aggressive. The curves with an overall length of 4425mm; 1695mmwidth and a height of 1505mm make the sedan look voluptuous and attractive. Except Sunny, it seems Scala has taken a lot from the Renault Pulse as well.

The Scala flaunts the grab type door handles in chrome, front door handles that get keyless lock entry-exit button along with body colored, electrically adjustable and electrically foldable wing mirrors, chrome garnish on the windows and a sloping roofline that makes the car look very coupe-like. Further enhancing the looks are thick chrome strip, which runs across the boot lid along with the rear badging, redesigned tail-lamps and a redesigned rear bumper etc. give the rear a distinctive character as well.

Scala will be competing with Volkswagen Vento, Ford Fiesta, Ford Classic, Maruti Dzire and SX4, Toyota Etios, Mahindra Verito, Skoda Rapid, Hyundai Verna, Honda City and the Fiat Linea, where the others might have an advantage of their established brand status. The way Renault is growing, with nearly 1 Lakh 50 Thousand followers on Facebook along with products like Renault Duster, which marked a whole new segment, it might not be long before this French automaker will be counted amongst the well-known brands of the Indian auto market.

The price range of Scala, approximately Rs. 7 Lakh to Rs. 10 Lakh, gets the sedan in a very competitive position in the auto market of India. The competition has Mahindra Verito priced at Rs. 5.21 Lakh for its base model, followed by Maruti Dzire with the starting Rs. 5.41 Lakh, Ford Classic at Rs. 5.53 Lakh along with Maurti Sx4 that comes at a price of Rs. 7.11 Lakh, Honda City at Rs. 7.20 Lakh, Volkswagen Vento at Rs. 7.45 Lakh and so on… The list is long!

Coming back to Renault’s latest, Scala, the sedan from the inside is very similar to Sunny with the rounded theme that we can see on the exteriors, is carried on inside as well. The cabin is roomy, spacious and very neat and clean. The top end variant with the leather seats give added comfort level and premium feel to the car, and these come along with smooth silver inserts on the steering along with mounted audio controls etc.

Overall in one line we can say, the Renault Scala is a well-packaged sedan that offers excellent comfort, drive, power and handling. I shared the upcoming sedans in 2012.